Making the Shift to Managed IT Services

As the key stakeholder of a growing business, you know that your time is best spent focusing on your core competencies, not managing your IT.

For this reason, many businesses are making the shift to managed IT services. As a result, employees who were previously conducting IT management tasks beyond their scope of talent or job role are now able to focus on projects that are not only more closely aligned with their abilities, but that add value where it’s needed most. Business leaders across all verticals are finding new efficiencies by entrusting the maintenance and management of complex IT infrastructure to teams of seasoned technology specialists who love it the most, and do it the best.

So, what are managed IT services?

This is the process of assigning a third-party to manage some or all of your IT infrastructure. They are usually comprised of a team of specialists that manage your technology infrastructure with the intention of improving operations as well as reducing costs. You can do this on a proactive basis or under a subscription model. Depending on the needs of your business, the managed services offered can be delivered onsite, remote, or a hybrid of the two.

What are the benefits of managed IT services?

Most businesses are shifting to managed IT services because of the following benefits:

Reduced Costs

Businesses that switch to managed services experience more than 50% reduction of their IT costs. This is because outsourcing to managed services providers like Trapp Technology gives companies a predictable monthly expense, rather than rely on the fickle break-fix model of IT budgeting.  

Lower employee downtime

On average, each American company loses about $150,000 per annum to IT downtime issues. For those companies with MSPs, the risk of IT-related downtime decreases significantly due to the proactive and ongoing monitoring of their infrastructure.

Economies of Scale

Since IT is their core business, managed service providers have massively invested in their infrastructure. They have also recruited and maintain high-class talent with the leading managed services providers who will follow the ITIL and ITSM standards. As a result, switching to managed services guarantees you access to a deep bench of IT specialists who adhere to strong security and compliance protocols.

Focus on Core Business

Enlisting the help of a managed services team can unburden your internal IT teams, freeing up their time to focus on strategic initiatives or other core competencies. Absolved of the worry caused by unpredictable and inefficiently managed technologies, business leaders are empowered to explore new or expand existing streams of revenue thanks to the stability gained from MSP-monitored infrastructure

What can managed services providers do for you?

Managed services providers (MSPs) have various service plans targeting different types of organizations. Some of the services offered by most MSPs include:

• Monitoring networks
• Backup and recovery
• Email hosting
• Managed threat detection and response
• Data center management
• Maintaining compliance with relevant bodies
• 24/7 end-user help desk

When evaluating the potential fit of a managed services provider, consult with their solutions team to determine if their service portfolio matches your needs.

How to migrate to an MSP

To ensure a successful transition to using a managed services provider, find an MSP who follows these best practices:

Conduct a Needs Assessment

This is the first thing that you, together with the service provider, must do. At this step, a thorough evaluation of your current business needs is done to determine if their managed services align with your business goals. A comprehensive IT assessment will also identify the types of IT services that you will need to delegate to an MSP and those that you will not.

Sign a Service Level Agreement (SLA)

Next, you should sign a service level agreement (SLA) with the managed services provider. The contract will define the responsibilities of both parties, the services to be offered, and the possible response time, among other things.

Enlist a Project Manager for Onboarding

The transition to your new MSP should not be abrupt. A good managed services provider will have a dedicated project manager on staff to ensure a smooth onboarding process. The project management team will outline a schedule for the transition and facilitate the necessary channels for dialogue

Establish On-Going Communication

Your new managed services provider should provide you with a customer success framework. This is used to identify emerging support drivers, plan for upcoming business needs and milestones, and assess the MSP’s deliverability and quality of service.

Is your business a good candidate for managed IT services?

Are managed IT services right for your organization? Many companies find that utilizing managed service providers is an effective way to implement advanced technology solutions, reduce risk of downtime or productivity bottlenecks, and gain a predictable way to budget for their monthly IT expenses.

Request a free consultation with a managed IT services solutions expert.