In recent years, rapid technological advancement has considerably altered the business IT operations. This can be equivocal for non-technical company owners who find themselves limping to remain at the forefront of all the innovative developments including a plethora of security or software updates and other essentials.
Statistics have shown that tech spending is on the rise exceeding $1.5 trillion in the U.S. and $3 trillion globally. This is because emerging technologies are starting to extract real value and in order to maximize most of them, organizations have to assure that they have a range of elements in place.
In an era dominated by the consumer, incorporating technology that can monitor, measure, and respond to significant shifts in behavior could spell the difference in the success of a business. Perhaps the most common concepts that are encountered by the most beleaguered decision-makers in the market today are software-as-a-service (SaaS) and managed services.
Generally, SaaS is designed to relieve the hassle of purchasing a variety of commonly-used software and all the specific updates that they inevitably need. Rather than buying licenses of these programs and operating them on local hardware, businesses simply rent access to them from a cloud-based vending service.
More often than not, technology companies opt for SaaS services, particularly for its short implementation time. Unlike installing a new software update on a legacy system, SaaS enables users to start using a service instantly through the cloud, therefore, ensuring fewer delays and faster business operations.
They are also easy to use since most SaaS solutions come in an app-like nature, which cuts the need to spend so much time and money training staff to use features efficiently. Usually, services installed in SaaS solutions are self-explanatory and highly intuitive.
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Besides its convenience, SaaS solutions can also scale as an organization changes. This ensures that businesses can adapt to innovative technologies immediately without the need to spend an additional dollar.
Managed Services vs. SaaS: Which Option is Better?
As great a solution as SaaS can be, this particular fix can only apply to software problems and may not even go that far when you need to customize your software heavily. Properly navigating the risks associated with SaaS in the context of legal compliance, business diligence and cybersecurity can be overwhelming for businesses as well especially in an ever-changing regulatory landscape.
This is because organizations will have to set contractual obligations which often differ for each customer and products based on the present obligations. For instance, there might be a problem in confidentiality as third-party contracts may prevent customers from sharing specific data with a vendor.
Moreover, SaaS may also pose security concerns for consumers since they have to ensure that the vendor has the proper controls and systems in place for the various types of data. Additionally, control of data should also be significant and be addressed in the contract to assure protocols are in place for deletion of data, data accuracy, and breach notice.
A managed services plan from RSI Security, meanwhile, does much more than merely handling the software logistics of the business. It also includes taking care of networking and hardware needs by dealing with multiple vendors as well as performing regular backups to repair and troubleshoot.
In general, managed services or remote IT services is a term that refers to the idea of outsourcing the management and IT computer network support of a business in the hopes of improving business solutions. It is an excellent alternative to the on-demand outsourcing model where a service provider like RSI Security performs on-demand services and charges the customer only for the work done.
Employing remote IT services is intended to be an effective way to stay up-to-date on technology and gain entry to skills and address issues connected to the quality of service, risk, and costs. In other words, remote IT services enable businesses to delegate their IT operations to an expert third-party organization that specializes in managing these responsibilities.
These organizations are also known as Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and are responsible for the portions or the entirety of the IT systems of business as agreed upon in a Service Level Agreement (SLA). Usually, IT equipment is procured by the client and depending on the SLA, MSPs may provide issue resolution, reporting, and round-the-clock monitoring.
Expanding and well-established organizations need cutting-edge technology to compete efficiently in the market. Nevertheless, maintaining a large IT resource on-premise to keep up with an increasingly complex IT environment poses challenges for small businesses. In most cases, these businesses rely on a functional IT infrastructure that operates without interruptions and calibrates to their budgets.
However, MSPs help prevent these costly interruptions by offering business security, patch management, alerts, and data backup together with a series of options for client devices like desktops, notebooks, storage systems, individual applications, networks, and servers.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of opting for MSPs like RSI Security is the wide-ranging expertise that comes with hiring an expert from these organizations. Normally, in-house IT teams have limited expertise and also require continuous training and education to remain on top of emerging cyberattack threats and compliance laws.
On the other hand, outsourced MSPs usually hire an extensive array of professionals to ensure that all bases are covered. Ongoing education and training are always happening because that is what they are in business to provide. Furthermore, they can also afford a much fuller range of expertise regardless of what happens in your IT operations.
They also prevent the loss of employees who find themselves struggling with business tasks that they are not trained to manage. In addition to providing essential support, MSPs also help reduce downtime and keep your business productive, therefore, ensuring a higher return on investment.
Many companies are currently using remote IT service providers because of the significant benefits that come with opting for one. Experts predict that the managed services market is expected to grow nearly $300 billion as early as 2023.
