The popularity of managed services is growing every year. By 2026, the global market share of this industry is expected to reach $224.2 billion. More and more companies are looking toward managed IT services in order to reach their business goals.
Managed IT services come in many shapes and sizes. They can be adjusted to fit any company’s specific needs. From small businesses to enterprises, thousands of companies all over the world are using these versatile solutions.
Let’s take a look at whether your business can benefit from them as well. Here are a few signs it may.
1. Your IT Team is Overwhelmed
Even the smallest business requires a variety of IT services. From designing disaster recovery plans to installing software and managing the network, it’s usually tough for a small IT team to handle all these functions.
More often than not, other employees have to spend their time dealing with IT-related matters. As a result, they can’t focus on core tasks. This, in turn, affects the company’s bottom line.
By working with a managed IT service provider, you can delegate a variety of functions to the experts and allow your employees to focus on their jobs.
2. You Can’t Afford New Team Members
While it may seem that an in-house IT team can be a great way to handle your IT functions, this choice is expensive. With an average salary of an IT specialist being almost $70,000 per year, only a few companies can afford a fully staffed IT department.
Factoring in recruitment and onboarding costs, hiring a new team member is costly. With high turnover rates plaguing the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s also risky.
By choosing to collaborate with a managed IT service provider, you gain access to a variety of experts at a fraction of the price of hiring them.
3. Your Business Is Growing
If your company is growing, so are its IT needs. If the existing IT team can’t handle them, you may be missing opportunities or making unfortunate mistakes.
Managed IT service providers offer IT services for small businesses that are growing. You can always add more options to your service plans and keep your IT functions up to date.
The same is true for companies that decide to scale down. If you don’t need a full set of managed IT services anymore, you can just adjust the contract. It’s much easier and less stressful than initiating a series of layoffs.
4. You Are Moving to the Cloud
Moving your company to the cloud is complicated and time-consuming. Meanwhile, in 2020, 61% of businesses moved their workload to the cloud thanks to the high convenience of this approach.
According to the founders of the desktop as a service (DAAS) solution, BeCloud, cloud migration requires a large team of professionals. Hiring them for a single project is too expensive. Meanwhile, signing a contract with a managed IT service provider is much less taxing.
You can take advantage of advanced managed services while moving your work to the cloud and learning how to adjust to the new normal. Then you can go back to using a standard set of managed IT support functions.
5. You Are Falling Behind the Competition
Your IT infrastructure is the key to your company’s success. Even if it seems like you are handling all the necessary IT functions, you could be missing important tasks. Failing to stay on top of your game with IT could affect your entire bottom line.
The majority of 21st-century businesses invest time and money in IT functions. With managed IT services, you don’t just get assistance with standard day-to-day tasks, you also get proactive advice.
IT specialists monitor technological advancements in your industry and share information in time to stay ahead of the competition. While you can do the same in-house, the process is so time-consuming, it could be keeping your team from focusing on core tasks.
The Takeaway
If you’ve notice any of the above signs, it may be time to check out managed IT services. These service providers are always ready to adjust to your business needs. They tend to offer flexible payment options and plans to suit your individual preferences.
Managed services are no longer the future of small and mid-size business IT scheme. They are the present. If you aren’t taking advantage of this support yet, you could be keeping your company back.