Managed IT servicesTechnology has infiltrated the workplace and forever altered the way business is conducted. This has pushed IT to the forefront of any business operation, forcing companies to find ways to keep up with the rapidly evolving nature of technology. But for many small businesses, attempting to keep up with the changing technology can prove costly, and not keeping up even more so. The solution for many of these businesses has been to utilize managed IT service providers.

What Does “Managed IT Service” Mean?
Businesses want to always be on top of or ahead of the game when it comes to the implementation and usage of technology. However, they also must consider cost, particularly if they are a small- or mid-sized business. Managed IT services allows for businesses to take advantage of all of the services they would receive should they employ a full time IT professional, but they get those services at a monthly rate.

The cost is, of course, dependent on the type of services the business would require, but it will nearly always be less expensive than the full-time-employee model. And because of the proliferation of cloud computing and cloud storage, IT service providers are able to better monitor the systems remotely and stay alert to any issue before it severely impacts operations.

This is much better than relying on the break-and-fix model in which businesses would only hire IT professionals when there was a problem with the computer system. In today’s competitive market, it takes much more than waiting for something to go wrong before addressing it. And with managed IT, businesses can now get the best of both worlds when it comes to cost and services provided.

Why Are Businesses Turning to Managed IT?
By now, business owners have realized that they must be able to make technology work to improve their businesses. Being behind in the delivery of services due to failure to understand or appropriately mobilize technology will actually hurt business in today’s environment. Business owners want their businesses to run more smoothly and more efficiently, and they expect that technology is applied in order to better serve customers or improve the quality of the company’s internal systems.

Managed IT also reduces—and in some cases eliminates—the need for purchasing any significant storage hardware. Those cost savings alone are significant, but you also save on any software upgrades that would certainly be necessary. Plus, with the scalability of managed IT, the services will grow and expand parallel to the growth and expansion of your business. In that way, instances in which the services are not needed in heavy doses, managed IT allows for services to be scaled down.

When Should You Hire a Managed IT Service Provider?
The real answer is that you should start your business with a managed IT service provider already in place. But if you are at the point where your business is growing and you need a system to effectively handle this growth while providing solutions that match your customers’ expectations, then that’s a sign you should consider hiring a managed IT service provider.

Also, if your existing system just isn’t efficient anymore or is not fitting with the direction in which your business is heading, this is also a sign that it’s time to hire a managed IT service provider. Technology has become much too important to be a second thought. Customers today have higher levels of expectation than ever before and many more options when it comes to where they can go to get what they need. If your business is not willing to adapt, it is only a matter of time before your customers move on.

Zarr Tech has provided some of the best managed IT services in Burlington. We understand that companies are made up of people, and we work to ensure that our clients feel comfortable with and understand the systems we put in place to improve their company. Contact us now for a no-obligation meeting. We’ll show you how Zarr Tech can help solve both you short- and long-term IT issues.