Why use an IT Managed Service Provider?

What makes a good Managed Service Provider (MSP)? In theory it’s quite simple; a provider that is willing to listen, understand your business needs and can deliver a bespoke managed service that fits your current and future business needs.

Migrating to a MSP can seem like a blind leap of faith and finding a good MSP in the IT industry can be even more daunting. However, once you’ve found one, the benefits for your business can be overwhelming.

We’ve identified three key areas where using a good IT MSP can help improve your business…

• Cost…

We thought we’d start with the obvious concern: “We’d love to hand over our IT issues to a specialised company, but we can’t afford it?”. If it’s going to cost an arm and a leg then who’s going to invest.

We’ve got some good news; it can actually be much more cost-effective than you think. Hiring and training IT staff can be long-winded, very expensive and employees can come and go. Outsourcing your IT demands offers a fixed cost solution without the pain points associated with the complex recruitment process.

A good MSP helps to bridge the gap between the capacity of your internal IT department, and the IT demands you need to function and progress as a business.

Most companies can't afford to match the in-house support services that larger organisations maintain. Working with a MSP offers SME’s access to similar enterprise-grade technology and the expertise that larger businesses benefit from.

Imagine how large your budget would have to be to implement every IT service your business could possibly need such as IT support, trained engineers, Disaster Recovery, Proactive Admin, Office 365, Cloud Solutions etc. Going it alone is always going to increase your costs. Where do you even start implementing these services on your own? A trusted IT MSP, who’s been in the industry for decades, can offer trusted supplier relationships and wholesale purchasing to help deliver the best possible value to your business.

• Expertise…

Not only can MSP’s reduce your costs through solid working relationships with leading industry partners such as Microsoft, HP and WatchGuard, to name but a few, but they’ll also be the first ones to know of any updates, patching requirements, new products or technology that becomes available in the market. This can be crucial in an ever-evolving industry such as IT and can offer your company a competitive advantage.

Keeping your systems up-to-date and patched can also help your business become much more cyber secure. Having access to the expertise to implement a comprehensive security patching strategy can address specific bugs in certain products, improve stability and fix security vulnerabilities. This can offer a much more tailored, pro-active approach to your IT rather than a reactive approach which you often experience with a stretched internal IT department. Problems can often be fixed before you even knew they existed, allowing your business to run smoothly and occur less downtime.

Another benefit which helps reduce downtime, is the speed of an IT diagnosis. Dealing with IT issues constantly, an IT MSP can use their knowledge and expertise to recognise an issue instantly. Would you rather have an experienced doctor or a newly qualified one. The same can be said for IT.

• Focus on what you’re good at…

What is your core function as a business? Is it delivering excellent recruitment services? Manufacturing high quality goods? Or offering first class legal advice? Whatever it is, it’s unlikely to be managing your IT infrastructure. So why try to do it yourself – you would ask a Solicitor to help you with a legal case or ask a building firm to undertake renovation work so why not use a trusted MSP to manage your IT? Don’t let IT get in the way, or even compromise your high standards as a business.

The more involved you are with managing your IT the less time you have to apply to your own business which can only have a detrimental effect.

What should I do?

If you’re reading this you’re on the right track. It means your business is growing and you’re thinking of outsourcing your IT. It may seem daunting but the benefits are real.

OGL Computer has been in business for over 40 years and has acquired numerous accreditations with world-leading IT partners along the way. We’ll be happy to listen to your IT concerns and help you understand which options are best suited to your business needs.

To get in touch click here or you can call us on 01299 873 873 and an IT Consultant will be happy to offer their expertise.