3 Ways Managed Services Can Reduce Total IT Cost
A holistic managed services solution can mean the difference between success and failure. However, not everything has to be about dire consequences. Those would simply be scare tactics. Focusing on a few ways an MSP can improve the bottom line gets to the nuts and bolts of how technology affects business.
IT Cost Reduction Strategies
If they’re doing their jobs correctly, business owners, executives, and managers should always be considering how to reduce operating expenses in business. There are countless opportunities to cut costs and make operations more efficient. Business technology is an area ripe for cost savings.
Not only is working with a managed service provider (MSP) a key way to reduce IT costs, but you can achieve a better technology solution while doing so, from making your organization more secure from the risk of malware attacks to improving daily operations through effective hardware and software.
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Productivity Gains
Your staff can only be as effective as their tools allow them to be. If your networks are slow and unreliable, for example, employees will be unable to communicate effectively with each other and your clients. Operational inefficiency is by no means limited to network trouble.
Workflows and daily operations are generally dictated by the technology your organization uses. Even if your networks are functioning flawlessly, computers are updated, and your IT is otherwise functional, using the wrong software tools to conduct business is sure to cut productivity.
Time is money, and increased productivity allows more to get done in less time.
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Cybersecurity Risks
Malware attacks are an ever-present risk in today’s business environment. The risk takes two primary forms: operational downtime and direct data theft or loss. Both can be catastrophic for the continued operation of any company, and both are equal when thinking about IT cost reduction strategies.
Even an hour of system downtime from an attack can result in thousands of dollars or more in losses. A day or longer can be disastrous, especially for companies with narrow margins. Without the support of an MSP that can get your systems up and running as soon as possible, losses will continue to pile up.
A traditional break/fix IT support firm that isn’t familiar with your systems may eventually be able to get your systems up and running again, but ongoing support will be almost entirely absent. Unless they offer customized services that are integrated with your business strategy, it is difficult to be confident that security holes will be fixed going forward.
In the case of a data breach, where critical internal or customer data may be stolen, the risk has two prongs. First, that data may be incredibly valuable and shouldn’t be thought of as different from theft of any other asset. Second, confidence in your brand is sure to take a hit if customers are worried about choosing your services versus a competitor. That data breach will keep costing you indefinitely.
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IT Infrastructure Costs
Your IT strategy is more than just the particular software platform you use. Hardware procurement and disposition can be a costly, mind-numbing process that should align with a continuous strategy, not a one-time purchase. An MSP can handle your hardware, from workstations for individual employees up to servers, in a coordinated, efficient way.
Like anything else, your IT budget can be used efficiently or not. Relying on a break/fix IT support firm instead of an MSP opens your business up to unnecessary risks, costs, and inefficiencies.
The Anti-Break/Fix Model
Virtual Technologies Group offers a comprehensive IT solution that leverages your IT budget to create a complete technology strategy for your business. We’re in the business of offering peace of mind to businesses in a range of industries. The issue isn’t that a break/fix IT support firm doesn’t have the skill to fix an issue, but that the solution isn’t integrated into a long-term strategy.
When companies do budget allocations and the IT budget is relegated only to system breakdown, businesses are missing out on powerful tools such as cloud services, business continuity planning, and more. Technology tools like the cloud can enable continued growth, and a managed service provider has the expertise to help companies leverage these tools. Contact us today to learn more about our managed service plans and how your business can benefit.