There are plenty of significant plus-points of outsourcing your IT processes including:
1. Controlling IT Costs
Opting for MSP providers reduce infrastructure costs in a plethora of ways. When an MSP provider takes control of the business’ infrastructure, leaders can downsize the number of facilities they have on-site by using its data centers. This does not only save on the cost of the hardware but also on the energy it consumes and the space required to store it.
Managed IT services will also provide savings connected to consulting, training, and licensing, thus, ensuring better management and streamlined network. Outsourcing converts fixed IT costs into variable costs as well which allows businesses to set a budget. In short, organizations will only pay what they use.
Other than hardware costs, MSPs also reduce labor costs without risking the quality of service performed. Hiring and training IT staff can be costly and there is always the risk that temporary employees don’t live up to company expectations. Outsourcing IT tasks to MSPs lets businesses concentrate their human resources where they need them the most.
2. Ensuring Business Productivity
Company owners and IT directors resort to technology to enhance productivity and improve the way they do business. When technology fails to do that, there’s a problem. The International Data Corporation (IDC) revealed that unplanned downtime costs organizations roughly $58,118 for every 100 users.
The report further added that the average employee was losing 12.4 hours annually as a result of server downtime and 6.2 hours of years for network downtime. Implementing managed IT services enabled these businesses to minimize server and network downtime by over 85%.
Another IDC study added that organizations experienced savings related to the reallocated staff resources as well as bypassing the need for extra staffing costs. Overall, this translated to a 42 percent average increase in productivity among IT staff.
3. Reducing Risk And Ensure Compliance
Recent numbers indicate that a cyberattack occurs every 39 seconds. As data breaches continue to make headlines, industry groups and regulatory agencies are strengthening security requirements and harsher penalties for noncompliance. In some cases, compliance has become a continuous effort as opposed to an annual evaluation. This could be stringent for organizations that do not have in-house security and compliance teams to keep up.
A partnership with the appropriate MSP provider can relieve businesses with regulatory compliance headaches. This is because most MSPs have superior expertise in IT security and adhere to proven processes that are based upon the best practices of a specific industry. The MSP will apply sophisticated management, tracking, and reporting tools as well to minimize the risks and prepare your organization for compliance assessments and audits.
Furthermore, a reliable MSP provider like RSI Security will also proactively monitor and handle your network to ensure that your business is meeting the latest security standards. Data backups, patches, and software updates are also performed to stay abreast of emerging security threats.
Considerations when Choosing an MSP
As the business start to evolve, so do their needs. Rising businesses usually find that they save time and money by contacting the appropriate managed services provider. Managed IT services enables businesses to amplify their current IT staff and infrastructure by partnering with a dedicated IT firm to take care of their network, computers, servers, and all technology needs.
This is a perfect solution for companies that need to run at high efficiency but do not have the resources to supervise a large on-site staff. However, there are unique factors to consider when choosing a managed services provider to ensure continuous innovation and create lasting business value.
The right vendor can show businesses that they can provide skills, resources, and processes that exceed their in-house capabilities. Make sure the managed services provider you choose has the following characteristics to meet the demands of social, mobile, big data, and cloud infrastructure.
1. Technical Expertise
Managed services providers should have the skill levels connected to managing change, high availability, network technologies, delivery models, cross-platform integration, security, cloud technologies, and mobility. Ask the provider how they can help you achieve an integrated multi-sourcing strategy that is structured to meet your needs.
Working together with an MSP should be easy and cost-effective in augmenting your team’s skills with comprehensive knowledge in networking, security, and communications without increasing payroll.
2. Advanced Technology Use
Find out whether the services provider highlights problem prevention and constant improvement. It should incorporate complex back-end technology throughout all offered managed services. Always ask to what degree the services provider utilizes systematization to minimize human intervention and enhance productivity and quality.
The reason that MSPs can provide you such complex services at such competitive prices is that they have used their investment in training for their staff and in advanced technologies. Taking advantage of this shared model ensures that your business gets the latest technology and most sophisticated IT talent available without the need to make those investments yourself.
Usually, these advanced technologies are flexible and can be scaled as your requirements change to stay competitive in a cutthroat business environment. They also make you aware of any issues that arise before they can affect your users, thus, preventing costly business damages down the road.
3. Round-the-Clock Support
The MSP should be able to support and proactively track its data, security, and voice services on a 24/7/365 basis. While this can be done remotely, the MSP should also offer swift on-site servicing for those things that cannot be diagnosed or fixed from a distance.
A top-notch MSP like RSI Security will come up with a dedicated team as well to support and service your account. The team should include system designers, project managers, sales, and field engineers, all of whom should be well-adept with your IT department.
In Conclusion
Managed IT services are the current buzzword floating around the IT domain and that’s for a good reason. They not only lower costs but also provide a single point of service and momanaged re importantly optimize productivity, thus, offering you peace of mind. Start your journey towards a productive workplace and talk to an expert today at RSI Security.
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