Effective and reliable IT is more important than ever before for running a successful business. Compounding this, the recent pandemic and ensuing lockdowns have only increased the use of digital services across businesses of all sizes. Managing the growing number of online services you use, keeping software up to date, and maintaining the condition of business-critical hardware can quickly become an overwhelming task, especially if technology is not your speciality. That’s why many businesses are choosing to contract a third party like Carden IT Services to manage and maintain their IT.
When a third party oversees your entire enterprise technology stack, this is referred to as managed IT services. In this blog we are going to go over some of the benefits for businesses of using managed IT services as well as some questions potential IT services frequently customers have.
Is Managed IT The Same As IT Support?
No. Standard IT support operates on a break/fix model. This means that when something breaks, your IT support provider will fix it, and that is the extent of the “support” they offer. Managed IT is different, in that it operates more proactively. Your managed IT provider will work to fortify your network and increase its efficiency, ensure your hardware is up to date and in a good condition, implement cybersecurity measures, and tailor their service to your specific business goals. They will of course still fix something if it breaks, but the aim is to ensure that your network is reliable nothing breaks in the first place.
Standard IT support is normally charged by the hour (or even by the minute), whereas managed IT services are charged at a flat rate per user. This means it is in the managed IT provider’s interest to make sure that when things are fixed, they stay fixed
What Is Included In Managed IT Services?
– Remote IT Support
Almost all IT queries can be solved remotely by our IT support helpdesk. This can be carried out over the phone or using a remote access tool. Carden IT’s remote helpdesk compromises an expert team of IT technicians with decades of combined experience in IT support, cybersecurity, cloud services, and more.
– On-Premises IT Support
On the rare occasion when something can’t be fixed remotely, Carden IT can dispatch one of our engineers to your site. They can assist with hardware maintenance, physical networking, and any other IT tasks which cannot be dealt with remotely.
– Cybersecurity Services
Cybersecurity is vital to a business’s success. Our cybersecurity services team includes network security experts who can find, assess, and fix vulnerabilities in your systems before hackers have a chance to exploit them. We can also provide cybersecurity training, penetration testing, and firewall maintenance to keep you secure.
– Cloud Computing Support
An increasing amount of enterprise IT now takes place in the cloud. Our managed IT services team includes cloud computing specialists who are familiar with all major cloud platforms and can help to migrate elements of your existing network to the cloud to improve efficiency. If necessary, we can also help you to build you own private or hybrid cloud for internal use.
– Disaster Recovery Planning
Our team can help develop an effective disaster recovery plan to mitigate the effects of a range of potential business disasters. Whether it’s an office fire, a data breach, or a ransomware attack, we can help you maintain business continuity and restore you to operating capacity ASAP.
– Proactive IT Services
Our team don’t wait for things to break. We are continually working to improve your network as part of our comprehensive managed IT service
What Are The Benefits Of Managed IT Support?
- Lower and More Predictable Costs
Switching to a manged IT services model often results in a reduced IT spend. Not only is the total amount less, but because managed IT services are priced at a flat rate, the IT costs are easily predictable month by month, so they are easier to factor into your business’s budget ahead of time.
- Improved Productivity
Managed IT services are not only cost-effective, but they also manage systems properly and with a proactive approach, which leads to less downtime and therefore higher productivity.
- Improved Cybersecurity
There are a growing number of cyber threats online and increasing numbers of businesses are falling victim to ransomware attacks and data breaches every year. Without professional, proactive cybersecurity support from a managed IT provider, you are leaving your business at risk. A managed IT provider will ensure your firewall is configured correctly, monitor your network for suspicious activity, implement access controls for sensitive data and systems, install ransomware protections, and regularly audit your entire organization’s security. - Reduced Stress
Unless you run an IT company of your own, you likely didn’t get into business to spend your days troubleshooting firewalls, fixing servers, and weighing up the benefits of different cloud services. Luckily, that’s exactly why we went into business. Let a managed IT services provider handle the technical side while you get back to the parts of your business which you enjoy – and which crucially, make you money! - Scalability
Because managed IT services are charged on a per-user basis, they are highly scalable with your business as it grows. As you add more staff and more machines, your costs increase incrementally. This contrasts with having a single, in-house IT administrator, where you would have to choose between constantly increasing their workload or suddenly doubling your IT staffing costs overnight by hiring a second IT admin.
If you would like to increase the security, efficiency, and reliability of your business’s IT systems. Speak to our team today and learn more about our managed IT services packages.
