Have you been thinking about ways to adjust your current IT infrastructure to improve your operations and bottom line?

Managed IT services allow you to focus on your core business while experienced experts help you stay on top of the rapidly changing world of technology. Managed IT services make your business more efficient and can help boost your revenues. With a few industry insider tips, you’ll know what to look for when finding a managed IT service provider that can work with your business.

Let’s look at the basics of working with managed IT services.

Services Included in Managed IT Services

There’s a lot that managed IT services can do to improve your business. They can handle everything from security and compliance to networking and infrastructure. Here are a few of the highlights of working with a managed services provider.

• Remote Help Desk
• Proactive Support
• Networking
• Infrastructure Support
• Disaster Recovery and Backups
• Cloud Services
• Maintenance and Monitoring Services
• Asset Management and Auditing

These services can act as free-standing IT support or integrate with your existing IT team to offer you comprehensive assistance. Services like disaster recovery, security and compliance, and networking are vital in today’s digital economy.

The Financial Benefits of Managed IT Services

There are substantial benefits directly connected to working with managed service providers. They include:

Predictable Costs

Managed IT services work on fixed cost models. You know precisely what you’ll be spending each month, helping you to budget. This allows you to stay ahead of your expenses and know exactly what’s coming your way.

A Focused IT Team

Managed IT services don’t have to replace the IT team you already have. Both can work alongside each other for the best results.

Your internal IT team has some of the most important jobs to do with your business. They know your company better than anyone, which means they should be focused on the essential tasks.
All too often, internal IT teams get bogged down with minutiae. Working with managed IT services allows your internal IT team to optimize your business and focus on the tasks that really matter.

Lower Infrastructure Costs

This is a saving that often gets overlooked. Technology changes every year, which typically means one of two things for businesses. Companies are either stuck working with outdated infrastructure or are burdened with significant expenses of updating.

A managed IT services company will help you stay on top of s infrastructure costs. These companies shoulder the burden of constantly updating their technology, so your business doesn’t have to. You’ll get all the same technological advances but without having to pay a fortune.

Limited Downtime

Here’s the big one — downtime is one of the most significant financial hazards when operating a business. When some of your operations are out of action, it causes disruptions throughout your entire workflow. The more predictable and shorter the downtime, the better your business will function.

So, what should you look for in a managed services provider?

Getting Started with IT Services: Finding The Right MSP As Your Partner

Finding a managed IT service provider who can work with your specific industry can be tricky. However, here are three tips to make the process easier for you:

It all starts with finding out what your current IT infrastructure looks like. You should take a moment to have your IT staff audit your technology. This will cover everything from the obvious stuff like computers and servers and include things that could become part of an integrated IT infrastructure like CCTV and landline phones.

You should also know what you want from the managed service provider. Are you looking to make the jump to cloud computing, or maybe you want to unify your communications? If you have IT staff already on board, they can help determine the scope of the managed services you´re looking for.

Avoid jack-of-all-trade companies or companies tacking on managed IT services as an extra. You’re passionate about your line of work, and you want to find IT professionals that share your enthusiasm.

Wrapping Up – What’s Next?

Now you’re ready to start looking for a managed IT services provider that can help your company gain a technological edge. You know what they have to offer, how they can improve your bottom line, and the key takeaways you need for finding the best of the best in this industry.