Having your own in-house IT team is of course an option, but it may also be time to consider a Managed IT Services Provider.

In many businesses, technology is often the invisible glue holding things together and possibly even the key to unlocking business success. No-one disputes the importance of it, nor can they imagine trying to run a successful business without it. However, the truth is very few non-tech business owners are passionate about IT.  Rather, what makes them tick is ensuring their product or service meets both their company vision and their clients’ needs in the best way possible, and that their team is motivated and cared for to deliver their best.

With that in mind, it’s not surprising that IT often earns itself the ‘hassle’ badge with unbudgeted IT costs, unscheduled downtime, and the persistently nagging feeling that you’re not completely in-the-know about, or able to harness the potential of technology.

What does a Managed Service Provider offer?

In short, a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can offer IT services and solutions that optimize your IT infrastructure, often on a 24/7 basis and at a fixed monthly cost.

The right outsourced Managed IT Services partner gives your business access to a diverse range of skills, a depth of knowledge and a level of reporting that is almost impossible to replicate internally. You should also have peace of mind from shared responsibility for your IT strategy and be assured of best-of-breed solutions, minimised downtime, a scalable solution, and the leveraging of technology to maximise your business’s potential.

What are some of the signs that it might be the right consideration for my business?

The challenge of keeping up to date:

• You don’t have a clear record or understanding of your current technology infrastructure.
• There are aspects of your technology infrastructure that are not up to date.
• You find it difficult to understand, prioritise and implement new technologies.
• There is no planned ongoing IT infrastructure assessment and auditing.

Needing additional resources or skills:

• You’re spending too much time dealing with IT issues.
• You find that you need access to IT expertise and third-party technical support beyond what your in-house team delivers.
• You experience a lot of downtime and need to deploy IT solutions faster.

Feeling like you’re not operating optimally:

• Your IT infrastructure isn’t as scalable or flexible as you’d like it to be.
• You need a better mobility solution and a centralized network for the changing work environment.
• Your security considerations and disaster recovery plan are insufficient.
• You want to improve how you manage IT costs and budget for your IT expenses.

Lack of confidence in the information you have for making decisions:

• You don’t have access to dashboards to see key business metrics or comprehensive reporting and analytics.
• You lack capacity-planning information.
• You don’t have a clear IT roadmap that links to your business growth strategy.
• You want to draw on learning from other people, businesses, and industries.

If any of this strikes a chord with you, let’s explore the opportunities of a partnership that focusses on doing business better.

For more information on our business, team and services please visit www.businesstechnology.co.za