How SMBs can save money with managed IT services

As a small- to mid-sized business (SMB) owner, you’re always on the lookout for ways to improve your business’s efficiency, increase profits, and keep expenses low. However, achieving these has become more challenging than ever, given today’s constant business disruptions and economic uncertainty.

Fortunately, managed IT services can turn your IT from a necessary expense into an invaluable growth driver. By investing in hosted solutions that include anything from simple cloud-based software that help with day-to-day tasks to comprehensive projects like IT asset management, your teams can focus more on profit-earning initiatives.

By partnering with the right managed IT services provider (MSP), you’ll be able to maintain and eventually grow your business, all the while saving on IT costs.

How managed IT services save you money

When you outsource your SMB’s IT management to an MSP, you gain access to a team of trained and certified professionals. You also have at your disposal enterprise-grade tools and software that you can use to support your day-to-day business activities. Not only that, but farming out part or all your IT obligations to an MSP also helps you cut costs significantly. Here’s how:

• With an external IT partner, you don’t need to spend a lot of resources on searching for and hiring employees with specific skill sets, then providing them with compensation, incentives, and other benefits. MSPs typically have pre-formed teams of specialists that are ready to start work at any time.
• IT is a constantly developing field, so it’s important to keep up with emerging trends if you want your business to remain competitive. This could entail enrolling your current IT staff in training courses so they can continuously upgrade their knowledge and skills to keep up with rapidly changing IT trends. This won’t be a problem if you hire an MSP.In particular, outsourceIT has a team of technical specialists who stay on top of the latest technology and certifications. With us, you can expect to work with experienced IT professionals who can help prepare your business for ever-changing business demands and expectations.
• One of the biggest advantages of managed IT services is you don’t have to purchase software or hardware and perform upgrades yourself. An MSP can do all this for you — they will assess your current technology, make recommendations, and provide you with the software or hardware you need at a price point you’re comfortable with. Some MSPs even partner with reputable vendors, which means you can sometimes get the finest tech deals.
• When you hire an MSP, you pay only for the support you need or the specific number of hours spent by their team on a project. This allows you better control over your expenses as well as the type of support you need.

How managed IT services won’t save you money

Budgeting for IT is generally easy and straightforward when you work with a reliable MSP. However, there are a few dubious pricing structures that you need to be wary of. These include:

• Hourly block fees – MSPs often charge for a specific set of services that they’ll provide for a specific amount of time. Going over that limit could incur additional charges, but being charged exorbitant fees for exceeding the limit by a tiny margin should be a big red flag.
• Flat fees – Many MSPs offer unlimited monthly support for a fixed price; unfortunately, some of them might take advantage of you in other ways. For example, your initial payment may not cover on-site support, hardware setup, and quick response times, or services you actually need. In turn, you end up paying more. That’s why it’s important to always read the fine print.
• Any pricing structure that isn’t on a per-month basis – Most MSPs charge on a per-month basis, depending on how many users or devices are covered. The cost usually covers comprehensive services, including proactive monitoring, round-the-clock support, emergency repairs, and more.

The key to avoiding surprise charges and overpaying is to carefully and thoroughly review your service contract to ensure its provisions meet your needs. On top of that, having a service level agreement or SLA will ensure that you and your MSP are on the same wavelength in terms of standards and service.

outsourceIT provides managed IT solutions and Outsourced IT Services in Washington tailored to the unique needs of your business. Contact us today to learn more about how partnering with an MSP can help your SMB balance spending and growth.