Photo by John SchnobrichOriginally Posted On: http://it-henhouse.com/blog/managed-it-services-comprehensive-guide
If you’re a growing business, the plain truth is that you need cybersecurity. While you may think that cyberattacks only strike large corporations, that’s false.
According to online reports, since 2018, there has been a 424% increase in cyber breaches within small businesses.
While you could hire someone in-house to handle your small business cybersecurity, you’d save more time and money by outsourcing that service to a team of professionals. Managed IT services are a great solution for small businesses.
If you’ve never heard of a managed service provider (MSP), don’t worry. We’re going to explain why outsourcing your IT needs to an MSP is the only route that makes sense for your growing business.
1. Managed IT Services Save You Time
The average IT job remains vacant for 33 days before someone is hired for the job.
However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. According to labor statistics, 70% of companies take between one and four months to hire a new employee. While you are waiting to land the perfect employee for the job, your confidential data and your business operations remain in flux until you can get the right professional up and running.
Your company’s security is paramount to your business. However, cyberattacks don’t operate on your hiring timeline. Hackers are always looking for kinks in your armor that they can navigate through.
So what can you do?
Skip the hiring process and have a team of IT professionals do the work. No ads, no interviews, just a solid service starting immediately. You may opt to have a IT consultant in-house because you have more visibility and control over their performance. It just a more time-consuming process.
In the time it takes your human resources department to create an advertisement, you could have a managed service provider up and running for your business.
2. Managed IT Services Save You Money
When you’ve reached the point of growing your company to the point of needing IT expertise, it’ll be a good idea to hunker down and complete your due diligence. We recommend you explore the benefits of outsourcing vs the charming in-house employee that you may ultimately decide to hire.
Let’s start with the story of Bob, the “IT guy” who passed all the interviews with flying colors. Bob is a friendly fellow. He loves to solve your team’s tech issues and he’s always clutch when the companies in pinch.
He has extensive knowledge of information technology, and that’s why you are stoked to hired him. He has a pleasing personality and tells great jokes as an added perk!
Best yet, he fixes problems fast. He often helps employees understand how to not run into the problem again. But Bob has a problem:
1. Because of his knowledge and experience, Bob commands as salary just shy of $100,000 per year.
2. As a full-time employee, he has paid holidays, vacation days, sick time, and more, so he’s not always available 24/7 unfortunately.
3. He exclusively works during business hours.
4. He accepts medical coverage from your company and has a family plan, costing you $20,000 annually.
Right off the top – Bob, with all his knowledge and experience, costs your company $120,000 annually. He doesn’t work every day. He only works during business hours, and he’s only one man. Rightfully so, he’s definitely worth the investment but it may not be so easy on your companies bottom line. If you are mulling over the dent a six-figure compensation package is going to have on your cash flow, you may need to look at a second option while your company is gaining its bearing.
A managed service provider:
- Isn’t an employee
- Doesn’t take days off
- Works all day, every day
- Isn’t one person, but a team of highly skilled individuals
Meanwhile, the best MSP companies charge a flat rate between $1,250 to $1,500 per month! Let’s do the math on that…
That’s $18,000 per year for a full team of IT professionals working around the clock for your business!
Bob is a nice guy, but is he $102,000 a year nice?
3. What Managed IT Services Do
Now that you know that managed IT service providers can save your business time and money, what do they do?
Managed IT services to ensure the company’s systems are running smoothly. They also make sure that your system is secure and up-to-date. MSPs also handle day-to-day tech issues that come up in your company.
They do all this for a flat, fixed monthly rate, 24 hours a day, and 365 days a year.
Here are some areas that MSPs can help your business:
- Tech support – day-to-day issues
- Recovery – in the event of an attack, they’ll get you back up fast
- Security – prevent any future attacks on your business
- Strategic future planning – keep your system ready for future trends
- Cloud data storage – store your data in the cloud, making you a more agile company
According to Entrepreneur Magazine, only 14% of small businesses are equipped to handle a cyberattack. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of this statistic.
Call on a managed IT service provider and feel secure in knowing your business is secure.
4. The Cost of Not Hiring a Managed IT Service
According to a study by Hiscox, the average cost of a cyberattack to a small business is $200,000. However, this isn’t even the most alarming statistic.
According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, 60% of small businesses close within six months of a cyberattack.
While it’s true that managed IT service providers can save your company time and money, perhaps more shocking is that they can also save your business.
Don’t wait for $200,000 later to save your business, reach out today, and secure your cyber future.
Managed IT service providers are standing by and ready to help you fight the good fight from those who wish to do your company harm.
5. Managed IT Services Can Help Grow Your Business
While most people tend to think of MSPs as a means to an end, they are actually much more than that!
A valuable MSP can help grow your business with digital solutions:
- Creating mobile apps
- customizing software platforms
- Installing network platforms
- Managing E-commerce solutions
- Creating data-tracking systems
MSPs can be a bridge to improving your customer experience and employee-to-employee communication. When it comes to hiring a team of IT soldiers for your business, it’s more than security.
The right MSP can set your company up for the future. Right now, 16% of retail sales are online. Online sales are just starting to develop, and will soon take over in-store sales. Wouldn’t it be nice to know you bought into it early?
By hiring a managed IT service provider, you can position yourself just in time for the online sales market and ride the wave to future prosperity in your business.
Are You Ready for Managed IT Services?
Managed IT services can offer security, long-term business solutions, and continuous support for your business, all at a fixed monthly rate.
If your company is ready to switch to a managed IT service provider, contact us today at 704-659-0665 or reach us online through our contact page.
IT-HenHouse
1213 West Morehead St., Ste. 500
Charlotte NC. 28208
704-659-0665
http://it-henhouse.com/lets-talk
