7 Signs it could be time for Managed IT Support Services

If your small to medium-sized business is growing, you might be wondering how your IT systems can support your growth. From managing the IT skills gap to securing the infrastructure to optimizing the technology – will your current IT systems be enough?

7 signs you should consider supplementing your IT support through a Managed Support Provider (MSP)

1. You Experience Frequent Network or Computer Downtime and Crashes

Network and computer downtime can have profound financial implications for your business.

Gartner’s recent industry study cited an average cost of $150k to $540k per downtime hour. Whew! Why so much? It’s not just lost productivity, says Gartner. For the true cost of network downtime, businesses need to consider lost revenue, lost productivity, recovery costs, and intangible costs such as potential loss of customers, reputation, and future sales opportunities.

So, if your organization experiences frequent outages – patchwork or band-aid approaches could be costing you more than you think. With the right managed IT support provider, you can avoid unexpected costs that wreak havoc on your budget with a proactive plan that keeps your systems up and running and your growth plans on track.

2. Your Organization has Compliance Requirements

Many businesses today have compliance regulations they must meet to continue operation. Healthcare, education, manufacturing, and financial are a few examples of industries facing compliance standards such as HIPAA, GDPR, CMMC, SOX, PIPEDA, GLBA, PCI DSS, NIST, CIS, and ISO.

Maintaining compliance typically includes many tasks and skillsets not commonly found in small-to-medium-sized business IT departments. The extra strain of operating outside the IT staff’s expertise is unproductive and inefficient, but it can also pose costly financial risks.

Finding and hiring the right staff, keeping up to date on ever-changing requirements, assessing and addressing risk areas, implementing and training staff – these are the compliance concerns that have many business managers losing sleep at night. And it’s no wonder since penalties for being out-of-compliance can range from stiff financial fines to jail time in some cases.

Partnering with an MSP with compliance expertise can help organizations end sleepless nights by developing a compliance program with verified processes that help reduce surprises, minimize business interruption, and maximize efficiency and ROI.

3. You Don’t Have the Right Skill Sets In-House to Handle Complex and Rapidly Evolving Technology

Finding great IT employees can be difficult. It’s expensive and time-consuming to hire, train, and maintain full-time employees who have the diverse and complex skill sets needed to keep your organization competitive. The dynamic business landscape, evolving technology, and remote workforce circumstances have many IT organizations overworked, under-resourced, and experiencing high turn-over rates that put a squeeze on business growth.

Managed IT support services from a qualified MSP can help get things back in control by providing IT expertise matched to your current business requirements. Whether you need to augment your existing staff with specialized skills, or need a full-service approach for broader needs and a 24/7 help desk, managed IT support might be the answer.

4. Your Business Growth Strategy Calls for More IT Support

It’s hard enough to compete in today’s marketplace. To get ahead, organizations must innovate and optimize every action and process. And IT is no different.

Having a dedicated, managed IT services team gives many organizations the ability to get to market quicker, have top talent on hand to solve complex IT issues, maintain best-in-class uptime standards, and have access to break-through, scalable technology and service applications.

5. You Don’t Feel Prepared For a Cybersecurity Threat and Fear That an Attack Could End Your Business

If you feel this way, then you are not alone. Cyber-attacks on small to medium-sized businesses are becoming more prevalent and have increased in complexity and financial damage. According to a recent report by Accenture, 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses, but only 14% of companies are sufficiently prepared to defend their critical data assets against the attacks.

Cyber-attacks come in many forms, including phishing, malware, ransomware, stolen credentials, ransomware, and more. Cybercriminals are getting more sophisticated by the minute, with COVID-19 providing an alarming increase in creative cyber-threat tactics.

A dedicated cybersecurity program provided by a credentialed MSP can help your organization protect your critical data assets and put your mind at ease.

6. You Don’t Have State-of-the-Art Technology and Tools

Are you concerned that your tech stack is out of date? Partnering with an MSP for managed IT support may be the best way to update your network and IT systems without breaking the bank. But to do that effectively, you need to work with an expert you can trust to provide a solution based on your specific business needs. Look for an MSP who is ‘technology-agnostic,’ meaning their technology and service offerings are not tied to one particular manufacturer or service solution.

7. You Need a Secure, Reliable IT Support System That Will Support Your Growth Path

Your business is growing. But has your organization aligned your growth path with your current IT infrastructure? If not, then working with an expert who can provide the support and thought-leadership insight needed to turn decisions into revenue is a great way to stay on track with your strategic initiatives.

A precise and clear IT strategy helps you scale your IT investment with your growth. From remote workforces to cloud migration to technology refreshes – having the right strategic MSP partner on your side provides the expertise and guidance needed to align an organization’s strategic objectives with a catered technology solution.

As you can see, many signs can indicate your organization is ready for managed IT support. Want to know more? Check into a free IT Risk Assessment.

About GlacisTech

GlacisTech is a managed service provider (MSP) and managed security solution provider (MSSP) for small to medium-size businesses in the Dallas and North Texas region. GlacisTech helps businesses grow by providing innovative, state-of-the-art IT solutions that allow its customers to reduce network downtime, increase operational efficiencies, and cost-effectively scale their IT to meet the demands of their growing businesses.

GlacisTech’s suite of Worry-Free IT services includes managed IT, cybersecurity, virtual CIO, managed compliance & remediation, and cloud services.