flevyblog

Flevy Blog is an online business magazine covering Business Strategies, Business Theories, & Business Stories.
MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP STRATEGY, MARKETING, SALES OPERATIONS & SUPPLY CHAIN ORGANIZATION & CHANGE IT/MIS Other

6 Benefits of Managed IT Services for Your Small Business

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Incident Management Process PPT (IT Service Management, ITSM) (34-slide PowerPoint presentation). Incident Management Process is essential Process in Service Support. Document describes the process in detail including very detailed description of Process flow steps. Other than that, document contains Incident Management key definitions, process roles, CSFs, KPIs, Risks and [read more]

* * * *

You may encounter various challenges with your information technology (IT) infrastructure in a small business enterprise. These challenges can significantly reduce your profit margin as they may cost more gradually. The reason is that if you have an in-house IT team, you may need to hire several team members with varying expertise. The cost of hardware and software upgrades can also increase.

Therefore, outsourcing your IT support may be handy. Companies like KDIT managed IT services can help provide elaborate IT support, reducing your burden on costs like salaries, benefits, and maintenance. In addition to the cost factor, here are other benefits of managed IT services for your small business:

1. Offer Scalability

When using an in-house IT team, the infrastructure you put in place remains in the business even when you don’t need it. Besides, the expertise you hire may not be necessary throughout the year. These are costs you would bear but not benefit the business, although you may need them later.

However, with managed IT services, you can increase or reduce the services you require at a particular period. Most managed IT service providers would allow you to customize plans according to your needs. For instance, you may need more coverage during a busy season. Thus, you can scale up your plans to help cover the period.

Adjusting your plans to fit your current needs lets you spend time or finances on other necessary IT solutions.

2. Provide Access to Expertise

Expertise in the IT industry can be expensive. Hence, your business may not afford some of the best in the field. Moreover, you may face competition from other businesses who may want to pay better for the same. Yet if you source your IT solutions from a service provider, you can gain from their pool of staff.

IT support is their core business, so managed IT services would hire some of the best experts to ensure they can meet the various needs of their customers. They’ll also have a team with varied specializations. This can range from networking and cybersecurity to software engineering. Therefore, even if your business may not require a software engineer, you can still benefit without an extra cost if the case arises.

Likewise, some IT solutions can require learning a new skill that you might need only once. Having a managed IT service provider means you don’t have to train your team whenever there’s a new software or application you need to install.

3. Allow Your Team to Focus on the Business

A managed IT service provider helps cover essential IT operations like network monitoring and software updates, so your in-house team can focus on the core business operations. They can also keep up with industry innovations and developments. Apart from keeping your business updated, this also improves your team’s productivity and morale. Hence, they can recognize their impact on the business’s operations.

4. Provides Better Budget Predictability

If you’re using an in-house IT team, your cost will vary considerably from month to month. This is because hardware maintenance, software needs, and cybersecurity can change unpredictably. This means that you may never get your IT budget right.

However, with a managed IT service, you know what amount to spend on your IT solutions during a particular business period. This is a contracted figure, so you can easily budget for the cost as it will be consistent throughout the contract period. It can also help protect your profit margins.

5. Let You Receive a Proactive Network Monitoring

Managed IT services provide 24-hour network monitoring. Thus, they know when your network is more active and the security parameters of your operations. This knowledge is essential when running software updates and hardware upgrades to avoid disruptions and downtime.

Additionally, they can detect and address any unusual activity in your system that might lead to a security breach, averting a problem before it affects your operations. This round-the-clock monitoring means your business won’t have network downtime, resulting in better workflow and improved productivity.

6. Help Keep Up with Compliance and Regulations

The evolving cybersecurity threats, particularly in the realm of mobile applications, mean that industry regulators develop standards and rules for better data and privacy protection. Businesses must meet these regulations to avoid penalties. However, becoming too preoccupied with your core operations may have you miss deadlines or new rules.

Managed IT services can help ensure your business stays up to date. With experience and knowledge of industry standards, they can advise which rules you need to meet. Furthermore, their reputation may also depend on keeping their customers compliant. Thus, managed IT services would ensure that your systems comply with local and international standards.

Conclusion

Technology is a diverse and evolving industry, and most businesses may not have the muscle to keep up adequately. Therefore, outsourcing your IT services might be a good idea. Refer to the benefits of using managed IT services for your small business in this article when you finally decide to hire one for your small business.

32-slide PowerPoint presentation
Change Management Process is essential Process in Service Transition. Process is contained in ITSM best practices. Document describes the process in detail including Process flow, key definitions, process roles, CSFs, KPIs, Risks and Challenges. This comprehensive PPT on Change Management [read more]

Do You Want to Implement Business Best Practices?

You can download in-depth presentations on SLM and 100s of management topics from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives.

For even more best practices available on Flevy, have a look at our top 100 lists:

These best practices are of the same as those leveraged by top-tier management consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and Accenture. Improve the growth and efficiency of your organization by utilizing these best practice frameworks, templates, and tools. Most were developed by seasoned executives and consultants with over 20+ years of experience.

