Should I Consider Managed Services for My Business?
Managed IT (Information Technology) Services - do I need it?
Managed IT (Information Technology) Services can be somewhat of a polarizing topic. Often the differences of opinion come from perspective. “C” level leaders are required to have a holistic view of the company with a deeper understanding of company finance, potential business changes, market trends, etc. Departmental managers such as IT Managers often have a more limited scope of the business with focus to their departmental budget, their staffing needs, their job security, and their view of IT through the lens of their particular experience and skill set.
Deciding if managed services is right for your business requires acceptance of the fact that certain realities exist within all businesses. First, all businesses today rely on IT. Second, IT is increasingly complex. Larger companies with extensive IT staffs typically have specialized roles - Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, IT Director, System Administrator, Network Administrator, Help Desk Manager, and Web Developer to name a few. Smaller companies certainly don’t employ all these titles, but they do require some of each positions’ skillset.
We might break down IT into some basic broad categories:
Vision / Planning – What are the IT needs of the business today and what will they be in the coming months and years. How do we use technology to grow the business and be more efficient? How do we budget and plan for what’s needed?
Systems – what cloud services (software, platform, or infrastructure as a service) and what on-premises systems are needed to meet the business needs and how do you support them?
Networks – what networking services are needed to support business needs – Internet, WAN, LAN, Wireless, Firewalls, phone systems, etc and how will these be supported?
Applications – what applications or software are needed – ERP, EMR, 0365, Citrix, Oracle… and what in-house experience is needed to operate and maintain them?
Security – what measures our needed to protect our data, systems, network, and people secure? What would happen if my data was compromised?
HelpDesk – how do we support our internal users to do their job effectively by means of IT?
Deciding if managed IT services is right for your business requires an honest evaluation of your company’s IT needs and your staff’s skillset. The old expression a jack of all trades and master of none is never truer than when it’s applied to IT. A single person or small staff cannot be master of all elements of IT. Each element requires specialized training and focus to truly master. However, labor is generally the most expensive part of doing business when you look at the loaded cost of a Full Time Employees (FTE) to include benefits, vacation, insurance, and so on.
With that in mind, choosing managed services is generally not a decision to eliminate the internal IT staff. While it may sometimes be the case for small businesses, most often it’s a scenario where managed IT is chosen to augment or fill in the gaps between the skills and knowledge the internal staff can provide.
Therefore, choosing a good managed services provider is essential!
The MSP cannot be a jack of all trades / master of none for hire. They must truly possess the staffing, skillset, training, and experience to properly fill the roles your business needs. Further, they need to have the right staffing to support not just your business, but all their other customers as well.
In conclusion, choosing managed services is right for many, but not all businesses. However, Managed IT services will provide a degree of cost certainty in your IT environment, along with a comprehensive IT skillset that doesn’t go on vacation, get sick, or once trained leave your company for a better offer.
Further, when you hire the right managed services provider, you’ll likely find you deal with less downtime, your environment and data will be more secure, and your users will have a better experience with IT and therefore work more efficiently.