Technology plays a crucial role for every modern business’ operations and growth. The right technology can boost productivity, save your teams time and effort, provide you with actionable insights that can help you to improve your products and market placement, keep your company secure, and so much more. But it’s about more than just finding the right technologies – it’s about implementing them in the right way, maximising their effectiveness throughout your organisation, boosting their adoption, and making sure that they’re maintained.
Many businesses take on the challenges of IT all on their own, hiring internal teams to manage their technology’s provision, support, maintenance and upkeep. And the result is often that the business spends more time finding talent and managing technology than they do on their core focus.
This is where managed IT services come in – hiring external professionals to manage not just your IT infrastructure, but the running of the technologies themselves. In fact, there are so many different types of managed IT service that it can be hard to keep up! Which is why I wanted to break down the evolution of managed IT, and how you could be putting the different types of managed services to better use for your business.
The Evolution of Managed Services
Managed IT services have come a long way since their inception, and it’s been increasingly driven by the rapid advancement of technology. In the past, if you asked what managed IT services are, you’d find out that they were mainly focused on providing support for existing systems and infrastructure. This was often in the form of an outsourced IT helpdesk, where businesses hired external providers to troubleshoot their systems remotely. However, as technology has advanced, so too have the demands placed on managed IT services.
The State of Managed IT in 2024
In 2024, we can expect to see a continued shift towards managed IT services as businesses of all sizes embrace the wide range of new technologies that are emerging. You may, for example, want to start integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools into your processes to free up more of your humans’ time, or you may want to digitally transform your company by transitioning into the cloud. Managed cloud services are in fact becoming ever more popular and crucial for businesses to adopt, especially with the rise of remote and hybrid work environments, where your humans need to be able to access the data that they need to work productively from wherever they may find themselves in the world, no matter what device they may be using. As companies look to reduce their physical IT infrastructure and move towards more flexible, scalable and cost-effective solutions, they don’t necessarily have the skillsets that they need within their internal IT teams, and are turning to IT consulting to get expert advice and technology management. This in turn will lead to an increased demand for outsourced cybersecurity services, as businesses will want to ensure that they’re making every effort to secure the critical and sensitive data that they are migrating to cloud storage.
What Are The Types Of Managed IT Services Available To Businesses In 2024?
If you’re looking to adopt managed services in IT into your company, the first step is going to be understanding what types of IT solutions your business needs, what your internal teams are already taking care of, and where having a team of experts guiding you will be of the most value to your business. Let’s take a deep dive into the different types of managed IT services that are available for you to use:
• Strategic Technology Planning
Managed service providers play a crucial role in helping businesses plan and implement their technology strategies. This involves understanding your long-term objectives, evaluating existing systems and infrastructure, identifying areas for improvement, and recommending new solutions to meet business needs. One of the best parts about strategic technology planning is that it’s long-term, rather than just looking at what is needed right now. The right technology roadmap will help you to prioritise upgrades and updates to your existing systems, as well as adopt new technologies going forward, all while keeping within your IT budget.
• Reviewing Your Systems
As technology constantly evolves, it is essential to regularly review your systems to ensure they are up-to-date and functioning optimally. Managed service providers can conduct thorough system reviews, providing recommendations for upgrades or replacements to ensure your business stays competitive, efficient, and (most importantly) secure. The right partner can also help you to document your existing systems and processes, as is part of our Solid Systems Review, ensuring that there is transparency and visibility into the technologies that you’re using, and that no one person leaving your business will result in your operations grinding to a halt.
• Remote Infrastructure Monitoring
Proactive monitoring of IT infrastructure is crucial to prevent downtime and quickly address any issues that arise. Managed service providers use advanced tools to remotely monitor your systems, ensuring they are running smoothly 24/7. This also allows them to identify and resolve potential problems before they cause significant disruptions to your business. This can also help you to effectively manage your IT budget, since you’ll have the opportunity to invest in the right replacements as they are needed, rather than finding yourself having to spend exorbitant amounts of money to quickly replace infrastructure that has fallen over and brought your operations to a shut down.
• Managed Cloud Services
With the increasing popularity of cloud computing, managed service providers offer a range of services to help businesses leverage the benefits of the cloud. These include cloud storage, disaster recovery, Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and more. By helping you to not only migrate your systems into the cloud, but also effectively managing your cloud services, providers can ensure secure and reliable access to your cloud data, apps, virtual machines, and more.
• Cybersecurity Services
Cyber threats are one of the biggest concerns to businesses in this modern, digital age. Attackers are becoming smarter and more sophisticated in their methods of attack, making it much harder for businesses to identify potential threats and combat them effectively. This is why many companies are turning to experts in the field to implement world-class cybersecurity solutions, train their teams in how to recognise potential attacks and avoid them with the help of best practices, and put a cyber resilience and disaster recovery plan in place that will help them to recover from an attack as quickly and effectively as possible if one does end up occurring. Managed service providers offer a range of services such as network security, data encryption, threat detection and response, and employee training to protect your business from cyberattacks. With experts monitoring your systems 24/7, you can have peace of mind that your business is secure.
