Why You Need Managed IT Services

There are many factors that contribute to the success of your business, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find one more valuable than your IT infrastructure. Technology is one of the most crucial components of any good business. However, technology has the potential to break down or malfunction. To keep it running optimally, you have two options: managed IT or break/fix services.

Break/fix and managed services plans are both outsourced IT solutions meant to keep your technology functioning as it should. However, they’re two different approaches that vary in a significant way. One is focused on proactive support, and the other is reactive. But before we get too far in and discuss which is the better option, let’s first explain what both services are.

The Break/Fix Work Model

Imagine you’re an employee who works at a company with no IT department. Let’s say, one day, your laptop malfunctions for some unknown reason. Since you have no IT specialist on staff, you call on an outsourced vendor to take a look and figure out what’s wrong. In this scenario, you’re relying on what’s known as a break/fix solution.

Break/fix refers to the practice of calling IT support after an issue arises or when an upgrade is needed. Simply put, when something breaks, you call a vendor to fix it. In the early days of outsourced IT support, this was the leading solution to technical problems. However, it has become an outdated service model in the last decade.

If you take it at face value, the break/fix model sounds like a reasonable approach to IT. But in today’s fast-paced business world, it’s far from ideal, because you’re reactively responding to issues. Reacting to problems not only leads to prolonged downtime, but it also makes it harder to budget for IT expenses.

The Managed IT Model

The break/fix model has been replaced by a more effective service known as managed IT. In this business model, you partner with a managed service provider (MSP) that delivers proactive service. This means that instead of waiting for hardware or software to break down, like in the earlier example, issues are addressed before they impact the end user. Taking a proactive approach to IT support eliminates most of the problems associated with break/fix.

Through monitoring and support, your MSP keeps downtime to a minimum. However, this isn’t the only advantage managed IT offers over break/fix. With a managed service plan, you also have access to many services, from cybersecurity to IT consultation and everything in between.

Which Service Is Right for Your Business?

While the break/fix model still exists, it’s an archaic service that provides more negatives than positives. Managed services have essentially replaced it as the standard for IT support. If your business needs a technology solution, you should choose managed IT over break/fix. Not only does it provide the same repair services, but it also proactively prevents major issues from occurring in the first place.

Benefits of Managed IT Services

Investing in managed IT support is highly recommended, especially for any company that relies heavily on its technology. Even if your business has an internal IT department, you can use managed services to supplement your staff, freeing up resources for more important projects. With managed IT, you can take advantage of benefits like:

Lower Costs: An average base salary for an IT analyst sits around $70,000, according to Indeed. Imagine the cost of filling an entire team with these qualified individuals. An outsourced IT staff can do everything an internal department does at a lower cost than hiring a single employee.
Stronger Security: Hackers don’t care what the size of your company is—if the opportunity is there, they’re going to take it. That’s why it’s necessary to implement strong network security measures and policies. An MSP has the tools to defend against even the worst cyberattacks, and their consultants can help you create a comprehensive security plan.
More Reliability: Incidents like hardware malfunctions, cyberattacks, and natural disasters can stop your business in its tracks. With the help of an MSP, you can mitigate the damage and prevent network interruptions. Services like disaster recovery and backup are specifically designed to ensure business continuity after an emergency.
Increased Productivity: The point of business technology is to enhance your operations, not drag them down. But if your infrastructure isn’t aligned with your business goals or maintained properly, it could be getting in the way. An MSP can help you eliminate bottlenecks so your staff is more productive than ever.
New Technology: When your IT becomes obsolete, it can slow down operations. It’s necessary to stay on top of the needs of your infrastructure to keep it running smoothly. Partnering with an MSP for managed IT lets them know when something in your infrastructure needs to be replaced.
Access To Experts: While not every problem requires an expert, there will be times you encounter something beyond your capabilities. With a third-party provider, you have access to an entire team of professionals who have advanced IT knowledge.

Make Managing Your IT Easy

Optimizing your infrastructure is a demanding task that requires a lot of time and resources. Let CCT Telecomm take the burden of managing your IT environment off your shoulders. Our technicians are experts in IT management, and we leverage our experience to ensure you get the most out of your hardware and software.

Why You Need Managed IT Services