The debate on whether to rent or buy is an evergreen business topic and, in the modern tech era, managed services are one of those dividing points for big and small businesses alike. While its true most larger companies have their own in-house IT capabilities, even they still tend to keep consultants on the books for specific apps or tech used by their offices.
Looking at what many consider to be the biggest driver of the pace of business and its tech – consumer expectations – it’s easy to see how tech advances and the joy of adding them to your business toolkit can sometimes become a bugbear. Matching your competitors and even exceeding customer expectations can be exhilarating, but along with tech comes the need to keep it all flowing smoothly.
There are many signs that can indicate the need for an outsourced solution, quite apart from a costing that shows efficiencies and financial benefits. If tech issues make you grit your teeth and no longer charm you to resolve them, that’s probably the most legitimate indication it’s time to allow professionals to relieve you of that responsibility. Tech management shouldn’t be eating into your core business focus.
Outsourced services and cash flow
Although not always possible in any number of businesses, ideally you’ll budget and spend according to available funds. Tech without outsourced services almost always flouts this structure. If you’d like greater control over your cash flow, you’ll need to
Replacing tech suddenly in order to keep the wheels turning can quickly become a bottomless pit, wholly disrupting even the most careful cash flow projections. It’s true that the majority of companies with an ad hoc approach to maintaining their tech, very often find themselves in a down-spiral soon after replacing a server or a laptop. A piecemeal approach to tech maintenance so often precipitates the collapse of overall tech functionality, because shooting from the hip into this sensitive and costly arena of your business simply doesn’t give good results.
Without managed services at play, tech maintenance happens upon failure, an approach that can severely dent a company’s budget, or even kill a start-up entirely. Outsourcing tech services can really eliminate unpleasant tech surprises.
Emergency services limit damage
Service technicians become your watchful eye, current on your overall tech health. By eliminating ham-fisted interventions by amateurs, persistent breakages are also eliminated. When professionals handle your tech, unfortunate “I didn’t know!” breakages and DIY solutions that never last are eradicated. Your tech runs as
Emergencies do happen at times, and that’s just life. That said, if you have tech services on board, you’ll be anticipating all looming tech issues, resolve them speedily, and not lose out on the business growth you work so consistently to achieve. Running a comprehensive IT structure in business without the correct, professional accompanying support is like trying to mow the lawn with a knife and fork. You might get it done, but it’s so far from ideal it just becomes silly at some point.
Tech needs strategy too
If you ask most business owners about the biggest benefits derived from the managed services they employ, high up on that list comes IT strategy. Much like any other tool, tech wears down. Also, alongside the anticipated lifespan of, say, an office laptop, changing consumer expectations plus new apps and hardware constantly push the envelope wider, meaning even modest longevity and functionality expectations can be cut short
What does it all mean?
With managed services on board, tech aging, application, and replacement can become strategic – an anticipated expense in the budget. You’ll also never find yourself left behind on your industry’s advances and new norms. The changing tech landscape need never be the potentially scary unknown it is now. Both a replacement strategy and an ongoing functionality assessment come as givens with outsourced tech services, ensuring your business fitness.
Cybersecurity and data management
The global statistics on phishing and hack attacks are in fact darker than ever, and data protection has become a standard consideration for global business in the new millennium. Far from a world of diminishing cybercrime, it’s an unfortunate reality that as tech advances, so do the crooks who employ it for their personal illicit gain. The need for online security and management – specifically data security – is core to any modern business.
Managed services
The benefits of managed services in a nutshell
Planned and budgeted-for as opposed to impromptu purchases, optimal tech performance
Last Updated on February 3, 2021.