• Managed End-User Services
The right managed service provider will also offer services that help your end-users, both by supporting them in their day-to-day work, increasing productivity, and by ensuring smooth and efficient technology operations for employees. This could include onboarding new team members and devices, managing workstations, implementing software updates and patches to ensure all systems are running smoothly, providing end-point replacement plans, and even putting solutions like Microsoft Intune in place which allows you to wipe sensitive company data from a machine if it gets stolen, or if a team member leaves your company.
• On-Site IT Services
In addition to remote support, many managed service providers also offer on-site IT services for businesses that require hands-on assistance. This can include setting up and maintaining hardware, troubleshooting issues, managing on-site network infrastructure, and even conducting training sessions with your teams on subjects that can range from how best to use your Microsoft solutions, to cybersecurity techniques and best practices, to ways that they could be taking advantage of AI tools.
• Managed IT Projects
When it comes to implementing new technology or completing IT projects, managed service providers can be a valuable partner. They have the expertise and resources to handle various projects such as system upgrades, cloud migration, software implementations, digital transformation and more. Plus they’ll often be able to get the projects completed more efficiently and effectively than your in-office teams, because getting the project done and dusted will be their main focus, while your internal humans will have their daily tasks to manage on top of any project work that they’d need to complete.
• Human Support For Your Business
One of the key benefits of managed IT services is the human support they provide for your business. When you work with the right technology partner, the IT support that they provide goes beyond just troubleshooting – it’s about having an expert on the other end of the call or email chain who really understands what it is that you’re going through and the problems that you’re facing, and is supporting both your humans and your business in everything that they need. With a team of experts available to assist with any technology issues or needs, you can focus on running your business without worrying about technical problems.
5 Signs That You Need A New Managed IT Services Provider
If you’re wanting to embrace the evolving technologies that are available to help your business grow, then working with a trusted and trustworthy technology partner is going to be critical to your success. But not all providers are created equal, and there may come a time when you need to switch to a new one. If you find yourself asking over and over, ‘What IT service management am I getting?’, it’s the first sign that you may need a change. Here are five other signs that you may be working with the wrong managed IT service provider for your business.
1. Lack Of Accountability
A good managed service provider should take ownership of any issues or problems that arise and work to resolve them efficiently. If you find yourself constantly having to chase your provider for updates or solutions, it may be time to look for a more accountable partner.
2. Insufficient Attention To Business Needs
Every business is unique, and their technology needs are going to be unique as well. A good managed IT services provider should take the time to understand your business’s specific needs and work with you to find the solutions that are going to meet and exceed your goals. The last thing you want is to feel like your provider is offering a one-size-fits-all solution. If you aren’t getting the personalised approach that you need from your technology partner, it may be time to seek another.
3. No Prior Experience Or Market Credibility
In the rapidly evolving world of technology, experience and credibility are crucial. A reputable managed service provider should have a track record of successful projects and satisfied clients. If your provider has a lack of experience, either in general or in your industry, or no positive market reputation, it’s time to start looking for a new partner.
4. Cybersecurity Risks
As cyber threats continue to increase and become more sophisticated, having robust cybersecurity measures in place is essential. Your managed IT services provider should be proactive in identifying and mitigating potential risks to your business. If you feel like your current provider is not taking cybersecurity seriously, it’s time to find one that does.
5. Cost Overruns
One of the main reasons businesses outsource their IT service is to save money. However, if you consistently experience unexpected costs and overruns with your managed service provider, it defeats the purpose of outsourcing. A reliable provider should be transparent about their pricing and work within your budget. If you find yourself constantly going over budget, it may be time to switch to a more cost-effective option.
What Makes Solid Systems The Best Technology Partner For Your Business?
When it comes to expertise and experience, offering IT solutions that are uniquely suited to your specific business needs, a proactive approach and a security-first mindset, Solid Systems is one of the best managed IT service providers that you can find.
We have spent more than 20 years working with businesses to digitally transform their companies, embrace new technologies, and secure their systems against a wide range of threats. We understand the important role that the right IT services can play within a business when they’re implemented in the right way, and we have spent the past two decades perfecting our human approach to helping companies understand their technologies, boost their adoption, and use them to further human connection within their businesses.
If you’re looking for a partner that can offer exceptionally human IT support, can work with you to strategically plan your technology roadmap, and can see you making the most of your IT budget, then you’ve come to the right place. Schedule a free consult with our Sales team today, and let’s see you stepping into the future with confidence.
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