Why Hire Managed IT Services for Construction? 11 Reasons Why
Many construction companies, like those in other industries, face significant struggles when it comes to technology. Between having the staff to oversee IT matters to counting on a predictable budget to be able to properly maintain hardware and software, it’s often a tricky balance for decision-makers of construction companies.
With a high number of construction companies failing over the past 20 years, one can’t help but wonder how businesses can reverse this trend. From cybersecurity and compliance needs to project management efficiency, the reality is a growing percentage of construction companies cannot afford to run day-to-day operations while maintaining a fully staffed IT department to oversee their growing tech needs.
This is where hiring a partner who can provide construction managed IT services can truly help make a difference. Let’s take a look at ways an MSP can provide solutions to help put your company on stronger financial and operational ground.
1. Work with Experts
Having an in-house IT department is costly. Your business must budget for salaries and benefits, along with an ability to keep your staff up to date on the ongoing, rapid changes in the technological landscape. The hiring, onboarding, training and retention of in-house IT can really eat into a budget, and this is without even hiring a fully staffed department.
If you don’t have a dedicated IT staff, you open your company to risks. Working with a partner who possesses the expertise and knowledge you need can leave you confident you don’t have to shoulder the burden of maintaining IT on your own.
Instead of just a handful of employees to lend their expertise, you’ll have access to an entire team of experts – people who can handle your network infrastructure, wireless needs, cybersecurity requirements, server management and cloud-based solutions. Having this level of expertise would be difficult with all but the largest of IT teams.
2. Data Security
Cybersecurity is a concept no business, construction or otherwise, can afford to ignore. According to a recent report spanning February 2022 to February 2023, the construction industry is now the most targeted, followed by transportation, wholesale trade, manufacturing and retail. Previous reports dating back to 2019 indicate cybercriminals are increasingly targeting construction companies and those in the industry aren’t prepared.
Managed IT services for construction can bridge any security gaps in your infrastructure while providing the cybersecurity IT support construction companies need, perhaps especially real-time threat detection and response to protect against cybersecurity events. Working with an expert partner that is prepared to deliver you high-quality support can significantly reduce any cybersecurity risks while improving your construction company’s security posture.
3. Compliance
As industry regulators and lawmakers put a tighter rein on data security, construction companies must ensure they are compliant with any rules. Since the construction industry is populated with many different types of companies, requirements can vary, depending upon your specific services. This includes the type of information you collect and store to abide by OSHA, HIPAA, PCI-DSS and any other requirements you have to meet.
Keeping track of compliance requirements and knowing how to handle data, along with the security necessary to safeguard it, can be overwhelming and costly. If you’re a government contractor, you may have additional requirements to meet. If your business becomes noncompliant, you could face stiff fines and penalties. Not to mention the expenses associated with bringing your systems up to date to ensure your compliance becomes current.
4. Business Continuity
Construction businesses rely on their systems to be up and running at all times. Downtime equates to lost revenues and decreased productivity. If your technology goes down, or worse, experiences a catastrophic failure, your production schedule will be negatively impacted. This could lead to missed deadlines, budget exceeds, lost projects to competitors and more.
Your experienced managed IT services provider can offer you 24/7 remote monitoring, IT support, proactive maintenance, routine patches and updates, cloud backup solutions and antivirus protection, to name a few ways to bolster your business continuity.
Working with an experienced MSP will provide your company the peace of mind of knowing if you do go offline, you’ll have the experts meticulously working to get you back online ASAP. However, with a dedicated partner to continuously support and tend to your system and network needs, the chances are much higher that you won’t go offline in the first place, ensuring the business continuity you need.
5. Scalability and Flexibility
A significant advantage of having a managed IT service provider is you can enjoy the scalability and flexibility your company needs from its technology as it grows, changes, or even downsizes. You can choose the level and bandwidth of services you need, but you have the ability to change them at a later date when necessary.
When you purchase and maintain your own hardware and software, you’re locked in with your selections unless you want to take more money out of your capital budget to upgrade or otherwise change your equipment. A provider takes this completely out of your equation since they’ll manage this aspect of your tech.
6. Predictable Budgeting and Cost Savings
Speaking of budgets, most construction companies nowadays are highly conscious about expenditures, and, let’s face it, technology is a big one. Instead of having to consistently evaluate whether you need upgrades, calculate expenses associated with breakdowns, or determine other unpredictable expenses, with a managed IT services for construction provider, you can take this all off your plate.
Instead of paying for technology out of your budget on an as-needed basis, you can simply contract with a provider for a set monthly fee that correlates with the level of service you require. If you need upgrades or experience breakdowns, you’ll get what you need to be installed or replaced as a part of your contract.
