Managed IT Services: Find the Best Options For Your Organization
Managed IT services means you are hiring a 3rd party company or individual to take over your IT. This third party is often called a Managed Service Provider (MSP). With an MSP, you can gain access to a diverse range of IT specialists with strong skills in different areas.
Many MSPs offer additional services, like keeping clients up to date on software and hardware changes and compliance. They provide expert knowledge that can help your organization save money and avoid risks you might not otherwise know about. This kind of knowledge sharing can be a huge bonus if your company leaders don’t specialize in IT and lack time to keep up with all the latest technology news.
However, outsourcing means you lose some control over your IT process. You must depend on the MSP to keep your IT environment stable. If you outsource your IT service management to an unresponsive company, you can face roadblocks.
To ease these concerns, many MSPs provide 24/7 service. Consistent service gives you more security in case of an after-hours failure. If you have a clear, responsive line of communication with your MSP, you can get problems resolved just as fast (or even faster) than you would with insourced IT professionals.
Since your company will not have the salary and benefit costs that come with having your own team, outsourcing can be a very cost-effective solution. Many small and mid-size companies choose outsourced IT solutions so they can focus more on the business.
Insourced IT
Insourced IT means all of your IT processes are done in-house. Your company has its own IT department, or maybe just a single IT professional depending on the company size.
Many companies get started with insourced IT by employing one or two full-time professionals. This often works for a while, but the company must be prepared to scale its team if and when your business needs grow.
Insourcing your IT lets you maintain control over your entire information technology environment. You are not bound by agreements with 3rd-party IT companies, so you may have more flexibility.
However, it also means you’re solely responsible for troubleshooting, dealing with system failures and cyberattacks, and everything else that affects your information. Your company must protect and maintain all of its own data. It can take a lot of work and maintenance to meet all of your IT needs, especially as your needs grow and become more complex.
Larger companies that choose insourced IT often run into bandwidth issues and get bogged down with remedial activities. If you would prefer for your IT team to focus on higher-value projects, you may need to supplement with another kind of IT management.
Insourcing can be a good option if you prefer to maintain complete control over your IT infrastructure and have the budget and resources to support your own IT team. If you do choose to use insourced IT, it’s a good idea to hire at least one professional who is well versed in cybersecurity.
Hybrid IT Solutions
Hybrid IT gives you the best of both worlds. With this approach, you can keep some of your IT responsibilities in-house while outsourcing the rest.
Many MSPs prefer working with clients who use a hybrid approach, as the in-house staff members they communicate with are more likely to understand the industry jargon. The MSP can consult with the in-house IT staff to understand the company’s pre-existing IT environment and processes.
The hybrid approach to IT is usually not the cheapest option, but it’s rarely the most expensive. Your company will need to pay a full salary, benefits, and training for just one or a few in-house IT professionals, not an entire team. Best of all, hybrid IT gives you plenty of flexibility as your technology needs change.
Summary: The Pros and Cons of Each IT Service Option
Managed IT Services
Pros:
- Typically the most cost-effective option
- Depending on the provider, gives you 24/7 IT service
- Easy to scale
- Gives you access to a team with a broader array of IT skills and knowledge
Cons:
- You are not your MSP’s only client
- You will relinquish some control over your IT processes
- There may be extra steps to communication with the MSP’s IT team
Insourced IT Services
Pros:
- Easy, smooth communication
- The ability to work more closely with IT service team members
- Complete control over your data
Cons:
- More expensive than managed IT services, as you are paying for employees’ benefits and salaries
- Harder to scale
- Less specialized expertise if you have a small team; large team needed to cover all areas of expertise
- Limited by the availability of internal team members
Hybrid IT Solutions
Pros:
- Your internal staff know the ins and outs of your business
- You have access to an entire team of IT professionals with specialized expertise
- You have a healthy line of communication between parties
- Easy to scale
Cons:
- You still need to pay for some internal employees’ benefits and salary
- You are working with a 3rd party that manages multiple companies’ IT needs
- You will relinquish some control over IT processes
Managed IT Services With Simple Helix
Simple Helix provides managed IT services, connectivity solutions, and more to companies in a wide variety of industries. We can give you IT infrastructure planning and design assistance, help with implementation and management, and provide ongoing support.
Whether you have a large IT department or no IT staff at all, Simple Helix’s managed IT services can complement what you have. You can delegate any level of your IT operations to our professionals, including 24/7 monitoring, tool implementation, issue resolution, and reporting.
Here are just a few of the things we can help with:
- Office 365 Administration
- Managed Workstations
- Managed Firewall
- Managed Network
- Managed Servers
- Managed Multi-Factor Authentication
- Online Training
- Encrypted File Sharing
We will take the time to understand your unique business needs and create the best possible IT solution. Get in touch with us today so you can stop worrying about IT hangups.
