What are Managed IT services?
Under a Managed IT support plan, a third-party monitor, manages and repairs your IT network. The Managed IT service provider may be based locally on the Central Coast, somewhere else in Australia or even overseas. There are many different monthly plans available with both contract and no-contract options. No-contract Managed IT support can be a low-risk way to dip your toes into the water. IT support company Chewing IT looks at the benefits of Managed IT and how to work out if it is right for your Central Coast business.
No more call centres
While a managed service provider will certainly have an IT support helpdesk to troubleshoot IT issues, you will probably know everyone by name. Long term relationships are built with the IT experts assigned to your account so you can say goodbye to that call centre feeling!
Save time with Managed IT
Not only will you save call centre ‘on-hold’ time, think about how many hours you (or your staff) have wasted googling IT solutions only to find yourself down a technical rabbit hole.
Managed IT keeps your Central Coast business up and running
Your Managed IT service provider will be monitoring threats to the stability of your network. Importantly, software and IT services will be seamlessly updated without you having to keep track or worry. Your plan will include regular maintenance to pre-empt and prevent issues before they arise. This means you avoid downtime incurred while waiting for an engineer to fix an unexpected problem. Downtime costs money and the goodwill of customers.
Data security
The important word in Managed IT support services is MANAGED. Organised data back-up will ensure that any issue can be dealt with smoothly with ‘data’ recovery rather than ‘disaster’ recovery!
Your Managed IT service provider will also ensure that you have the latest anti-virus and malware defences throughout your Central Coast business including remote workers. With so many employees working from home these days, this is an often-overlooked risk to business data security.
Lower costs than permanent IT manager
Managed IT support is a clever use of the IT budget. There are no staff overheads, simply a known monthly cost. The Managed IT service provider will plan the spread of resources, allocating the budget between monthly necessities and larger-scale upgrades and improvement projects. Hardware costs are reduced because the managed service provider is using their resources.
And bear in mind that it is not just staffing and IT costs to consider. A data breach can lead to brand damage and loss of confidence in your business.
Access to a broad skill set
Managed service providers have staff skilled in multiple platforms and systems so you will always have access to an expert in troubleshooting situations. It is unlikely that one in-house IT support person would have knowledge across all the software and hardware used in your Central Coast business.
Alternatives to Managed IT services
Managed IT services will not suit every Central Coast business:
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If you need an IT support person physically on-site every day, it may be better to recruit a permanent member of staff.
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If you run specialist third party software, you will need to check the knowledge base of a potential Managed IT service provider. Bear in mind that if you are currently tied to an IT company because of proprietary software, it might also be time to evaluate whether a change in software is warranted. Many small businesses outgrow their initial IT services set-up and are hampered by the software’s lack of scalability. Well-known and open-source software puts the power in your hands.
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If your Central Coast business runs fewer than five computers, On-Demand IT support might suit you best. While this will cost more per hour than Managed IT support, it is often cost-effective for smaller IT set-ups. Chewing IT provides On-Demand IT Support services on the Central Coast including phone, on-site and remote IT support.
Call the Chewing IT experts on 02 4339 4789 to discuss which type of IT support is best for your Central Coast business.