In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have found themselves struggling. They may have lost employees to replace or need to cut costs in light of pandemic-related losses. Utilizing various types of managed IT services can help solve many of those problems. With managed IT services, you can:
- Decrease the funds spent on IT challenges or handling IT services throughout the company
- Improve the available talent to deal with those challenges
- Cut down on the time to replace needed services within the company
- Ensure that you always have someone available to handle your IT needs and keep your company running smoothly
- Gain access to a wider pool of talent
Knowing what types of managed IT services are available can make it easier for your business to decide how to handle your IT needs as you juggle your continuing operational needs with pandemic-related challenges.
Managed Security
Network security has become increasingly important for your business, especially in light of the increase in number of cyber attacks experienced by both big businesses and private individuals in light of the pandemic. Managed security services can take over all of your security needs or take on the specific aspects of security you need them to cover, including:
- Antivirus protections
- Malware protection
- Network protection
- Security audits
- Regular updates
- Compliance across your industry
Cloud Infrastructures
Shifting your business to the cloud may make sense, especially due to the increasing number of employees working remotely and, in many cases, likely to continue working remotely even as the pandemic resolves. When you set up a cloud infrastructure, the managed service provider will likely manage many of the different aspects of your infrastructure, including:
Your Storage
Cloud storage can make your data more readily accessible regardless to employees regardless of where they’re working or what they’re doing. Cloud storage can also make it easier for employees to collaborate.
Your Network
Moving your internal network to the cloud can improve employee collaboration from remote locations and make it easier to keep all of that internal data stored in one secure location.
Your Operating System
In some cases, you may shift your operating system–including your security needs–to make it easier for you to manage your organization in light of your shift to the cloud. A cloud service provider can help assess and provide that operating system.
Managed Support
Many businesses and organizations choose to make the shift to managed support when they’re struggling to replace employees or need more help managing their IT needs. Managed support services can exist at several levels.
First-Level Support
First-level support handles every level of your IT needs. As soon as a user has a problem, they call in to connect with your managed service provider, who will offer the support they need to recover passwords, deal with hardware issues, or handle a software-related challenge.
Higher-Tier Support
In some cases, you may want to keep your frontline IT support in-house. You may have providers who can handle answering basic questions, including restoring passwords or resetting user access. You may not, however, have the staff on hand to manage more complex IT concerns. Turning those issues over to your managed IT services can make it easier to handle your needs.
Specific Types of Support
You can customize how often or how much you use your managed support provider by utilizing specific types of support. For example, you may need a managed support provider who can handle very specific software or hardware issues, including those that crop up only rarely within your organization. You may also choose to use a managed support service to offer support for services that you no longer have team members able to provide.
Adapting Your Support
One of the best things about managed support services and, in fact, most managed IT services is that you can scale those services based on your current needs. For example, if you lose more employees as time wears on, or if your organization expands, you can increase the support you receive from your managed service provider to meet those new needs.
Managed Communication Services
Your business likely deals with several communication services on a regular basis. You may need to effectively operate:
- Messaging software
- VoIP
- Data
- Video
A managed service provider can handle all those communication needs and ensure that you have a secure platform for your communications both internally and externally.
Data Analytics
Data analytics has become increasingly important to many businesses. Having the right data on hand can enhance customer service interactions and allow you to continue to adapt your business to your customers’ needs, establishing your place in the industry and making it easier for you to maintain your customer base. By outsourcing data analytics, you can ensure that you have access to all of that information without needing to assign an employee to take care of it–and often gain access to more tools and methods than you could afford in-house.
Managed Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
SaaS providers manage the specific types of software your business uses on a regular basis. This could, for example, include your communication software or your antivirus software. By using SaaS services, you can keep your software updated and running smoothly.
Managed Networks and Infrastructure
Instead of having to maintain your own network, which may require you to keep up with regular updates and expansions as your business grows, you can use a managed service provider to handle your networks and infrastructure. This service may include:
- Managed hosting
- Managed storage backup
- WANs
- LANs
Learn More About The Types of Managed IT Services
In many cases, working with a managed service provider can help enhance the technology you use every day and make it easier for your employees to receive the support they need. Many organizations find that working with a managed IT service provider makes it less expensive for them to get higher-quality services than hiring someone to take on the same tasks in-house. Want to learn more about the managed services that can benefit your business? Schedule a consultation today for more information about the services we provide and how they can benefit your business.