Managed IT Services and IT Support: Is There a Difference?

Managing your business’s technology needs involves significant amounts of decision-making. You’ll need to think about factors such as help desk support, cybersecurity, upgrades, patches and much more. As the technology industry continuously offers newer solutions all the time, it can be challenging to keep up.

While some companies can afford to maintain a full IT staff in-house, the reality is that many businesses struggle to have adequate teams able to handle it all. If you’re struggling to manage your technology, you aren’t alone.

Technology is one of the top outsourced processes that companies look to external partners to assist with. Statistics suggest 92% of the top 2,000 global companies outsource IT contracts. Furthermore, the outsourced IT industry generally expects to keep growing. In the U.S., this market is anticipated to reach a staggering $295.06 billion by 2030.

When it comes to handling your business’s technology needs, you have many choices. One significant decision to make is whether to contact an IT support provider when things go wrong or have a managed IT services provider (MSP) handle your tech needs. It’s important to know the difference – because it’s significant. In this blog post, we’ll define both types of tech services, point out key differences and discuss how to evaluate your company’s needs to help you make the right decision.

What are IT Support Services?

IT support is widely referred to as a “break/fix” model. This is a traditional approach where organizations call in an expert to help fix any technology issues that emerge. Examples of services provided include but aren’t limited to:

• Network connectivity issues
• Malware and virus issues
• Resolution of software errors and glitches
• Hardware malfunctions
• Help desk support

IT services and support typically charge customers fees on an hourly or per-incident basis. From a budget standpoint, this can make it difficult to predict costs and it may be challenging to get someone onsite since IT support usually works only during traditional business hours.

What are Managed IT Services?

Managed IT services and support handle many of the same issues IT support does, but from a proactive and more comprehensive approach. A primary component of the managed IT services model is that your partner will take a preventative approach, meaning most vulnerabilities are immediately identified and can be addressed before a problem emerges. Or, if one happens, your MSP partner can fix it immediately.

Managed IT services companies handle all the same tasks that IT support teams do, but MSP support is far more extensive. For example, examples of services your business can gain access to include:

• Total IT infrastructure management and monitoring
• Cybersecurity support and training
• Security monitoring and management
• Data backup and recovery
• End-user support
• Cloud services
• IT consulting
• Technology business reviews
• Software updates and patch management
• Upgrades to newer products
• Strategic IT planning services

Essentially, managed IT service providers offer a wide array of services, all geared towards proactive management and continuous monitoring of operations.

As a holistic and more strategic business model, companies that partner with a managed IT services expert can rest assured they’re being monitored for tech issues 24/7. This means little to no downtime, uninterrupted business operations.

Many businesses prefer the predictable subscription-based pricing model, as MSPs typically offer pricing as a monthly fee. From a budget standpoint, this helps companies better plan their expenses while simultaneously obtaining access to newer technology and strategic IT expertise.

Key Differences in Approach: Reactive vs. Proactive

To make the right decision for your company, it is essential to understand the differences between IT support and managed IT services. While both types of IT service models strive to keep their clients operational, a primary factor to consider is the reactive vs. proactive philosophies involved.

IT Support is Reactive

The goal of IT support is to respond to calls and resolve/fix technology issues as they occur. Generally speaking, IT services focus on solving problems, not preventing them. While it’s beneficial to have a partner who can come in to fix problems, it’s important to remember, this will be on the repair company’s timetable.

This reactive way of managing IT services and support can end up being more costly. It may take time to get a technician out on the site, which might equate to extensive downtime or prolonged disruptions in productivity, making reliance on IT support to be even more expensive if the company’s main revenue source relies on operational technology to either sell goods or manage other critical functions.

Managed IT Services are Proactive

A stark contrast between IT services and managed IT services is the proactive approach that an MSP naturally integrates into its services. With a focus on maintaining and improving IT infrastructure, you can relax knowing your partner “has your back” around the clock.

With a long-term partnership, your company can enjoy ongoing IT management and support. Since your partner will provide expert strategic approaches, your business can get ahead of potential issues, preventing them from disrupting your operations or productivity.

In essence, MSPs provide a more comprehensive and holistic approach to IT and network management. Your partner offers 24/7 services and their philosophies become heavily ingrained into your organization with a preventative methodology as opposed to a fix-it-as-it breaks approach.

Pricing Models

When determining which technology solution is best for your company, costs will likely be an important factor.

• IT support services generally charge fees on an hourly or per-incident basis
• To obtain IT support services, you will typically have to file a support ticket and may be subject to availability, which may extend downtime
• MSP IT services offer flat-rate subscriptions, usually for a predictable, monthly fee
• Managed IT services and support provide 24/7 availability and preventative services with your subscription

Other factors to consider with pricing are the level of reliance on technology for operations, budget constraints and whether this is adequate access to in-house technology expertise.

Scope of Services

The scope of services can drastically vary between IT support services and managed IT services and support. The best solution for your company will depend upon its specific needs and requirements.

IT support usually focuses on basic troubleshooting and resolving urgent and very specific issues as they emerge.

