Are you sorting out so many IT problems every day that it’s hindering your ability to grow your business? Is network, hardware, and software downtime affecting your bottom line? And are you holding open the door for cyberthreats because you don’t have access to the necessary resources to keep them out?
Outsourcing your IT services can be the answer to all of these problems and more. By working with an experienced managed IT services team, you can reap the benefits of their expertise, lower your IT expenses, improve business uptime, and take advantage of enterprise-level technology solutions without breaking the bank.
But you’re likely wondering: What exactly can you outsource when it comes to IT?
10 IT Services That Are Typically Outsourced
Though there are definitely more a managed IT services team can help your organization with, these are just 10 of the most common concerns, tasks, and problems the experts can help with.
#1. Managed IT Services
Outsourcing your IT needs to a managed IT services team ensures you’re cutting down on network and hardware downtime, meeting your customers’ needs, updating your software, and keeping up with the competition.
#2. Cybersecurity
The world of cyberthreats is constantly changing, and it can be extremely difficult to keep up, especially if you don’t have a background in IT and cybersecurity. Cybersecurity services, however, can ensure you’re meeting these threats head on, have the latest protections in place to keep them at bay, and have monitoring strategies to catch attacks before they take effect.
#3. Business Continuity
If your company should fall victim to a ransomware attack or be affected by a natural disaster, you need to access your data. Outsourcing your IT means you can take advantage of cloud services, disaster recovery strategies, and other data backup plans to ensure your business keeps marching on.
#4. Email Hosting and Protection
Email phishing attempts are on the rise, but by working with a managed IT services partner, you can improve your strategy to keep them out of your inbox. This means you spend less time weeding out good emails from bad and can focus more on productivity.
#5. Help Desk and Remote Support
Many companies choose to outsource their IT support as well. Help desk and remote support resources are great ways to utilize the experience of the experts and get your hardware back up and running with less downtime.
#6. vCIO
IT can be an alien world to some and, if you have a business to run, something you don’t have time for. A vCIO can ensure you’re on track for your IT strategy and making those crucial, yet informed, decisions with your goals and brand in mind when it matters most.
#7. Monitoring, Management, and Maintenance
Outsourcing remote maintenance and network monitoring allows you to take a cost-effective approach to your IT while also improving security. And desktop monitoring and management means you can gain valuable insights into how your business is run, issues that need to be addressed, and top IT concerns and problems.
#8. IT Vendor Management
With the operation of your business on your plate, it’s likely you don’t have time to talk to each and every one of your IT vendors on a regular basis. This is another area where outsourcing can make a huge difference. You’ll be able to minimize expenses, negotiate prices, and increase your company’s efficiency with outsourced IT vendor management.
#9. Infrastructure Support Services
A managed IT services provider can identify issues with your IT infrastructure, especially ones that could be hindering your productivity and efficiency. With modern server rooms and a solid infrastructure strategy, your servers can stay secure, protected, and reliable.
#10. Compliance
Compliance with government regulations, insurance requirements or any other organization (credit card companies, for example) requires specific elements of your IT environment be maintained in a particular way. We highly recommend outsourcing compliance – but only to an IT company that has people on staff who are knowledgeable about the type of compliance you require.
What Should You Look for in an IT Company?
Now that you know which IT services are typically outsourced, you need to know what to look for in an IT company. We recommend searching for:
24/7 Support
IT issues don’t tend to stick to a 9–5 schedule. Therefore, organizations like yours need a managed IT services provider that understands that and offers 24/7 support, emergency contact information, or after-hours options.
Monitoring
Working with a managed IT services team that offers monitoring solutions and services means they can catch threats and IT issues before they become a problem. Companies that only react to concerns will constantly be putting out fires. Monitoring can catch cyberthreats, server problems, hardware issues, and more ahead of time.
Budget-Friendly Options
IT solutions and services don’t have to break the bank – that’s why it’s important to find a partner that doesn’t try to nickel and dime you. An IT assessment can help you identify your needs and gaps too, and ensure you’re getting the services you need and not overpaying. Then you can shop around, knowing what you need.
There’s no doubt that plenty of IT needs can be outsourced to the professionals – but if you want to know more about how your company can benefit, we highly recommend you download our free 10 Benefits of Managed IT Services whitepaper. Being aware of just how IT can save you money, time, and effort can be a game changer for many organizations.