Readers of This Article Are Interested in These Resources


129-slide PowerPoint presentation
This document is a 129-slide PowerPoint presentation that provides an overview of IT Service Management based on the ITIL V3 Best Practice Framework, and is inclusive of the 2011 updates The whole of the Service Lifecycle (Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service [read more]


 
26-slide PowerPoint presentation
 
 
27-slide PowerPoint presentation

About Shane Avron

Shane Avron is a freelance writer, specializing in business, general management, enterprise software, and digital technologies. In addition to Flevy, Shane's articles have appeared in Huffington Post, Forbes Magazine, among other business journals.


Complimentary Business Training Guides


Many companies develop robust strategies, but struggle with operationalizing their strategies into implementable steps. This presentation from flevy introduces 12 powerful business frameworks spanning both Strategy Development and Strategy Execution. [Learn more]

  This 48-page whitepaper, authored by consultancy Envisioning, provides the frameworks, tools, and insights needed to manage serious Change—under the backdrop of the business lifecycle. These lifecycle stages are each marked by distinct attributes, challenges, and behaviors. [Learn more]

We've developed a very comprehensive collection of Strategy & Transformation PowerPoint templates for you to use in your own business presentations, spanning topics from Growth Strategy to Brand Development to Innovation to Customer Experience to Strategic Management. [Learn more]

  We have compiled a collection of 10 Lean Six Sigma templates (Excel) and Operational Excellence guides (PowerPoint) by a multitude of LSS experts. These tools cover topics including 8 Disciplines (8D), 5 Why's, 7 Wastes, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), and DMAIC. [Learn more]
Recent Articles by Corporate Function

  

  

  

  

  

The Flevy Business Blog (https://flevy.com/blog) is a leading source of information on business strategies, business theories, and business stories. Most of our articles are authored by management consultants and industry executives with over 20 years of experience.

Flevy (https://flevy.com) is the marketplace for business best practices, such as management frameworks, presentation templates, and financial models. Our best practice documents are of the same caliber as those produced by top-tier consulting firms (like McKinsey, Bain, Accenture, BCG, and Deloitte) and used by Fortune 100 organizations. Learn more about Flevy here.
  


OUR CORE OFFERINGS
Flevy Marketplace: Top 100
· Strategy & Transformation
· Digital Transformation
· Operational Excellence
· Organization & Change
· Financial Models
· Consulting Frameworks
· PowerPoint Templates
FlevyPro (Subscription Service)
KPI Library
Streams (Functional Bundles)
Flevy Executive Learning (FEL)
PowerPoint Services

FREE Resources

About Flevy
Management Topics
Marcus (AI-Powered Consultant)
Partner Program
LinkedIn Influencer Marketing
FAQ / Terms / Privacy / Blog
Contact Us: support@flevy.com



CONNECT WITH US!
       
TOP 100 TRENDING TOPICS
Acquisition Strategy
Agile
Analytics
Artificial Intelligence
Balanced Scorecard
Best Practices
Big Data
Breakout Strategy
Business Continuity Planning
Business Plan Financial Model
Business Transformation
CMMI
COBIT
Change Management
Cloud
Communications Strategy
Company Financial Model
Competitive Advantage
Competitive Analysis
Consulting Frameworks
Continuous Improvement
Core Competencies
Corporate Culture
Cost Reduction Assessment
Customer Experience

BROWSE BY FUNCTION
Strategy, Transformation, & Innovation
Digital Transformation
Operational Excellence and LSS
Organization, Change, & HR
Management Consulting

Customer Journey
Customer Service
Cyber Security
Data Privacy
Decision Making
Digital Marketing Strategy
Digital Transformation
Digital Transformation Strategy
Due Diligence
ESG
Employee Engagement
Employee Training
Enterprise Architecture
Growth Strategy
HR Strategy
Hiring
Hoshin Kanri
ISO 27001
ITIL
Information Technology
Innovation Management
Integrated Financial Model
Kaizen
Kanban
Key Performance Indicators

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Business Strategy Frameworks
Case Studies
Consulting Training Guides
COVID-19 Trend Data
Digital Transformation
Financial Advising Services (FAS)

Knowledge Management
Leadership
Lean
Lean Manufacturing
Logistics
M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions)
Manufacturing
Market Research
Marketing Plan Development
Maturity Model
McKinsey PowerPoint
McKinsey Templates
Operational Excellence
Organizational Change
Organizational Design
Performance Management
Post-merger Integration
Pricing Strategy
Process Improvement
Process Maps
Procurement Strategy
Product Launch Strategy
Product Strategy
Project Management
Quality Management


Free Resources
KPI Library
Lean Management
Lean Six Sigma Training Guides
Marcus Insights
Operational Excellence

Real Estate
Remote Work
Restructuring
Risk Management
Robotic Process Automation
SWOT
SaaS
Sales
Scrum
Service Design
Six Sigma Project
Social Media Strategy
Strategic Planning
Strategic Thinking
Strategy Development
Supply Chain Analysis
Sustainability
Target Operating Model
Team Management
Total Productive Maintenance
Value Chain Analysis
Value Creation
Value Stream Mapping
Visual Workplace
Workplace Safety


Product Strategy
Small Business Owner
Startup Resources
Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning Process
Value Innovation Strategy


© 2012-2024 Copyright. Flevy LLC. All Rights Reserved.