If you had to estimate the percentage your organization allocates for IT each year, would you say you tend to go over budget, or do you stay on target? If you’re operating on a break/fix model, odds are you’re going over budget. At first, this model may have worked for you. Your environment was small enough to handle each issue as it came, and your lack of technical support didn’t conflict with your day-to-day operations.
What happens when your business really begins to grow? You’re forced to buy more hardware to keep up with your expansion and more machines equates to more systems to support. You will reach a point where you’re spending more on IT support than you intended.
Your need for an outside contractor to go onsite to address outstanding issues may jump from a once a month visit to multiple times per week. Even though your intention is to save money, working on a break/fix model or using break fix services will ultimately cost you more.
When you invest in IT you invest in your business altogether. In today’s world, businesses rely on technology to meet their business objectives. Having the right technical support can take your business to the next level by increasing productivity and protecting your team and your company from cybercriminals.
With a Managed Services Model the terms and conditions are different. Not only do you pay one set monthly fee, but you gain ongoing protection and support for your company. No need to worry about “surprise” capital expenses due to failed equipment.
With an MSP, you will receive the strategic guidance necessary to plan for equipment upgrades and security best practices. No concerns related to a subcontractors hourly rate and more long term expense benefits.
What is an MSP?
Working with an MSP is like having a fully staffed, highly trained IT department on call. A department that proactively monitors, protects and manages your entire IT environment. Their focus is to create a solution that is customized to meet your business needs.
They operate as an extension of your organization and will offer ongoing support. A Managed Service Provider can offer you so much more than just a quick fix on your current issue.
The reality is, equipment breaks, downtime increases, productivity decreases and more importantly, you lose money. MSPs take a proactive approach by constantly monitoring your network to prevent issues before they occur.
Additionally, they have a support team on hand to deal with end user issues immediately. Employees that rely on certain technology to do their job lose their motivation to deliver quality results and hit deadlines which in turn can negatively impact your bottom line. With an MSP productivity goes up and downtime goes down.
How an MSP can Help
Every business is different and has unique needs but here are a just a few of the solutions an MSP can offer to improve your business.
Updates and Upgrades
Depending on the size of your environment, updating software and upgrading equipment can seem extremely overwhelming and highly expensive. Not only will your MSP make sure that you are updated and patched timely, they’ll also provide recommendations for equipment upgrades so you can budget for it accordingly. Additionally, an MSP has established relationships with reputable vendors. You don’t have to waste time away from work handling procurement issues.
Mobile Device Management
The majority of workplaces have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. Although they save money on hardware this kind of policy puts your data at risk. It’s unsafe to have a policy of this kind without the proper protection.
A Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution will ensure that all the devices in your network have the correct security software and applications installed. That way your team can work safely and securely. If you’re operating on a break/fix model there is absolutely no way to know how safely your team is using their phone or how close you could come to a breach.
Security Awareness Training
Phishing attacks are growing more frequent and serious every day. One wrong click and your organization could lose sensitive information, client trust, and funds. Additionally, the majority of these breaches are due to unintentional employee error.
Security Awareness Training is one way to prepare your team against cybercriminals. It involves sending “fake” phishing emails to your team to track who is attracted to them and what they’re clicking on. In addition, your team will have access to training modules for educational purposes.If it’s time for a change and you would like to learn more about partnering with an MSP, contact The TNS Group today to get started.
Categories: Managed Service Provider, MSP Blogs
