As a small business owner, you have a multitude of responsibilities. Sure, running a business is freeing and fulfilling, but you have to consider your needs, your budget, your customers, and your employees. You’re responsible for keeping your business running!
But how can you keep everything running smoothly when you’re still working on a shoestring budget? You can’t afford a full IT team, but you also can’t afford to have any serious tech emergencies.
Have you considered managed IT services? These services provide many benefits to small business owners worldwide.
Not sure if this service is right for you? Read on to learn all about how outsourcing an IT team can help improve your business.
1. Affordability
Many new small business owners think that hiring “extra” services, such as managed IT services, is an unnecessary expense. While it will add an extra bill to your monthly expenses, it is still a good financial decision.
When you hire managed IT services, you pay a flat rate to the managed IT company. Some companies offer one flat rate while others will base the price off of your needs. Either way, you always know what you’re going to pay.
You may be considering hiring an in-house IT team. While this is a valid option for business owners who have larger budgets, professional IT workers go through school to perfect their skills. This means that they deserve larger paychecks.
People who work in managed IT companies, such as Krishna Kosgi at Best Structured, get those paychecks from their employers. This offsets the cost for you.
You also won’t have to pay for expensive emergency IT professionals in the event of an emergency. When you don’t have an IT professional on your team already, you’re going to shell out more money when you need someone by surprise.
Finally, you’ll save money on potential IT blackouts, or worse, security breaches.
2. 24/7 Assistance and Safety
So let’s say that you already have at least one IT professional on your team (if not an entire IT department). Why should you hire managed IT services if you already have that help?
If you have your own team working with you, they go home when their workday is over. If you need them in the middle of the night, you have to pay overtime and they may not be available at all. IT problems don’t go away when your employees clock out.
When you use managed IT services, this doesn’t have to be a problem. The people working at the managed IT companies are around 24/7 to answer your questions and help you when you need it.
This is helpful when you’re faced with cyber attacks. Cybercriminals know that the best time to strike is often when people aren’t paying attention (which is after hours).
Instead of coming into work with a disaster on your hands, you can contact your managed IT provider as soon as you see that something is amiss. Better yet, they may notice the problem for you.
3. Enhanced Security Options
Speaking of cybercriminals, when you hire managed IT services, you get the benefit of enhanced security options.
Most small business owners rely on affordable security systems for their tech. It’s often all that they can afford. When you hire a professional IT team, you also get better tech security.
Avoiding security breaches is crucial if you own your business.
4. Quick Emergency Response Times
In the event of a true security breach or other tech disasters, you don’t have to wait for someone to come help you. Your managed IT team will be on the job immediately so you can reduce downtime.
Reducing downtime means that you don’t lose as much money. Your tickets will be addressed as soon as possible. If you happen to need in-person support, your IT team can have someone available for you right away.
Don’t let an IT blackout get in the way of your workday.
5. Better Software
Many new small businesses can’t afford the same software that large businesses can. After all, you’re on a shoestring budget.
When you use a managed IT provider, you also get their wide range of software options. You may not be able to get everything that a large corporation has access to, but you will get more than you’d be able to afford on your own.
Alongside this, you also have the ability to update that software as soon as you need to.
Are you guilty of hitting that “remind me later” button when a software update is available? We’ve all done it. When you own a small business, however, this is a risky move.
Software updates have a purpose. They enhance your software with helpful patches, and they often include security updates against the latest cyber threats.
A good managed IT service provider will perform these updates for you at a convenient time (like after hours) so you don’t disrupt your workflow.
6. Scalability
Every small business owner wants their business to grow. Even if they plan on staying small and independent, they want to gain more customers or clients and continue to thrive.
So what happens when you outgrow your managed IT providers?
While you have the option of hiring your own in-house IT team, you could also scale up your services to match your new goals. Most of the best managed IT service providers offer different plans based on the needs and sizes of the companies that hire them.
Even if you scale up, the price should still be affordable to you.
Do You Need Managed IT Services?
We understand that small business owners are working on tight budgets. If you want to save money, protect your business, have access to consistent support, and keep your business safe, hiring managed IT services is the obvious answer.
If you’re still unsure, reach out to managed IT service providers to discuss their packages.
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