As a small to medium-sized business, here’s a growing trend to consider if you haven’t already done so: Managed IT.
It’s no real secret that with regards to the supply of electricity, costs are rising and reliability can be an issue. Companies are increasingly promoting thinking that leads to more cost-effective, energy-saving and maintenance-free solutions. And the same ought to apply to IT infrastructure and hardware, the industry has been saying lately.
Managed IT explained
To use a simple analogy: if you have too much furniture at home, and don’t want to build another room, you rent out a storage unit. Along the same lines, if you need server-level resources, or dedicated backup and storage facilities, and you don’t have the capital or operational expenditure to purchase and maintain your own, you outsource the solutions.
Off-site managed servers and data centers are a growing solution to companies’ IT needs. Simply put, they take out the price of buying and maintaining hardware and software. All a business entity needs to do is consult and decide what they require in terms of networking, or storage capacity, or security etc., and “rent” the relevant service from an appropriate provider. Furthermore, most of them have pretty comprehensive policies regarding reliability, security and service levels. Connectivity pricing has already been falling, and hosting services have likewise started decreasing in cost.
It’s justified
Let’s face it. Decent hardware and infrastructure is expensive. In addition, it devalues, and will likely become outdated before you’re done with it. Having to maintain your own team of professionals to look after it all can become a headache. Not to mention, both the latter and the former require space, something that is at a premium in business hubs.
The financial sector, in particular, has over the past year been earmarked as a growth area for managed IT services. The idea is to create smarter operational processes and free up resources for innovation development. Not having to worry about technological functioning allows a business to focus on their main roles.
Hence, if these points appear to be striking a nerve, maybe it’s time to consider a managed IT solution.
The author’s employer includes Managed IT Solutions as part of their service portfolio.