21 Telltale Signs Your West Michigan Business Is Ready For Managed Services

Is your West Michigan business ready for managed services? Here are 21 telltale signs, and how to get IT support you can rely on.

1. Your Business Is Growing

You may want to consider using managed services if your business is growing rapidly, and you need help scaling your network and computer hardware to meet increased demand. Managed services can operate as your entire IT department or can be used to supplement your current IT staff depending on the rate of your company’s growth and any other influential factors.

2. Your Company Culture Is Changing

Many businesses are moving towards a full or partial remote workforce, increasing their need for reliable cybersecurity and IT support. In a virtual workspace, you’ll have multiple users accessing your network from a wide variety of locations, creating additional security risks that may be difficult to mitigate. A managed IT services provider can help secure your network and ensure only authorized users have access.

3. Your Critical Software Applications Are Out of Date

It’s not uncommon for companies to become so caught up in doing business that they neglect to update their software, antivirus programs, and other important technology. When your software is out of date, your network security is at an increased risk; hackers often target outdated software since it’s easier to infiltrate. An outsourced IT provider can assist you with updating your software across your network.

4. You Want to Maximize Your IT Spend

If you have only so much budget to dedicate to IT support, it’s important to make sure you’re getting the most for every dollar you spend. Hiring in-house IT isn’t necessarily the way to do that. For example, if you hire an IT specialist for $55,000 a year, you get one person for that cost. However, the same $55,000 goes much farther with a team of IT experts who work quickly and efficiently.

5. Regulatory Compliance Is a Big Issue for Your Company

If you do business in an industry that is heavily regulated, you need a compliance partner. A managed IT services provider can help ensure that your company is maintaining compliance with all applicable regulations.

6. You Need Reliable and Efficient IT

If you need your IT to be efficient, reliable, and down-to-brass-tacks, managed services are the way to go. An in-house IT provider typically accomplishes much less in the same amount of time as an outsourced IT team and is just as prone to distraction and timewasting as other in-house employees.

7. You Don’t Have the Budget to Hire In-House IT Techs

If your IT budget is severely limited, hiring an outsourced provider can help you make the funds go as far as possible. A good managed IT services company will help identify the services most critical to your business operations, so your IT spend is in the right places.

8. You Need Flexibility and Scalability

Hiring one or more in-house IT professionals reduces your company’s ability to be flexible during times of growth or hardship and scale up or down as needed without creating even bigger problems for your business. A managed IT company can easily adjust your services package to meet your business’ changing needs, whether you grow, scale back, or both.

9. You Have IT Staff That You Want to Free Up for Critical Projects

You may already have IT staff on hand that you would rather free up for critical projects in-house than have them working on basic network and cybersecurity tasks. When you supplement your IT team with an outsourced provider, you can pay only for the additional services you need versus having to hire another full-time employee.

10. Your IT Staff Is Already Overworked

If your in-house IT staff are already at maximum capacity with their current workload when your IT needs increase, this may leave you struggling to bridge the gap without overshooting your budget. A managed services provider can relieve some of the tasks your staff is currently doing, increasing efficiency and efficacy across the board.

11. Your Business Needs Specific IT Solutions

If your business is in an industry that has specific IT needs, it may be difficult to hire a professional in-house that is familiar with your unique requirements. However, managed IT service providers tend to have more robust experience with a wider variety of technology and software applications. Often, outsourced providers will specialize in certain types of software, and you may be able to find a company that offers solutions catered to your business.

12. You Often Need to Hire Outside Help Anyway

Do you find yourself hiring outside IT help often anyways, even though you have a dedicated internal staff? This may mean that your current IT employees are either not experienced enough to handle the workload, or you don’t have enough hands on deck. A managed services provider can help alleviate both issues and eliminate the need to frantically hire someone you haven’t vetted in the event of an emergency.

13. You Want to Maximize Your Company’s IT Budget

If you’ve had to make budget cuts this year like many companies, you may find that the funds you have to spend on IT support are lower than you initially thought. You may not have the money to cover an in-house professional, and if you already have one, you may need to let them go. An outsourced IT provider can help ensure that your budget is spent on what your business needs the most.

14. Your Business Needs to Protect Sensitive Customer Data

Is your company in an industry that keeps sensitive customer or patient data on file that needs to be protected? A managed services provider can help ensure the data is as safe from malicious cybersecurity threats as possible using a multi-pronged approach that prevents network penetration at every level.

15. The Nature of Your Company Puts You at a Higher Cybersecurity Risk

Some companies that store sensitive data are at a higher risk of a security breach than others. For example, hospitals and other medical facilities are prime targets for hackers since they often keep patient identifying information, insurance ID cards, and financial information on file. In cases where your business is at a high risk of a security breach, it’s critical to work with an expert.

16. You Need 24/7/365 Security Monitoring

An in-house IT professional — or a team of them — can only service your network during working hours. If a security breach occurs in the middle of the night, they may be slow to respond or may not be able to help until the next day. A managed services provider can monitor your network 24/7/365 and respond to security breaches as soon as they are detected.

17. You Want to Ensure That Critical Data Is Backed Up Regularly

If a data breach does occur, you’ll need to recover your backed-up data. If you don’t have the time to back up your data or have been lax about it, you may lose critical information when you’re forced to restore to a backup that isn’t recent. Your outsourced IT professional can back up your data daily, and even hourly if needed so you can ideally get back up and running without data loss in the event of a security event.

18. The Cost of Downtime for Your Business Is High

Every minute of downtime, you have costs your company. How much that varies from business to business. For some companies, the cost of downtime is lower than in others. For companies whose downtime cost is exceedingly high per minute, restoring your network as quickly as possible is critical for loss prevention. Don’t gamble with potentially inexperienced in-house hires — this is a job for seasoned IT professionals.

19. Your Company Needs Better Budget Predictability

If you need greater visibility and predictability in your budget, hiring a managed IT services provider can be of great benefit to your business. The costs of managed services are generally the same from month to month and can easily be integrated into financial projections.

20. You Want Your Business to Have Access to the Latest Software and Technology

Do you find it difficult to stay up-to-date with the latest software and technology on your own? If so, hiring a managed IT provider may be in your company’s best interests. An experienced provider will ensure that your software is updated on time and help train your employees when new versions of operational software are rolled out.

21. You Need Help Developing a Disaster Recovery Plan

Even the most vigilant network security measures can’t eliminate your risk of a data breach. This means it’s critical to have a disaster recovery plan, even when your prevention strategies are solid. Managed service providers can help you create and implement a disaster recovery plan designed to mitigate damages after a data breach.

Contact Envizion IT

To learn more about managed IT services and its potential benefits for your business, contact trusted West Michigan IT provider Envision IT. Call now at (616) 741-1144.