It’s now easier than ever for companies to conduct their day-to-day operations without a brick-and-mortar location. Both small businesses and large corporations have made a shift to a remote workplace. This can have a positive impact on costs, response time, and productivity for a company’s team. Furthermore, there are a number of new risks that can hurt overall operations.
The Coronavirus pandemic ushered in a new era of sophisticated cybercrime, affecting companies’ ability to operate smoothly. The 2023 Allianz Risk Barometer Report, (an annual report identifying the top corporate risks based on the insight of more than 2,712 risk management experts), listed cybercrime incidents as the top threat for the second year in a row. Additionally, as Forbes reported in 2022, cybercriminals can penetrate an estimated 93% of company networks, meaning businesses of all sizes are at risk.
- The Value of Managed IT Support for Your Business
- What are Managed IT Services?
- The Demand for Managed IT Services
- What are the Benefits of Managed IT Services?
- What Industries Benefit from Managed IT Services?
- What Service Offerings Should You Look for in a Managed IT Service Provider?
- How to Research and Select a Managed IT Service Provider Partner
- Managed IT Services with Emeritus
The Value of Managed IT Support for Your Business
Chances are, regardless of the size of your business, you are more likely to have in-house teams that conduct several IT tasks and operations to keep your vast data network secure. However, there is only so much that internal IT personnel can do to provide effective IT and cybersecurity services. Moreover, with waves of new and ingenious social engineering cyberattacks continually on the horizon, enlisting in the expert services of a managed services provider may be a better option for keeping your business safe and profitable.
Any cyberattack that affects your company, from supply chain issues to your relationships with clients and customers, can be serious. In fact, an estimated 83% of small and medium-sized businesses are not financially prepared to recover from a cyberattack. Additionally, 43% of small or medium-sized businesses do not have a cybersecurity plan in place.
Cybersecurity and Remote Access Management
So, when it comes to cost-effective and well-managed information technology support, your best bet is to partner with a managed IT service provider.
From remote monitoring to remote support, an expert managed services provider can offer several support services for the cybersecurity and IT services that your company requires now.
What are Managed IT Services?
Managed IT services are also known as managed services. This entails outsourcing your information technology services and supports the needs of a third-party service provider with expertise in all areas of IT services.
Managed services are a simple concept. However, managed services providers perform a wealth of functions beyond simply providing network monitoring or secure cloud services.
Today’s managed services providers are true multi-taskers who can address the most complex projects or sophisticated cyberthreats. This managed services support is a significant benefit to businesses of all sizes.
With more and more companies shifting to a remote work environment, being able to manage your IT services and protect your infrastructure requires a proactive approach. Therefore, a managed services provider can ensure all devices utilized in day-to-day business are safe and run smoothly – from your company’s mobile devices to your channel partners.
The Demand for Managed IT Services
From 2005 to 2021, the number of internet users increased by 400%, and while there were 5.16 billion internet users worldwide as of January 2023, this number is expected to grow to 7.5 billion users by 2030.
The world is more connected, and more and more businesses around the globe are conducting their operations online. From customer support to team meetings, the bulk of this business is being managed in an online realm. As a result, any organization is naturally at a higher risk of cybersecurity issues (such as data breaches or ransomware attacks) than ever before.
The Coronavirus pandemic catapulted these security risks to a new level as the world made a more massive turn to conducting business online. With in-house IT teams doing their best to rise to the challenge of this transformation to a remote workplace, more security protections are available than ever to protect a company’s infrastructure.
However, with overreaching systems and the software you use every day, cybercriminals around the globe have also advanced their operations. Hackers and in-house IT teams are often not on the same level.
In-house IT providers tend to have a defined set of guidelines to follow in order to perform maintenance and support to a company on any given workday. Additionally, hackers maintain their focus on potential opportunities 24/7. Essentially, they are even advancing and refining threats faster than in-house security teams can address.
A security breach’s costs can devastate your organization, customers and/or clients, and your internal team. Any damage to your infrastructure is critical downtime due to malfunctioning systems to a loss of customer or client trust. Cyberattacks on your organization can have business-ending results. This is exactly why managed services providers are currently in high demand.
What Are the Benefits of Managed IT Services?
Though enlisting a managed services provider may be an initial expense for your organization, there is a far-reaching range of cost and productivity-related benefits when you solicit the expertise of a managed IT service provider.
Your Business Can Save Money with a Managed Service Provider
Managed service providers conduct the heavy lifting of IT maintenance and protect your online infrastructure from systems to software. You can expect to save money in the long run.
Generally speaking, the managed services model or service level agreement entails a far-reaching range of cost-saving initiatives (in addition to monitoring for current or future threats). For example, assisting with software upgrades, advancing systems to run faster and more reliably, and saving time for your in-house IT personnel. Therefore, your management team and staff can focus on your clients and customers.
Managed IT Service Providers Offer Round-the-clock Support
A third-party managed IT services provider can be available 24/7 to ensure constant monitoring, conduct penetration testing, oversee cloud services, and identify any threats to your systems or software. These types of services may not be available with an in-house provider. As a result, your management team can rest assured that all services are functioning properly. Additionally, they can identify cyberthreats before they become a more significant issue.
In addition, the inherent round-the-clock support translates to more effective management of your company’s day-to-day operations. From desk services to remote support, your management team and other personnel have ample resources for assistance whenever needed. This allows them to focus on more complex projects, or simply focus on doing their everyday job without disrupting services to your customers, clients, and partners.
