4 FAQ’s About Managed IT Services

If you see the appeal of managed IT services, but wonder when it makes sense to incorporate this next level of IT service into your business, you’re not alone.

You want to know your business applications and systems are operating efficiently and reliably. You want confidence knowing your business data is secure. Ultimately, you don’t want to maintain or manage the complexity of your network – you just want it to work.

Question #1) Is there a security risk to storing all our business data in the cloud?

With the widely publicized cyber-attacks against big businesses, many small to mid-sized businesses have concerns about the securing their data in the cloud.

Contrary to what you might think, cloud computing is actually MORE secure than storing your business data onsite.

But wait, how is that possible? It’s simple. Small to medium businesses can’t justify the cost of securing their data in the same way a cloud provider can.

In fact, most security breaches are a result of human error, such as an employee downloading a file that contains a virus or using an unsecure password on the network. Look, we know it happens.

And more often than not, businesses are so focused on day-to-day operations that they put off security updates, software patches and anti-virus updates. Ultimately, the number of businesses who inadvertently compromise their network significantly outweighs cloud providers who get hacked.

Question #2) Do we have to purchase new servers or workstations to move to the cloud with managed services?

One of the greatest benefits of moving your business data to the cloud is that in majority of cases, the answer is no – you don’t need to purchase additional hardware. With the cloud, you can often use older workstations, laptops and servers since the computing power is processed entirely in the cloud. This means you can likely get more use out of your existing hardware and purchase cheaper workstations in the future since you don’t need the pricey computing power you needed in the past.

Question 3) Can managed IT services really help our business save money?

Rather than taking a break/fix approach to your technology needs, managed IT services allow your business to establish a predictable, set budget each month so you can stay away from costly, unexpected repairs and not to mention – a complete system failure.

In addition, managed services allow you to pay only for the amount of services your business needs.

That’s right, you can scale your IT to grow and adapt with the size of your business instead of trying to catch up to technology or quickly adapt your IT needs to the rapid changes in your business. In the cloud, storage is not a one-size-fits-all solution. You choose the amount of storage and network capacity you immediately need – and adjust as needed in the future.

Question 4) How do I know if managed services are a good fit for my business?

If you answer ‘yes’ to one or more of the following questions, your business is ready to transition to managed IT services.

• Are your IT costs continually increasing?
• Are your employees spending more time wrestling IT issues than focusing on their job?
• Is your network downtime increasing?
• Is your network and workstation performance slowing down?
• Would your network be at risk in the event of a disaster?
• Would you be able to easily and quickly recovery your business data if a disaster did strike?
• Has your business experienced problems with spyware, viruses or other security issues?