An Overview of Managed IT Services

Digitalization has turned the business world into a new chapter of success in which most business operational activities are automated or at least driven by top-flight technology. As the role of tech in business growth is heading to a higher level, information technology takes up a growing-size part of your budgets and resources, leaving a lot of organizations struggling with IT management and maintenance. In such context, a majority of business owners decide to adopt a more proactive approach to outsource what their in-house teams are not capable of handling in exchange for up-to-date, secure, and always available IT infrastructure at a fraction of the costs – managed IT services.

You may find this concept new, but in fact, you may have or have been using some sort of managed IT services before without noticing them. In the simplest way, we would explain to you the definition of managed IT services as well as their role in your business growth.

What Are Managed IT Services?

When you outsource a defined set of activities related to managing and maintaining your company’s IT infrastructure to a third-party services provider (MSP), you are utilizing some forms of managed IT services. These managed services cover everything ranging from setting up and configuring new hardware and software to remote monitoring and troubleshooting. The true idea behind this managed services model is to transfer the hardest parts of IT management and maintenance from the customer to a service provider, merely similar to how custom software development outsourcing or dedicated team models function.

By entrusting your business needs to an MSP, your organization gains technical support from an expert team on a 24/7/365 regular basis. As clients, you can determine what business functions you would otherwise be able to handle with the in-house teams and hand over these specific tasks and responsibilities to managed IT service providers.

Common Types of Managed IT Services

Managed IT services can take different forms, and they vary by the service providers as well as the client’s business goals. These are some of the most popular managed services that businesses tend to outsource:

IT Help Desk Services

This type of managed IT service includes a wide variety of support services performed by the MSP to fix technical issues related to hardware, Software, and networks. The help desk support can be either delivered remotely or on-site, depending on the needs of the client.

Network Monitoring and Management

As your business grows, so does its network infrastructure. A larger network means more complexity and a higher risk of system downtime. To avoid this, you need to have a team of experts constantly monitoring your network 24/7/365 and taking preventive measures to keep it running smoothly. This is where network monitoring and management services come in handy.

Data Backup and Disaster Recovery

Backing up data is essential for any company to avoid data loss in case of a disaster. Managed backup and disaster recovery services help you create and store regular backups of your data in a secure off-site location. When a disaster occurs, you can quickly and easily restore your data from the backup, minimizing downtime and reducing the impact on your business.

Cloud Solutions

Cloud computing and DevOps have become one of the most popular IT trends in recent years. There are more and more businesses moving to the hybrid cloud infrastructure to take advantage of its many benefits, such as scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Also, cloud services can be a great way to offload some of the IT burdens from your in-house team and focus on more strategic tasks as long as you know how to choose the right cloud service provider. Cloud providers can deliver their solutions as either Software as a Service, Platform as a Service, or Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Security Services

In the digital world today, data security is more important than ever, and these services help you protect your data and networks from external threats, such as hackers and viruses. Managed security services can include firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention, virus and malware protection, and more.

Why Need Managed IT Services? - Top 5 Tangible Benefits

Proactive IT brings in a wide range of benefits for small businesses, large organizations, medium-sized companies, and startups. Instead of suffering from sub-par internal IT services, businesses of different sizes can enjoy the advantages that would otherwise be available until managed services come into the picture.

Reduce Operational Costs

There is no need to hire or train in-house staff when it comes to outsourcing IT services, saving you a lot of money. Moreover, engaging with an MSP for IT services can be much cheaper and easier to control your budget since the pricing is fixed for every monthly charge. And there will be no need to worry about incurring fees.

Less Downtime

By outsourcing your IT needs to an MSP, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that your network is in good hands. With an expert team monitoring your systems round the clock, you can rest assured that any potential issue will be resolved quickly and efficiently, minimizing downtime.

Tap into Expert Resources

When outsourcing your IT needs to a managed service provider, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing your network is in good hands. MSPs have the knowledge and expertise to proactively manage and monitor your network 24/7/365. In the event of a problem, they can quickly resolve it before it has a chance to impact your business. Otherwise, it costs you much more money to acquire the same level of expertise in-house. Also, you don’t have to worry about staff turnover as that is completely handled by the managed service providers, not you.

Enhance Security

Partnering with a good managed services provider can also help you boost your data security. MSPs offer a wide range of security services, such as firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention, and virus and malware protection. By outsourcing your IT security needs to an MSP, you can rest assured that your data is safe and secure.

Focus on Your Business Core Activities

As you no longer have to worry about your IT infrastructure and your workforce does not have to touch IT-related issues, you can focus on the more important areas of business and leave the rest to the experts.