Software and Devices Are Updated and Protected from Cyberthreats
Updating the software and systems at your company’s disposal is more important than ever before. That is why managed IT service providers can focus on these instrumental backbones of your company. From cloud computing systems to mobile devices, every aspect of your company’s online operations needs to be effectively managed and protected against the latest waves of cyberattack methods. Therefore, managed IT service providers can meet this demand with ease.
Companies Can Have Support When They Need it the Most
If the worst-case scenario occurs, and your company is exposed to a security breach, a managed services provider can help with every step of disaster recovery. Getting back online and back to work as soon as possible is essential when it comes to potential disasters. Managed IT service providers can resolve any issues as part of their service offerings to save your company incalculable costs and losses in productivity.
Which Industries Benefit from Managed IT Services?
Virtually every industry can benefit from the expertise and service offerings of a managed IT service provider. However, there are several businesses in particular that should seriously focus on enlisting third-party managed services.
The healthcare industry is one of the most targeted industries in the world when it comes to cyberattacks. This is because they comprise many moving parts – from cloud services to medical devices. Additionally, the patient data they access every day is so sensitive and valuable to threat actors.
In addition, small and medium-sized businesses with a smaller in-house IT team should also consider managed services providers. Since they generally don’t have the bandwidth to focus on every potential issue across all systems, cloud services, networks, and other internet-connected resources within an organization. 42% of all data breaches involve small or medium-sized businesses. Therefore, a smaller company may think that its data or systems are not in high demand for hackers. However, these smaller-sized companies can be just as vulnerable as large corporations.
What Service Offerings Should You Look for in a Managed IT Service Provider?
Third-party managed services providers are not created equal, and the services managed by these service providers can vary greatly.
The key is to find a managed services company that can focus on all aspects of IT, from cloud services to risk management. This will benefit your personnel so they can concentrate on the company-oriented work.
Generally, your IT management demands and needs are individualized to your company, and your specific industry. However, when it comes to enlisting a managed services provider, you’ll want to ensure that the following services are part of their managed platform.
- Creating an overreaching IT strategy includes guidelines for clients, employees, and users to protect your data and IT usage.
- Providing immediate technical support for both in-office and remote users.
- Having set measures in place for immediate response and data backup.
- Conducting a regular assessment of all software and systems and providing improvements that match business goals.
- Providing extra assistance to management teams during special projects, system upgrades, cloud services-related projects, company moves, etc.
- Training in-house IT teams and all company users in cybersecurity issues and protection.
- Conducting remote monitoring operations 24/7 to identify any issues before they become emergencies.
- Restricting and monitoring IT access to only those needing access to any system.
- Implementing AI to simplify all processes and procedures.
- Enlisting extra security measures, such as adding multiple layers of authentication to websites, portals, and apps.
- Assisting in managing routine services, like regular data cleaning and software upgrades.
- Maintaining compliance with regulators and Insurance providers.
How to Research and Select a Managed IT Service Provider Partner
Let’s take a look at the following steps to ensure you are outsourcing all IT tasks and broader IT goals to a company that can handle all necessary services. This will help you find managed service providers who can meet the above criteria.
- Research your preferred managed IT service provider’s background, which includes reviews and years in operation, and ask for referrals as needed.
- Request a consultation or an assessment from a prospective managed IT service provider before purchasing or signing any agreements.
- Compile a list of needs and goals and ensure the potential managed IT service provider partner can address everything on your list.
- Read through all managed platform contracts and ask the managed IT service provider questions on services, liability, and access before any agreement is official.
Managed IT Services with Emeritus
Finding a managed services provider can be a daunting and time-consuming task. However, you can make the process easier by making Emeritus your first point of contact.
We offer a range of IT functions for our clients, from security to day-to-day user support, and our extensive list of service offerings includes (but is certainly not limited to) the following:
- Our user support services include round-the-clock monitoring of your computers and network to help prevent problems before they happen. These essential services include everyday help to monitor, troubleshoot, support, and evolve your company’s IT infrastructure.
- We perform software and system updatesto protect your data and organization from cybercrime. In addition to improving security and user experience for your customers and clients (and addressing any time-sucking computer bugs), these updates can add new features to your devices and remove anything outdated.
- We assist with remote access management for companies transitioning to and from a remote work environment. As a result, we will provide your organization with all the technology and infrastructure required for an effective remote workplace. This includes fast connectivity, VoIP phone systems, and a reliable network, leading to a noticeable increase in productivity, regardless of your employees’ physical location.
Emeritus is Your Reliable Partner for All Your Managed IT Services
Emeritus is based in Richardson, Texas, and we are the premier provider of managed IT services in Dallas, and miles beyond.
Our experts at Emeritus have the tools and resources required to allow you to effectively conduct your operations, regardless of where you work. We can provide the services necessary for your small and growing company, or even your expansive corporation.
Your business can start using managed IT services to enhance the specific needs of your company. Together we will work to provide a faster and better-running network. Additionally, Emeritus can establish efficient, personalized IT support for your team, upgrade your cybersecurity procedures, and much more.
We have decades of experience protecting our clients from outside threats and providing them with the tools required to be as productive as possible. We’re standing by to discuss how our managed IT services can give your company a concrete roadmap to a safer and more successful future.
