If you’re one of the 50% of companies that are struggling due to understaffing, various solutions can save the day and elevate your performance. Hiring new people is the logical answer, but this might not address the underlying culprit, which could be limited IT expertise. If that’s the case, you need a better alternative. Enter managed network services. They allow you to outsource crucial cybersecurity and other IT projects to a third party, reducing the need to recruit new team members. But what exactly is managed network services, and what makes them beneficial for your organization?
What Are Managed Network Services?
It may appear that managed network services are the light at the end of the tunnel you’ve been looking for. But before we delve into the perks of these services, let’s first take a look at the basics.
A managed network service is any network service provided by someone outside your company. Business owners generally hire a managed network provider when they’re understaffed or don’t have adequate on-premise infrastructure. This way, they can access the services that are crucial for their operations without making large-scale changes to the enterprise.
What Are the Benefits of Managed Network Services?
Now we get to the nitty-gritty of managed network services. Here’s a breakdown of how they can help take your performance to a whole new level:
Higher Productivity
Think about it – asking non-technical staff to be in charge of IT-related projects can do more harm than good. Chances are, it’ll take them a lot of time to figure out the basic functions of different devices or programs, curbing their productivity. Even worse, it forces them to perform operations they’re not trained for, keeping them from completing those in which they specialize. Besides making them less enthusiastic about their job, this also reduces overall business performance due to limited staff training.
So, how do you solve the problem? You integrate managed network services into your enterprise. By handing third parties the reins to your IT environment, you eliminate the need to burden your non-technical employees with this area. Consequently, your staff remains productive and happy as they continue to do what they enjoy.
No Need to Configure Your Office
Bringing your office up to modern IT standards generally requires an overhaul. In addition to bringing in cutting-edge devices, you may also need to make configuration changes to the office. The layout might need to be tweaked, and you might even need to remove some items from the premises.
Implementing these changes is time-consuming and expensive, so why not rely on managed network services? They enable you to stay on top of your IT responsibilities without adjusting your office. More importantly, there’s no downtime associated with renovations. Your team members stay locked in as if you didn’t introduce anything to your environment.
Lower IT Budget
One of your responsibilities as a business owner is to cut costs whenever possible. What better way to reduce expenses than to reduce your IT budget? That’s precisely what getting managed network services allows.
Without a managed network provider, you’d need to cover exorbitant IT costs. From hardware installation and office renovations to staff training, these expenses can gut your enterprise. You might not have enough money to optimize marketing, buy new equipment (e.g., printers and copiers), improve your social media presence, and improve other strategies tasks.
None of this is an issue with managed network services. Their cost pales in comparison to the price of running your own IT infrastructure, making them perfect if you’re on a budget.
Proactive Solutions
The last thing you want is to have a long delay due to malfunctioning devices or servers. Unfortunately, this can easily happen if you’re not qualified to address equipment issues. Without proper expertise and experience, troubleshooting your IT solutions takes forever.
Salvation comes in the form of managed network services. Rather than sit back and watch while malfunctions cripple your company, managed network providers take a proactive approach. They inspect and maintain your machines regularly to pre-empt any problems and deal with them before they wreak havoc on the system.
Binding Service-Level Agreements
Disorganization is your arch-enemy when setting up an IT solution, but you won’t have to worry about it with managed network services. You sign a detailed service level agreement (SLA) with your vendor, which fleshes out even the tiniest details of your lease. Hence, setting up and organizing your infrastructure isn’t your concern – your provider is legally required to take care of them.
Another requirement SLAs typically require of managed service providers is that they address any issues you may have with your network. For example, if the system goes down, licensed technicians should be in your office as soon as possible. Your SLA may require them to use advanced tools and methods to overcome the obstacle quickly, so you can get back on track.
Robust Monitoring Tools
Although there’s minimal downtime if your provider delivers a fast response to equipment failures, anticipating issues is even more important. Therefore a suitable companion to your vendor’s proactive approach is various built-in monitoring tools.
Once they install your IT environment, experienced professionals should also offer state-of-the-art monitoring tools. In most cases, they should also teach your team how to use them, so they can anticipate and deal with problems ahead of time. This enables you to recognize potential malfunctions and contact a technician before the system goes down.
Reliable Customer Support
Let’s face it – even with intensive training, your company will still probably need additional assistance once your network is up and running. That’s where your provider’s customer support comes in. You can get in touch with them at any time of the day and ask for help. Whether you don’t know how to use your document management feature or want to restart the system, they’ll be your North Star, guiding you every step of the way.
Managed Services Is a Difference-Maker
You can really get your money’s worth with managed network services, especially if you partner with a reputable provider. Elite Imaging Systems is, by far, your best option. Our intuitive yet powerful systems have all you need to run an advanced and affordable IT environment. Reach out to Elite Imaging Systems today to take your Troy, Detroit, or Flint enterprise to new heights.
