What Managed IT Services Offer Small Businesses

​Every business requires technology to keep it running smoothly and efficiently, but not every business is capable of dealing with every aspect of the technology at its disposal. If you're in a small or medium-sized business, you know that you only have so much budget and talent to use in-house. For some, that means you have to make the sacrifice of leaving your technology fate up to someone else. Not to worry, it's not as ominous as it sounds. If you pick the right managed service provider, all your worries will disappear. How will you know what the right provider looks like? Here are some of the questions you should be asking during your search.

What Are Managed IT Services?

Managed services are becoming increasingly popular among small businesses due to all the benefits they provide, but before we talk about benefits we need to define what managed service providers (MSPs) are. A managed service provider supports your company's technology for a monthly flat fee that depends on the services you want to use.

MSPs proactively monitor your network, reduce IT problems, and troubleshoot any network issues as they arise. Due to advancements in cloud computing, most IT work can be outsourced without negatively impacting your business. The managed service provider will remotely access networks and deploy solutions for any issues without needing to be in-house.
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MSPs present clients with a contract that details which services they will provide. Outsourced solutions may include:

• Help Desk Services
• Cloud Backup and Storage
• Platform as a Service
• Mobile Device Management
• Software as a Service (SaaS)

Why Use an IT Managed Services Provider?
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​Businesses call on a managed IT services provider to negate risk and simplify their services. Instead of using reactive IT outsourced services to handle issues as they occur, you can use an MSP to proactively manage systems, provide updates, and perform maintenance tasks. You should evaluate potential providers based on your current and future IT needs. While some offer everything from remote monitoring to cloud services, others only provide specific services like disaster recovery.

What Are The Benefits of Using a Managed IT Service Provider?

MSPs differ from other tech-upkeep methods since they're designed to support and centralize many different aspects of IT for small businesses. However, you should still be asking questions before you commit to an MSP. Does an MSP fit into your budget? Do you need on-site support for problems like a printer jam or are most of your services capable of working without on-site management? Is your technology completely secure?

Once you've considered these questions, you still need to clarify that the benefits of an MSP apply to your situation and add up these elements to see if this is the right provider for you or not. These benefits include:

​Proactive Services
Effective MSPs prevent technical issues by monitoring IT elements like hardware, applications, security, and technology trends then notifying you if a problem appears. When issues pop up, your managed services provider may recommend upgrading technology to boost productivity or stepping in themselves to provide technical support services before you get impacted.

At the end of the day, you're paying someone to prevent issues instead of fixing them after they occur. While they do have services in place to resolve problems that may get missed, most of their solutions revolve around prevention. The right provider prevents problems, which is how IntegriTel approaches all of our technology services.

Business Technology Services
Some managed services providers offer all the technology your business needs, ranging from workstations and servers to software. Depending on the managed IT services you are using through them, you'll be able to focus capital on other business expenditures instead of buying, installing, and maintaining technology on-premise.

The right provider, like IntegriTel, offers on-premise services and remote monitoring in whatever capacity you want depending on your needs.

Technology Expertise
A small business using one IT person to handle its concerns will inevitably run into issues because nobody knows everything. There will be services that individual doesn't know how to operate. They may be experts at standing up the website and managing the network, but they may not know how to handle cybersecurity.

Any MSP you work with will have tech expertise across multiple IT functions, meaning they're equipped to handle any issues you face day by day. That said, the right provider, like IntegriTel, will have everything you’re looking for and a few solutions you didn’t know you needed.

Business Continuity
Disaster can strike at any moment, so having a service in place to restore systems that go down or prevent data loss from happening in the first place can go a long way. A good MSP provides you with a comprehensive business continuity plan that gives you peace of mind and prevents ransomware attacks or other potential risks from impacting your business.

The right provider offers continuous support through thick or thin. IntegriTel offers security solutions through RocketCyber and BitDefender services, keeping you safe no matter what happens.

Fully Remote When Necessary
There's no need for physical presence from your MSP after they install their solutions because all of their services are managed digitally. You won't have technicians poking around to find the latest problem and holding everyone up unless it’s a problem with the hardware.

If they can’t handle the problem remotely, the right provider handles the issue on-site, similar to how IntegriTel provides on-premise and remote solutions to all our clients.

Focused Expertise
While many MSPs offer a variety of services across multiple IT solutions, they may not cover every piece of technology you're looking for. This can help you narrow down your options to find an MSP that has exactly what you need so you aren't spending money on services you aren't using. Keep a weathered eye out and find the right fit for your company.

Managed IT Services You Can Count On

Every small business deserves the peace of mind that comes with using a managed IT services provider, but finding the right choice takes time. Shorten your search time by seeking out IntegriTel, your local IT and telecom solution for small and medium businesses.

We excel at providing solutions for businesses that range between two and 100 employees. We offer you all the networking, security, and managed services necessary to keep your technology moving smoothly through partnerships with nationally-renowned technology experts like Aruba Networks, Fortinet, Kaseya, and Nile. If you need a new managed service partner, contact IntegriTel today.