Reduce Tech Irritation and Burnout with Managed IT Services
Have you ever experienced a time when your technology failed you — causing downtime and frustration? What if you don’t have the right expertise employed in-house to manage and maintain your IT infrastructure? The technology needed to run your business is increasingly complex, often more so than internal IT staff can maintain. More companies are turning to external IT services providers to help reduce downtime, boost security and increase employee productivity and experience.
What is an IT Managed Service Provider?
Engaging an IT managed service provider simply means outsourcing all or part of your IT function to a third party. IT professionals possess specialized IT skills that allow them to manage and take responsibility for IT infrastructure and services for a range of organizations. This is a popular option for small to mid-size businesses (SMEs) due to the exorbitant costs associated with investing in high-end hardware and maintenance while still staying competitive with larger organizations.
What Type of IT Support Services are Offered?
Technology partners typically offer help desk support, cloud services, security services, backup and business recovery and data management solutions. These technical partners may also act as a virtual CIO, providing strategic oversight of your technology needs and even budget.
A business enters into a service level agreement (SLA) with the IT managed services provider where both parties agree on the level of service the IT professionals will provide over a period of time. The cost depends on the level of service your business requires and often is based on either the number of individuals or the number of devices being supported.
A managed service provider typically operates on a monthly service fee over a defined period of time. The SLA also defines any costs over and above the monthly, quarterly or annual service fee should additional services be required outside of the core agreement.
On-Call Experts for Immediate Technical Support
Smaller companies often can’t afford the expertise required to fully support and maintain their technology solutions in-house. An IT managed services provider provides access to an on-call expert who will help them with their support needs either remotely or onsite.
Data Backup
Critical to the success of any business is the recovery of data in the event of a massive technology interruption. IT service providers offer options to backup, protect and retain data ensuring the continuity of the business. Outsourcing this function ensuring backups are completed daily plus it adds an additional layer of security and accessibility for the client.
IT Support
Managed service providers take a proactive approach to supporting your technology functions before they fail. Whether it’s installing new software, updating licensing agreements, providing ongoing training and proactively managing and patching your devices, IT partners offer services far beyond simple help desk functions.
Network Security
Cybercriminals are constantly on the lookout for companies with inadequate network security — making it easy to steal highly sensitive information such as credit card details in addition to installing nasty malware to take control of devices. Adequate security is critical to prevent and detect network intrusion and protect you against viruses and spam. Having access to external IT security professionals also helps ensure that your firewalls are robust and your software patches are always up-to-date.
Cloud Management and Storage
IT service providers offer a variety of storage solutions depending on your in-house capability and the type of storage you need. The cloud works best as it provides an additional layer of protection as all data is encrypted safe from possible cyberattacks.
Virtual CIO
Most SMEs don’t have the capacity to hire a Chief Information Officer. However, an IT partner can provide strategic oversight, analysis and a step-by-step plan dedicated to the specific needs of your business.
Keeping your technology solutions in line can be a thankless task, but the team at tech42 is here for companies in the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre area! We have over a decade of experience helping ensure that companies have the solid and secure IT infrastructure needed to stay competitive in today’s tough economy. Contact our experts at (570) 209-7200 or schedule a complimentary consultation online anytime.