Is It Time To Adopt A Managed IT Services Model?
Posted on: 5 January 2022
As most businesses grow, there's a good chance they'll have IT needs. Likewise, those needs can grow to the point where they may need to adopt a managed IT services model. If you're trying to determine whether your situation calls for a managed IT approach, look at these four scenarios that often drive companies to do so.
Yearly IT Cost Growth
One of the strongest arguments for organizations to move to a managed model is because they're seeing IT cost growth year after year. Fortunately, a multi-year managed IT services contract can lock in your prices. If you need scalability beyond the terms of the contract, you can add provisions to cover additional work. With the costs locked in, you can move on to other concerns.
Persistent IT Failures
Even if your team has extensive experience, they can only do so much. Oftentimes, this problem appears as persistent system or project failures. You may see servers going down regularly, for example. Likewise, you might find expansion projects delayed because tasks like installing cabling and networking aren't moving fast enough. If these issues stop being one-off problems, you've probably hit the time to talk with a third party about services options.
Limits of Your Knowledge
Particularly when businesses rely on non-tech folks to handle their in-house IT needs, they can reach the limits of their knowledge. The clever manager who can handle basic problems with the word processor and even fix a computer may be at a loss when it comes time to set up a full-on web and database server, for example.
There is nothing wrong with conceding you've hit the limit of what you know. Especially when it comes to IT, stability and security risks accompany any actions that exceed the scope of your experience. Paying a third party to help you take that next step is an investment in preventing issues and avoiding potential financial losses or even liability.
Outdated Software
Managed IT firms have access to licensing models that keep their customers' systems up to date. If you're constantly working with software that's a half-decade old, you may want to take advantage of this. A managed IT services company can install and maintain licenses for your systems, regularly moving your setup to the new software when the next upgrade cycle hits. This reduces the inherent security risks associated with old software, and it also will ensure you always have the newest features.
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