Why a Small Business Should Turn to Managed IT Services

Nowadays, a business can’t really get by without using technology in some fashion, and wherever technology is involved, it greatly helps to have a reliable resource on hand to keep it functioning as expected. This is the role of a managed service provider, and while a partnership with one can be a great business asset, this is predicated on the value that the Managed Services Provider (MSP) actually provides. Let’s go over a few reasons that a MSP is a good resource for small and medium-sized businesses, and how you can identify the best option for you.

Let’s begin with what makes the services of an MSP so invaluable to the businesses of Calgary.

Working with an MSP Offers a Litany of Operational Benefits

The way that an MSP operates, there are significant advantages that carry over to the businesses that work with them.

Proactive Maintenance Means Fewer IT Issues Overall

Every problem you are able to avoid or prevent is one less issue you have to deal with later. This simple premise is foundational to the idea of managed services. By monitoring your network infrastructure, an MSP can spot potential problems based on the warning signs that precede them. These potential problems can therefore be addressed before they cause actual damage, minimizing their actual impact. As a result, you see far, far fewer issues and downtime.

In this way, one of the biggest benefits of working with an MSP is an invisible one… ideally, the only way you’ll see an MSP’s full efficacy is by asking for a record of issues they’ve prevented.  

Expert Guidance Helps Your Technology Do More For Your Benefit

Chances are, as a business owner, you aren’t the resident technology expert at your business. If you are, chances are just as good that you don’t have the time to do your due diligence into improving your technology as time passes.

Enter the MSP. As an outsourced representative of your business, a managed service provider like OnSite I.T. will work to optimize your technology, working with vendors to get the best deals possible and—again—keeping it operational for as much time as possible.

A Shared Focus on the Now and the Future

Furthermore, it is likely that you want your business to succeed moving forward, as well as right now. In addition to assisting you with keeping your business running in the present, a good MSP will help you plan for tomorrow. By keeping a watchful eye on the industry and developing technologies and processes, your MSP will be there to help you improve. Need upgrades? A good MSP will have already planned for it.

How to Choose the Right MSP

Obviously, we’re going to recommend that you reach out to us. However, it’s important that we share what it is that makes us the right choice.

• Find one with a dedication to security and compliance. There isn’t much your business will be able to accomplish if all your time is spent chasing cyberattacks and jumping through regulatory hoops. Finding an MSP who bases their services around how secure and compliant they can make you will help your business’ operations by allowing you to focus your energies there.
  
  
• Find one that offers plenty of educational resources. On the topic of improving your security, we need to bring up the human element of the business. With more and more attacks now relying on the end user’s unwitting complicity, it has become even more important that your team members know how to spot threats and where to report them. The MSP you choose should have the training options available to help promote these behaviors.
  
  
• Find one that effectively joins your team. Let me ask you this: if you were to hire an in-house IT employee, you would expect to be kept in the loop and informed of the goings-on where your business’ technology was concerned… right? Why should outsourced IT support work any differently? A good MSP will be involved with your success, sharing opportunities for you to improve while also considering factors like your budget and priorities.

So, if you’re ready to get the right MSP on your team, reach out to us. Give us a call at (403) 210-2927.