The result is you can enjoy predictable budgeting and significant cost savings, empowering you to put the money you save toward other areas of business, including growth, expansion and improving on your core competencies.
7. Technical Support
Even if you have a small IT department, keeping them on-call 100% of the time gets costly. However, your MSP partner will be equipped to provide you with 24/7 support for your technical needs.
This is particularly of value if your IT staff is out sick, goes on vacation, or is overwhelmed with routine duties. For companies that work with subcontractors, suppliers, or other vendors in different time zones, having around-the-clock support is highly beneficial.
With on-demand, proactive, technical support, you significantly reduce the chance of technology failures and minimize other risks. In the event something does go wrong, you’ll have someone immediately to fix the problem.
8. Specialized Software
As the technological landscape consistently evolves with new products and capabilities, this means consistently trying to keep up with your competitors in construction. With a managed IT services provider, you’ll have access to the industry-leading technology you need rather than relying upon outdated, less functional software.
For instance, if you need specialized software to help you in various areas of business, your partner can work with you to develop or modify the software you need. Consider areas such as bids and estimates, accounting, supply ordering and tracking, communication tools, job tracking, sales reports, revenue reports, marketing tools, data analysis or other tasks specific to your company.
With the right software, you can enjoy increased automation and improved accuracy, freeing up valuable manpower. As you know, errors can be costly, and, with the right specialized software, you significantly decrease the chance of human error and eliminate the time you might spend trying to fix mistakes.
9. Project Management Efficiency
With the right software, you can also enjoy better efficiency with your project management. With construction managed IT services, you can make real-time decisions since you have the data you need right at your fingertips. As you juggle any number of projects at a time, you can rest assured you’re on top of them every step of the way. Your managed services IT partner will keep your software running smoothly at all times.
10. Acquire Streamlined Collaboration Capacities
The construction industry is in a unique position because of the way companies collaborate and interact with one another both internally and externally. You’re dealing with engineers, electricians, plumbers, project managers, architects, foremen, workers and others. If your communication tools are lacking, it’s difficult to have timely communication.
Your MSP can help evaluate your needs, provide guidance on collaboration software selections, and help to develop or provide access to the tools you choose. Driving change is hard, and the construction industry is not an exception, especially when it comes to technology. However, with an experienced and knowledgeable team of experts at your side, it becomes much easier to streamline your collaborative abilities and make substantial improvements.
11. Identify Competitive Opportunities
When your company first installed its technology, it was possibly just to perform basic functions. Over the last few decades and even in recent years, technology has significantly blossomed from a nice to have to a necessity. What has also evolved is the way technology is leveraged.
What was once used sparingly has now become essential, but it may be hard to pinpoint the competitive advantages technology can offer construction companies. A team of professionals can sit down with you to discuss possibilities and identify technologies you can use to gain a competitive advantage in your industry.
Working with a Trusted Partner Makes Life Easier
Perhaps one of the most advantageous aspects of working with managed IT services for construction is the fact it just makes life easier. Knowing your MSP has your back around the clock provides peace of mind and confidence that you can focus on doing what you do best in your construction niche.
Instead of spending time and resources troubleshooting, repairing, purchasing, maintaining, or otherwise managing IT equipment and networks, you can rely upon your partner to handle these necessary aspects of doing business for you.
With the right technology in place, you can enjoy remote monitoring, reduced downtime, proactive protection against hackers, collaborative and easy access to tools, remote options with cloud-based software and other niceties you might not otherwise have with a small, in-house tech staff.
The operational aspects of construction are time-consuming. Estimating and bidding for jobs, ensuring the work is done on schedule, dealing with supply issues and ensuring you have enough workers are enough to keep you busy. Managing these critical tasks while juggling IT issues quickly adds layers of complexities you don’t need in your daily schedule. At Red River, our goal is to simplify your life and empower you to focus on the goals of your construction business and the projects you’re currently managing.
Partner with Red River to Optimize Your IT Needs
IT headaches are a consistent problem in the construction industry. Whether it’s a day-to-day issue or a strategic business issue, you need the correct, reliable technology to help you manage your business. Implementing change is hard, but it doesn’t have to become unbearable or extremely difficult.
Whatever your IT needs, you can rely upon the highly skilled professionals at Red River to get the job done efficiently and at a competitive price point. We’ll address common issues construction companies face, identify smart solutions and provide you with best key practices to help your business transition to managed IT services. To do this, we’ll take a holistic view of your technology and make recommendations based on the specific needs your company requires.
To learn more about how Red River can assist, contact us today to schedule a consultation. We’d love to discuss the possibilities of ways we can simplify your technology while ensuring your company has the automation, security, cloud, collaborative capabilities and other functions it needs.