Managed IT support services offer comprehensive, 24/7 support for your entire IT environment, including routine maintenance, repairs, security, strategic planning and other processes designed to prevent incidents.

Benefits of Managed Services for SMBs and Enterprises

Businesses of all sizes can gain several advantages when they invest in a managed IT services and support solution. These benefits include:

• Cost-effectiveness. A predictable monthly fee can help save money and put less pressure on your budget.
• Avoid disruption in operations. Working with an MSP provides reassurance that your IT is being monitored and managed around the clock, reducing downtime and other types of interruptions.
• Consistent access to expertise. No worries about being on a wait list or having to endure problems while waiting for your tech appointment; your partner will be available at any time you need to handle both minor and complex IT issues.
• Better efficiency. Your partner can work with you to develop strategic solutions, including a higher degree of automation, to help improve processes.
• Strengthened security. MSPs offer comprehensive cybersecurity solutions designed to reduce vulnerabilities and keep your IT assets safe.

In summary, managed IT services leverage holistic strategies designed to optimize your business’s entire IT infrastructure. You can focus on your company’s core competencies while your expert partner handles any tech issues; you can even customize the types of support you want to subscribe to.

In some cases, traditional IT support may be sufficient. Benefits include flexibility if your company only has specific, short-term, immediate IT issues not covered by an MSP subscription or has sufficient in-house staff to handle most IT issues and only needs occasional support. Companies with fewer IT requirements or limited budgets may also prefer leaning toward IT support services.

How to Evaluate What Your Business Needs

Before deciding which direction to take, you’ll want to evaluate your business needs, along with your budget and strategic goals. Important questions to ask yourself include:

• What are the company’s IT pain points?
• How realistically can the in-house IT team manage efficiently and effectively without external assistance?
• Does the in-house team have the necessary expertise for all tech components, or are there skills gaps?
• How complex is the company’s technology infrastructure? Is it straightforward, or is its ecosystem complex?
• Is 24/7 support needed?
• What are the company’s long-term goals? Do current tech solutions accommodate scalability?
• What is the company’s budget? Can it afford to have internal teams, or is it more cost-efficient to outsource?
• Can the company develop a comprehensive IT strategy that aligns with its business goals?

If you have a robust in-house IT team, you might not need several of the services an MSP offers, and IT support services may be a more suitable solution. However, even if you do have an in-house team, you may want an MSP to handle one or more processes (e.g., networks, backup, cybersecurity, etc.) to allow your internal employees to focus on or manage specific other areas of your business.

The bottom line is, every company should carefully assess its requirements and see which solution offers the most value for their budgets while simultaneously receiving the level of service needed to meet the business’s goals and objectives.

Transitioning from IT Support to a Managed Services Model

Organizational change is hard. Making a transition from an IT support model to a managed services model is likely to require buy-in from your company’s organizational stakeholders. When evaluating whether an MSP solution is the right one, the following should be considered.

• Evaluating future growth of the business to determine if scalability and flexibility in technology will be important; MSPs can offer significant savings if new technology is going to be involved.
• Promoting discussion of the business’s long-term goals and what technological upgrades, updates and any changes needed to support future objectives; MSPs can help make a strategic plan and come up with the most cost-effective solutions.
• Assessing the skills and responsibilities of any current in-house staff and determining what can be handled internally and what processes might be better handled externally by an MSP.
• Setting up an initial assessment and consultation with managed service providers; discuss any pain points, IT goals, areas needing improvement, current inventory and evaluate areas of weakness.
• Evaluating each MSP being considered, their reputation, services offered and what costs will be involved; this often ends up being more cost-effective than the reactive solutions IT support offers.
• Designing a transition plan; your IT team can work directly with the MSP to create a detailed plan to help facilitate and ease the transition to managed services (e.g., system compatibility data migration, access and authentication migration, software migration and related migrations).

Once everything is in place, the plan can be executed. Then, testing and validation can take place to ensure everything transitioned as expected. This way, any potential issues can be immediately addressed.

Summary

Establishing an efficient and operational IT infrastructure is a critical component of keeping operations running smoothly. When IT works, a business can maximize its potential, but if it fails, it can cause irreversible harm if the problem is big enough. Either way, failures equate to downtime, which often leads to loss of revenue and a decrease in customer faith and/or loyalty.

Traditional IT services are designed to be reactive to correct when things go wrong, and it can be difficult to predict costs. On the other hand, managed IT services are proactive, and costs are predictable. MSPs strive to put in preventative mechanisms to help things from going wrong in the first place. Companies looking to invest in a long-term technology strategy find that MSPs can address their needs and help them meet their goals.

Is an MSP Services Solution Right for Your Business? Let’s Talk!

Red River provides expert-managed IT services and support to businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re a large enterprise looking to fill IT gaps or a smaller company that doesn’t have the resources to maintain an in-house IT team, we can help.

The professional and seasoned experts at Red River have extensive experience and knowledge of technology, keeping up to date on cutting-edge solutions. Our clients often choose Red River as a trusted partner because they know we can provide them with valuable knowledge and offer access to the latest tools, helping them gain or maintain a competitive advantage.

Ready to explore managed IT services options?  Contact Red River today to schedule a consultation.