There are many reasons why a business needs an MSP. If you run an SME, you might think it’s handy to have someone around to fix the server when it goes down, for example. And you’re not wrong, knowing that your IT is in good hands brings peace of mind and reassurance to busy businesses – but MSPs do much more than that.
As tech plays an increasingly important role in organisations, its worth continues to grow to the extent that it is now an integral part of the operation. Having it well managed is therefore a competitive advantage and source of value – which is where MSPs come in.
For SMEs, having an MSP on board can drive value and help to establish a strong and secure platform from which the business can grow – and at a fraction of the cost of an entire IT department. How they deliver that comes in a number of different ways…
Manage risk and threats effectively
When you hire a managed IT service provider, the first thing they will do is make you secure. What does that mean? It means they’ll assess your exposure to risk – things like storage and backup, contingency planning, and systems failure. They’ll also limit your exposure to security threats such as malware, viruses, and phishing attacks, as well as your internal security policy. They’ll remedy any issues as a matter of priority.
You might ask if you could do this yourself? There are certain things you can do (like using MFA and training your staff), but because our reliance on technology has increased and because technology evolves so quickly, the number of threats and risks evolves and changes rapidly too – and it isn’t’ realistic for an SME to keep on top of all of those changes.
It is however part and parcel of what an MSP has to do, so by working with one you will, as a matter of course, mitigate risk and reduce your exposure to cyber threats, regardless of how the business environment and tech evolve.
A proactive approach
A reactive approach to IT Services is costly and inefficient. After all, why wait for something to go wrong before fixing it? With the break-fix approach to managed IT services, the associated downtime causes disruptions to your business, and repairs can be costly – especially if they’re pressing. At Nutbourne, we favour a proactive approach that optimises your IT support little and often, according to independently benchmarked standards. It also keeps costs transparent.
Greater efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity
For all businesses, efficiency is extremely important – and IT services can make the difference.
If you’ve got a bad IT system and it’s stopping people from being as efficient as they could be, it needs fixing. That can be anything from updating operating software, and automating processes to replacing or upgrading slow and creaking machines and hardware – all things that an IT service provider takes care of.
These small boosts in efficiency soon add up – and if you’re 80% efficient and gradually improve your IT operations to the extent that they are 90% efficient you’ve effectively hired a new member of staff, but at a fraction of the cost.
Do what you do best
IT support has evolved, and any MSP worth their salt will offer IT consulting services as part of their overall package. This means that they’re responsible for managing and directing your IT strategy so that it can scale with your business as and when you need it to. To that extent, your IT is run for you in the background – leaving you to concentrate on your core business service or product. As the great Peter Drucker said: “Do what you do best and outsource the rest.”
To find out how we can help you to boost efficiency, reduce risk and cut costs, visit: www.nutbourne.com