The Top 21 Benefits of IT Providers Part 1

Open new doors and experience the many benefits of an MSP. Here is part 1 of the top 21 benefits of the IT providers trilogy.

Outsourcing IT is not a new trend, but it continues to increase in benefits. Nearly all businesses rely on a network of various sizes and complexity. 

Keeping the security of your network updated continuously is challenging. Now add to that the tasks of managing user access, help desk support, system monitoring, and keeping all devices, software, and hardware updated - it’s an enormous task suite indeed.  

The fast-paced nature of today’s market demands forces businesses to take a proactive approach to IT. This guide is the first in a series of 3 that describes the top 7 benefits of using an MSP for proactive IT management. 

Key Takeaways:

• Discover the first 7 benefits of using an MSP
• Proactive maintenance and IT system monitoring
• Enhanced cybersecurity and protection against cyber threats
• Expertise and knowledge in the latest technology and industry trends
• Access to a professional IT team with specialized skills and expertise
• Reduced IT costs with transparent pricing and billing
• Predictable budgeting and planning
• Scalable IT services that grow with your business needs

#1 Proactive maintenance and IT system monitoring

The main benefit of using a Managed Service Provider (MSP) is proactive system maintenance and complete system monitoring, which keeps systems from going down unexpectedly. Avoiding downtime improves employee productivity and reduces the time wasted from having to re-do work.

For example, have you ever experienced a system failing to send customers email and SMS notifications? Perhaps the notifications are critical. What happens next?

• First, you won’t know about the failure until a customer contact you with a complaint 
• Second, comes the scramble to figure out what happened and get it running again

Valuable time is spent diagnosing, fixing, and ensuring all customers received the correct notifications. Situations like this happen all the time and waste countless hours of business productivity.

An MSP monitors systems around the clock, including error logs, audit trails, and alerts. With continuous monitoring, an MSP provider can resolve issues before they impact the network system. MSPs keep software and hardware updated to maximize uptime and minimize downtime.

#2 Enhanced cybersecurity protection

Securing business networks protects assets, including data and confidential information. The non-stop need to provide watertight network security is a business reality. Full-time IT security experts are expensive, but you need their security expertise to prevent downtime, data breaches, malware, and keep other threats at bay.

MSPs can supplement your security team or be the team. With experts in all phases of security, MSPs can provide your business with 24/7 security protection that’s always updated. MSPs provide cybersecurity hygiene that secures devices, data, and networks. 

Cybersecurity hygiene provides a basic level of protection against: 

• Data loss 

• • Hard drive or online data storage that isn’t properly backed up or secured

• Corrupted or rearranged data

• • Data may not be removed but instead corrupted and made unusable

• Security breaches

• • Direct attacks from cybercriminals to gain access through malware, spam, or virus-infected code

• Non-updated software or hardware versions

• • Always keep systems on the latest security updates

• Non-updated security software or systems

• • Using old or out-of-date antivirus software is useless in protecting business data

Cyber hygiene is critical to providing constant and effective security for all business systems and devices to keep threats out. Threats change constantly, use security experts from an MSP to help cover all your security needs timely and effectively. 

#3 Latest technology & trends expertise

Businesses need a well-defined IT strategy to assist in aligning technology and operations to meet goals effectively. An IT strategy sets clear goals based on solid business decisions. The supporting technology must evolve when a company wants to grow and improve.

A solid IT strategy enables businesses to:

• Identify bottlenecks in business workflows and systems 

• • Find the technology or systems that are holding the business back or do not enable growth 

• Lower operation costs

• • Informed budgeting when changes and decisions are known and planned

• Increase competitive advantage

• • Understanding new technology and its impact on the future of business makes it easier to adopt, which often provides a leg up on the competition

An MSP provides advice and input on the IT strategy to help the business grow not just now but for five or more years into the future. MSPs are there for consulting help and to build a realistic and actionable IT strategy within the business budget. 

When using an MSP, the IT strategy includes taking advantage of quick response times and 24/7 monitoring. An exceptional MSP helps businesses create a sound, actionable IT strategy that meets budget and financial needs.

#4 Access to specialized IT professionals

Using an MSP gives you as-needed access to various IT professionals. From security, IT strategy, help desk, software, hardware, and database experts. As staff members of an MSP, IT professionals experience a wider variety of network issues and situations. They develop an extensive breadth of knowledge by supporting various types of systems and configurations.

The depth of expertise is advantageous when your business needs support, whether temporarily or as a permanent IT partner. By leveraging the experience of IT professionals on an MSP team, businesses can ensure smoother system workflows and maximize resource optimization. You can leverage experts on the MSP's team rather than having to search and hire specialists in every IT area.

#5 Reduced costs with transparent billing & pricing

MSPs are flexible with pricing, which helps businesses save money. MSPs offer a wide variety of pricing models and contracts that are clear and direct.

Examples of cost-effective MSP pricing models may include:

• Monitoring only

• • Network monitoring and problem alerts
  • Software management
  • Security monitoring
  • Security software maintenance
  • Incidence resolution

• Per device

• • Flat fee to support each time a device is used
  • Devices include laptop computers, servers, and networks
  • Services include typical maintenance tasks and issue support

• Per managed service

• • Support that covers all devices per user
  • Includes maintenance and issue support

• Tiered

• • Typically broken into specific packaged offerings with groups of services
  • The most popular pricing model for businesses to select the package for their needs

• All-you-can-eat

• • 24/7 year-round, full support for a set monthly fee

• Ala carte or menu options

• Like a Tiered model but where customers choose menu options to create their package
• Customers can customize services to cover their needs

The benefit of pricing flexibility is a distinct advantage of using an MSP. Businesses can get the services they need with a clear cost for improved budgeting. Using an MSP provides a higher ROI and a set budget amount for improved business planning.

#6 Predictable budgeting and planning

An MSP contract provides an available IT budget number. Businesses know how much IT costs are per month. Additionally, with an MSP, no one must take time out to recruit, hire, and train internal IT staff for every IT expertise needed. IT costs are more predictable with an MSP, and you can add expertise only when needed for a fee.

#7 Scalable IT services that grow with you

As a business evolves, so does its network support. Change is constant with technology and keeping systems running and secure is critical. MSPs provide scalability within your IT system. Scalability is more than simply capacity, it is the ability to make decisions and adjust rapidly whenever necessary.

Imagine your business working at double its current capacity. Can your network handle it? Can you adapt your system quickly? With an MSP, the system is scalable up or down instantly once a business decision is made. MSP experts can manage the system to scale up in certain areas for a specific time and scale down when demand is lower.

MSPs provide the flexibility for managing any system to help businesses stay competitive in an ever-fluctuating market. The business focuses on its core functions and customers, while the MSP keeps the system secure and running.

Are you ready to benefit from MSP IT support services?

Need help dealing with IT support? Let Endsight be the MSP provider for your business. Endsight is your MSP partner, 24/7. Endsight keeps your business up and running using the latest advanced technology for all network management tasks. Get your free assessment today and see how Endsight can help your business grow. 

Is network maintenance taking up most of your day? If you need to focus on business details, leave the network management, including full-strength security, up to Endsight. Find out how Endsight can help you build the business without worrying about network security, performance, or access.