3 ways managed services can increase business results

Technology creates the platform most businesses stand on these days. In fact, it would be hard to imagine a company that could not benefit from improving their IT approach. As business technology continues to advance, it brings with it powerful new ways that any company’s IT can move past simply supporting their business mission into the realm of improving the way they work.

The challenge for most businesses lies in being aware of just what technology can do to drive their productivity and protect them from potential security threats or data loss. That’s where managed IT services can deliver a huge benefit to business operations.

Here are 3 ways a managed service provider will make your business better.

1. Increased productivity

Every business could benefit from increasing their productivity. Whether it’s slow networks with bottlenecks or outdated technology that under-performs, the tiny moments of downtime can add up to a massive loss of productivity.

When companies trust their IT approach, whether in part or in whole, to a managed service provider (MSP), they can engage a number of solutions that increase productivity. Services like hardware-as-a-service (HaaS) and network management can keep a company’s IT firing on all cylinders. They also bring with them a big uptick in productivity.

In fact, 72% of SMB decision makers report that better technology solutions have helped them run their business with greater efficiency. Whether it’s 24/7 network oversight or cloud solutions for mobility, there are a ton of ways for an MSP to increase total productivity. Many of them even pay for themselves over time.

2. Minimized downtime and data loss

For many businesses, a huge amount of time is wasted dealing with poorly functioning systems and hardware. It’s exponentially more if that hardware fails without adequate backup solutions in place to protect the company’s mission-critical data. Given that more than 140,000 hard drives fail in the US each week, equipment failure and the downtime it causes can create a lot of havoc.

Downtime costs the average SMB anywhere between $8,000 and $74,000 per hour. And it’s caused by much more than just failing hardware. Ransomware and malware are leading causes of downtime as well, bringing with them their own unique set of threats.

Managed services typically include security solutions to keep threats like malware at bay, as well as data backup solutions that keep your data safe from loss. When combined with good old-fashioned network oversight, these solutions can virtually eliminate downtime and data loss for your business. That saves you a lots of lost revenue and reputation in the process.

3. Scalability and flexibility for growth

Companies grow. Or, at least, that’s the goal. Whether it’s horizontal or vertical growth, often the biggest barrier to effective growth is a company’s IT approach. Managed services offer a variety of solutions that can eliminate these growing pains.

Cloud services provide almost unlimited scalability both vertically and horizontally. Solutions like VoIP phone systems allow a company’s communications to grow seamlessly with expansion. Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) allows companies to provide scalable hardware solutions that not only accommodate growth but also keep companies from stagnating with outdated technology that no longer meets their needs.

The bottom line

All of this information only touches on the advantages of trusting a company’s IT to a managed service provider. The combination of services that makes the most sense for any given business depends on their unique industry and approach. But there’s no doubt that managed services can have a powerful effect your business’s bottom line, now and in the future.