When you outsource your business IT to an MSP to take care of, you’re saying goodbye to a bunch of operational stress points. Cybersecurity is taken care of, network management is sorted and, in the event of a disaster, all your client data is nicely backed up and easy to restore.
There’s a lot to love about those benefits… but wait, there’s even more! A managed IT service provider doesn’t just assume responsibility for the continuous monitoring, management, and problem-solving for all your IT systems, they help reduce your costs and improve your bottom line at the same time!
It’s not just about reducing operational costs – an MSP makes your organisation more productive and efficient, giving you strong ROI’s and keeping your IT costs predictable. Let’s take a closer look at the cost benefits of managed IT services.
How an MSP Can Help Reduce Operational Costs
There are a few ways an MSP can help you cut down on the day-to-day running costs of your business:
Economies of Scale
Having multiple clients gives an MSP buying power which you, as their client, can leverage to reduce your own costs. They’ve achieved the economies of scale that individual businesses don’t get offered. This means they can provide you with high-end IT services for less of the financial burden than an in-house IT team.
Continuous Monitoring and Proactive Maintenance
Continuous monitoring allows your managed IT services provider to be proactive in maintaining your tech stack. The beauty of this lies in picking up on problems before they escalate into an expensive disruption. As a business, downtime costs money, so by dealing with issues before they cause downtime, your MSP is going to reduce your costs… and your headaches.
Vendor Management
Managing relationships with multiple IT vendors can take up a lot of time and energy, as well as being expensive. Your MSP brings all of your IT services under one roof, so instead of having to juggle many vendor payments you just pay the one inclusive fee. Your vendor interactions are streamlined into a single communication point – your MSP. Hello, smoother and more efficient operations!
Budget Predictability
This is a massive financial benefit when it comes to outsourcing your IT to a managed service provider – their predictable pricing structure means no bill shock. An MSP will typically operate on a subscription basis, which means you’ll pay them a fixed monthly fee, allowing you to plan your finances with greater accuracy and confidence.
Managed IT Services and ROI
Managed IT Services and ROIIncreased Productivity Means Increased Revenue
Optimising your IT directly translates to increased productivity. Team members are not stuck with sorting out complicated tech issues, leaving them to put all their energy into their work. Fewer interruptions and the ability to focus on what they’re actually hired for, puts your team in the right headspace to kick their productivity goals. And increased productivity means more revenue.
Competitive Advantage and Growth
We all want to get ahead of the competition, right? You’re not going to be able to do that if you’re weighed down with IT problems. Having easy access to the latest technologies and expert IT support will give your business the edge over those in the industry trying to go it alone. Your MSP brings the tools and solutions to the table that help empower your innovation and growth, leveraging opportunities and staying ahead of the tech trend.
Optimal Performance and Minimal Downtime
IT systems operating at peak performance levels let your team continue to tick over at a steady rate. Minimal downtime maintains business continuity, allowing you to serve your own customers without interruption. Not only does this foster loyalty and trust, but it keeps down all the costs associated with lost productivity.
MSP’s Strengthen Security
Cybersecurity can be an overwhelming concept to navigate as a business. A profitable business needs to be secure in the modern age, so cybersecurity must be a big priority across all industries. Here’s how letting an MSP take care of yours makes financial sense:
Data Protection
Your client and business data is a valuable asset that needs to be protected. Robust security measures will prevent unauthorised access and keep your sensitive informative safe from data breaches. Not only does this protect your reputation, integrity and confidentiality, it keeps you compliant with the many laws surrounding data protection. If you fall foul of these, you could end up paying a hefty fine.
Threat Detection and Breach Prevention
Advanced security and monitoring tools and techniques help MSP’s pick up on threats early. This allows for swift action to either stop the attackers in their tracks or mitigate the fallout if an incident has occurred. Proactive breach prevention saves businesses from the financial damage a cyber incident can cause, never mind the reputational damage.
Backup and Recovery
If there is a breach of your cyber defences, you want the fallout to be contained. This means having powerful data backup and recovery solutions in place, so that operations can be returned to normal with minimal downtime. Your managed service provider will take care of this, ensuring your backed up regularly and can be easily restored.
Access to Specialists
Expert Industry Knowledge When You Need It
Hiring in-house IT specialists can be costly and challenging. With managed IT services, you have access to specialised expertise when you need it. A good MSP wants you to be successful, so they’ll go above and beyond to learn about your business and the context it operates in. Then their team of experts will be on hand to help you in your business journey, saving you the expense and commitment of hiring full-time tech experts.
Customised Solutions
A reputable tech solutions company will provide customised solutions that exactly solve your business IT requirements. You won’t be paying for services or products you don’t need, plus a per-user fee structure makes for easy scalability. This kind of flexibility means you get the IT infrastructure you need, as you need it.
Replace Your Onsite IT Team
Having an on-site IT team is a big expense – there’s salaries, benefits, ongoing training and lots more to think about. Partnering with an MSP can mean replacing your IT department or supplementing them with an external team of experts. It’s a way of getting high-quality tech support without the massive overheads!
Get in Touch with Smile IT
If it’s time for your business to leverage the experience and knowledge of an external IT provider, give our team a call on 1300 766 720. We offer comprehensive managed IT solutions backed up by an expert team, 24/7 monitoring and an Australian-based help desk. We’ll help you keep your costs down, while improving your efficiency and security. Get in touch today to get the ball rolling.
When he’s not writing tech articles or turning IT startups into established and consistent managed service providers, Peter Drummond can be found kitesurfing on the Gold Coast or hanging out with his family!