Let’s face it— IT is expensive. Not only is it expensive to purchase and deploy, but the costs keep adding up when you need to hire someone to manage your technology. On top of that, an astronomical increase in security threats to small businesses has left every senior manager or owner of a small business with a general sense of anxiety.
If you work for or own a small business, you are likely faced with tough decisions based on limited resources. You understand how difficult it is to ensure your bases are covered with recent advancements in technology, and you might be concerned with building, optimizing, supporting, and defending your organizational technology and infrastructure.
So, if this is the case, why not consider hiring a Managed Services Provider (MSP) to take some of these concerns off your plate?
When we ask this question, there are two common responses:
- I know we need it, but we do not have the budget to hire a Managed Services Provider.
- We don’t need Managed Services or IT support.
Should I Consider Managed Services for My Small Business?
We would be lying if we said every small business needs a Managed Services Provider. Your local, cash-only laundromat might not need an MSP.
But, once your business grows to over 5 people or about $250,000 per year in revenue, you accumulate data at a rate that might surprise you. This is data that is vulnerable to breaches or security threats, and each breach affects the reliable stream of revenue you count on each year. Unfortunately, most small businesses do not recover from these occurrences.
The 2018 State of Cybersecurity in Small and Medium Size Businesses conducted by the Ponemon Institute found the average cost for SMBs to remediate a breach was $383,365 in the twelve months leading up to the report.
Could your business withstand the cost? If not, it may be time to consider the benefits of Managed Services.
What are the Benefits of Managed IT Services for Small Businesses?
1. Cost Effective
When it comes to MSPs you pay for what you get. Most MSPs have a rate of $110/user to $170/user per month. Depending on how many users your company has, buying managed services for a small business is often a cheaper option than paying the salary of one System Administrator to manage your IT department.
Additionally, when it comes to MSPs, you pay for what you need. Providers offer a variety of plans and add-ons for you to choose so you aren’t stuck paying extra for services you will not use. They can also help provision your services to find cheaper and more affordable offerings. Not happy with your phone system or your internet bills? Let your MSP shop for those services to get you better rates.
If you don’t think Managed Services are worth the price for what you get, you can read more about the cost of Managed Services in our blog Are Managed Services Worth It?
2. Experience and Expertise
Managed Services Providers offer you the combined experience of multiple engineers who have worked with multiple clients. This means they can solve your problems more efficiently which causes less downtime for your company. The less downtime, the higher your ROI.
These experts will also ensure you have fewer IT issues moving forward by making sure you are up to date on industry standards, such as having current patches installed and backups ready to go. Most organizations notice the difference Managed Services makes in 3-6 months.
3. Plan for the Future
As I’ve already mentioned a few times, a good MSP wants to partner with you to help you understand your business and how technology fits into your business goals.
Many MSPs offer strategic planning services—sometimes called Virtual CIO. Most small businesses don’t have a dedicated CIO, so Managed Services Providers try to bridge this gap by helping you make decisions and building a road map for future technology.
MSPs can help your organization make decisions about technology while taking into account your budget and other constraints. Since a complete environmental upgrade can be too costly or too disruptive, many small businesses will pick and choose initiatives to tackle each year. Your MSP can help you prioritize what is most important. Maybe your servers need to be upgraded, your laptops need to be replaced, and the increase of spoofing attacks on your businesses brings up security concerns… Which is most important? Your MSP will work with you to build a multi-tiered plan with your budget and best interests in mind.
A trusted Managed Services Provider, like PEI, partners with you to drive your business forward. Small organizations shouldn’t be spending their time looking after their IT infrastructure when it can be cheaper and more efficient to have an MSP manage it.
4. Scalability while Growing
As a small business, you are usually focused on two things: customer service and growing your business. Growth will always mean adding more technology to your environment. More employees means more computers, more data to store, and more data that can be compromised.
With Managed Services, businesses ‘pay as they grow’ to accommodate more coverage. MSPs offer different plans and additional services to meet your changing business needs. With additional technology, your plan can scale up incrementally so you feel confident that your organization is as fully covered as before.
5. MSPs Keep You Stable and Keep You Sane
One benefit of working with a Managed Services Provider is stability they bring. You should not need to wonder if your business is secure against threats or if your IT systems will suddenly go down. MSPs bring peace of mind by taking these worries off your plate. Most MSPs will make sure your business is secure, and if they are a good MSP, they will take a proactive approach to resolve any potential IT issues before they affect your business.
Organizational stability for small businesses can feel unrealistic at times, but with the right MSP, you can count on your technology not throwing any curveballs. Peace of mind is underrated within the small business sector, and this is where your MSP comes into play. You choose a bank you trust to manage your finances, so why not choose a Managed Services Provider you trust to manage your technology?
So, Are Managed Services for Small Businesses Worth It?
Let’s recap. Not every small business needs a Managed Services Provider—it would be dishonest of us to claim this was the case. However, if your firm is over five people or if you exceed $250,000 in revenue each year, you’re probably at a place where you should consider the benefits.
Managed IT services for small businesses are a cost-effective option that provides access to a larger number of IT experts, CIO services to move your business in the right direction, scalable services that match your business plan, and the peace of mind that your business is safe.
If you’ve already decided it’s time to find managed IT services for your small business but don’t know where to start, our 12 Essential Questions for Evaluating an MSP is a great resource.
Or, you can start right here! We have over 30 years of experience as a Managed Services Provider, and we specialize in catering our services to small and midsize organizations. Get in contact with us online here or call us at 303-786-7474.
