What are the main reasons for having managed IT services?

I have a problem to share if that’s OK? The good thing about this problem is that if we solve it, you could benefit from the answer. Deal? Right then, here we go. I need to write an article outlining the benefits of managed IT, but there are so many benefits that there is no chance of getting them into this small article. So, what do I do? How do I explain something as beneficial to a business as having well managed IT in one small article? Where do I start?

What if there is a problem?

Perhaps I should start with the one thing that always concerns the directors in a business, or should concern them if it doesn’t already – disaster recovery and business continuity. If you have a server issue or a software or hardware hiccup and it takes you offline, your business has a big problem. In fact, for most businesses, you will be dead in the water until you manage to figure out the problem. Even then, your recovery process will need to be top-notch, or you could find yourself spending hours of trading time rebuilding systems and putting them back where they should be.

Or, rather than all those problems, you could have managed IT systems, and the difficulty will either be fixed remotely in minutes, or someone will be out to get you up and running again as fast as possible. As a result, you don’t have a lot of downtime, staff are not sitting around with nothing to do, and you are not losing money hand over fist while your system is offline.

You need experience

So clearly, disaster recovery is vital, but if I write about that, I also need to write about the people that will be behind your managed IT. Experience only comes from, well, experiencing things. The reason we can talk about Datasense managed IT systems protecting you from disaster is because they are supported by people who know what they are doing. Our team have decades of experience so, if the worst happens, they can quickly draw on that and fix things.

You also need current knowledge

Of course, that also means that they will need to be up to speed with the latest developments and advances in the IT world. In fact, without being on the front of the curve when it comes to IT, you can’t offer a robust IT management system at all.

Naturally, that will be too much for one person to handle, so for all the other stuff to be a valid service to our clients, we will need flexibility. When it all comes down to it, there is not going to be a one size fits all solution for managing the IT of your business because it is unique. So, all the benefits we have already talked about rely on there being a flexible service provided by experienced people that will be able to deliver the support your IT needs. It’s the difference between managed IT that is there to support your system and a generic off the shelf package some companies offer where basically you need to hope that your system meets the service the provider is offering. The right solution requires a flexible approach to make it work.

Right, we are getting there, so far then we have said that the benefits of a managed IT system are:

• Disaster recovery and business continuity
• Experts on call
• Flexible solutions
• Current knowledge

And also, future-proofing

While we are on the subject of current knowledge – that brings in another aspect. One of the hidden benefits of having Datasense provide your managed IT is future-proofing. The problem with staying current in technology is that it is constantly changing. We can cast an expert eye over things and ensure your current software and hardware stays current for as long as possible.

Cost-effective solutions – you save money

I suppose in the end, though, the biggest value is financial. For any business, it will eventually come down to the value of the service to the business. Without properly managed IT, you are not just running the risk of downtime and operational problems, you could well be falling behind your competitors. If they have robust, well serviced, remotely managed IT, then they have a distinct advantage because it is a service that directly impacts on both initial costs and continuing cost of IT. You don’t need managed IT to keep up with the Joneses, you need it to maintain your position in the market as well as having the infrastructure to grow as you expand.

So not only is having a managed IT service about the functionality of your systems, is it about profitability.

OK, so there we go, we figured out the main reasons. Although I just thought of a lot more that we will need to save for another article.

Call us to find out what they are and how we can help you.