Organizations are increasingly looking to outsource key areas of their business to specialized experts. One of the most common areas for companies to outsource is their IT strategy.
Outsourced IT often comes in the form of managed IT services. So, what exactly is managed IT, why should your organization partner with a managed IT provider and how much does it cost? We answer all those questions right here.
What are managed IT services?
Managed IT services enable organizations to outsource IT tasks to a third-party expert, in order to reduce IT costs, focus on core competencies, improve service quality and enhance both IT infrastructure and strategy.
The use of a managed IT services provider is typically an effort to help organizations lighten the workload of their existing in-house IT team, enhance the knowledge and expertise of their existing team or to completely replace an in-house team.
Managed IT service providers, also known as MSPs, can help businesses to access speciality knowledge, expertise and industry experience that would otherwise be too costly to buy internally.
What is offered in a managed IT services agreement?
There’s a wide range of managed IT service offering, with the primary focus behind all of them being to access specialized expertise and transfer the burden of IT maintenance from the business, and instead to a service provider.
Managed IT service providers can take on the entire responsibility of a company’s entire operations and 24/7 monitoring of their IT infrastructure, or they could just take responsibility for one area of an organization’s IT department.
Here are just some of the most common services that a managed IT services provider would take responsibility for:
What are the benefits of managed IT services?
When partnered with the right managed IT services provider, an organization can gain a number of benefits. These include:
✔️ Predictable pricing: In a managed services IT provider agreement, the customer typically pays a monthly fee for receipt of the service. As a result, the customer benefits from predictable pricing and a stable service offering.
✔️ Access to specialized expertise: Small and mid-size businesses don’t have large IT teams with expertise in all areas of IT strategy. They simply don’t have the resources to afford those skills. Partnering with a managed IT services provider gives businesses access to those specialized skills, without the hefty fees associated with hiring full-time team members.
✔️ Focus on core competencies: By outsourcing IT services to an MSP, businesses are able to stay focused on their core competencies. With an IT infrastructure that runs seamlessly with the business, company employees can focus on the value-adds and revenue-generating tasks that drive profitability and growth.
✔️ Reduce downtime: Some MSPs don’t follow the same schedule as your other employees. Managed IT service providers can perform maintenance and system updates during off-hours, so that your organization experiences less downtime than if you were to do those tasks in house.
How much do managed IT services cost?
MSPs can charge for managed IT services in a number of ways, from per-device, per-user, monitoring only and all-inclusive. Which one that works best for you will depend on the IT services you want to outsource and your company’s specific requirements.
If you want to learn more about the price of managed IT services in Ontario, please read our blog - What is the Cost of Managed IT Services in Ontario?
OT Group provides managed IT services for South Eastern Ontario in the Ottawa to Toronto corridor. Our locations include Ottawa, Kingston, Belleville, Peterborough, Whitby, Vaughan, Toronto, Markham and more!
Interested in learning more about our managed IT services? Get in touch with our team of IT and technology specialists today.