8 Reasons to Use Managed IT Support Services

What is Managed IT Support Services?

Managed IT support services refer to outsourcing the management and maintenance of a business’s technology infrastructure to a third-party external vendor. Managed IT support providers offer a range of services:

• Monitoring and maintaining IT systems
• Providing technical support
• Implementing IT security measures
• Managing software and hardware
• Roadmapping and implementing technology upgrades
• Providing strategic IT advice and support

Managed IT support services aim to ensure that your technology infrastructure operates efficiently and securely while minimizing downtime and reducing the risk of cyber threats. By outsourcing their IT support to a managed IT provider, businesses can focus on core operations and leave essential management of their IT infrastructures to their external support team.

Why Should You Use Managed IT Support Services?

The benefits of managed services outweigh the cost of these partnerships; 60% of companies will depend on these providers by 2025. Why? Here are some of the top reasons to hire a managed services company.

1. Proactive Maintenance: If you have an on-premises server, it’s a crash risk. Each week, more than 140,000 hard drives lose data in the United States. Drives crash for all kinds of reasons: physical damage, file corruption or malware. The cost of recovering this data can be high. Depending on the size of your business, it could be thousands of dollars.One of the primary benefits of using managed IT support services is proactive maintenance. Managed IT support providers use advanced monitoring tools to track system performance and identify potential problems before they become major issues. By catching and fixing problems early and staying on top of software upgrades, a managed IT support provider can help your business avoid downtime and minimize operational impacts from a server crash or other data loss.
2. Access to Expertise: Managed IT support providers employ experienced, certified IT professionals to provide your business with expert guidance on technology-related issues. This expertise helps companies make informed decisions about their technology infrastructure and avoid costly mistakes from trial and error. Additionally, managed IT teams help companies stay updated with the latest technology trends and best practices. The importance of access to this IT talent is critical at a time when 86% of CIOs report more competition for qualified technical job candidates. Despite the widely publicized tech layoffs this year, companies still can’t find the help they need. Hiring shortages makes managed IT support services a viable and necessary alternative to hiring internal staff.
3. Cost Savings: Far from being a resource drain, managed IT support services can be a cost-effective alternative to hiring in-house staff.
   One study showed:–50% of companies engaged with a managed IT support firm saved up to 24% in annual IT costs.
   –33% saved 25-49%.
   –13% saved more than 50%.Managed IT services providers offer a range of service plans so businesses can choose what fits their budget and needs. The result is lowered operational and hiring costs, time-savings and lowered downtime on IT networks.
4. Increased Productivity: IT managed support services can increase the productivity of your business and your IT team by optimizing the technology you use to improve efficiency and performance. Optimizing network speeds, improving server performance and streamlining software applications are all in a day’s work for a managed IT support services team. These companies free up your existing staff to focus on core business imperatives instead of just maintaining your IT infrastructure. By improving technology performance and reducing downtime, businesses operate more efficiently, increasing organizational productivity.
5. Scalability: Managed IT support services help businesses scale their technology infrastructure as they grow. These third-party vendors offer flexible service plans that can scale up or down as needed. Your company can add or remove services based on demand without investing in new technologies or additional staff. This agility is an increasing necessity in times of market upheavals.
6. 24/7/365 Support: Managed IT support service companies that offer help desk support 24/7 are a critical component of a global business. These service providers can support your IT infrastructure and its end-users round-the-clock, so people can get help whenever needed. This overnight support is critical for crisis support, such as when a server crashes and the network fails. The idea is that these teams can fix problems before the sun comes up on your business to minimize downtimes, avoid lost revenues and keep things moving forward.
7. Peace of Mind: Having a partner to keep your IT infrastructure running is like money in the bank. These partnerships offer peace of mind. By outsourcing your technology management to a trusted provider, businesses can focus on core operations and leave routine IT administration to the experts. This support lowers your stress and even improves your employees’ work/life balance.
8. Improved Security: Cybersecurity is an increasing concern, growing in correlation to our cloud reliance. Today, 94% of businesses have some of their IT infrastructure in the cloud. Perhaps not surprisingly, in just the first half of 2021, there were more than 304 million ransomware attacks, which was a more than 300% increase over the prior year. Cybercriminals target large and small businesses — no company is safe. One report showed small businesses are, in fact, a more frequent target than enterprise organizations.No matter the size of your business, managed IT support services for cybersecurity make sense. Managed cybersecurity helps companies of all sizes improve their security posture. Firms like Red River use advanced security tools and techniques to protect your business from cyber threats, including viruses, malware and hackers. Managed cybersecurity helps companies implement security best practices and policies, such as password rules, data backups and disaster recovery plans.

Q&A

What is managed IT support services?

Managed IT support services use an external vendor to support your technology infrastructure. These third-party vendors typically operate under a subscription model, providing network support, help desk, cybersecurity and more.

How many businesses use some form of managed IT support services?

By 2025, more than 60% of large and small companies will use some form of managed IT support services.