We don’t need IT to tell you that running a business in Yorkshire today is about more than just juggling customers, staff and sales.
The behind-the-scenes activity is just as important as what people see from the customer-facing side of things. And these days, behind the scenes, technology is running the show.
From emails to online payments, digital marketing and cyber security, there are many integral aspects that need to run smoothly together to help you operate as you need to. And it’s too easy to take things for granted when they’re running smoothly, but what happens when everything grinds to a halt or one aspect ceases to perform as you need it to?
This is where managed IT services come into the picture.
Running a business and managing your IT needs is a huge responsibility, and many times, business owners are simply biding their time and crossing their fingers, hoping things don’t go wrong.
If you can’t afford to invest in hiring a complete IT department, then handing over the management of your IT is beneficial.
But what are managed IT services?
In this article, we are going to explore why Yorkshire businesses need managed IT services and what managed IT services are for your business. Whether you’re a small family-run firm in a rural location or an up-and-coming company in Leeds or Sheffield, we’ll dive into what are managed IT services and how they can benefit your operations.
Benefits of Managed IT Services
When you’re looking at what are managed IT services, it’s only natural that you want to know the benefits of managed IT services for your business. And for the most part, the reason companies in Yorkshire outsource IT services is because it’s less stressful than managing it themselves or in-house. And according to data from Clutch, accounting and IT services are the most outsourced services, with 37% of business owners stating they outsource both.
Stress Free
As a business owner, you already have a lot on your plate without worrying if your Wi-Fi will hold up for the duration of your really important meeting, if you have the proper cyber defences in place, or even if you’re being cyber-attacked. Having a dedicated team looking after these aspects of your business will serve you and your clients well and give you one less thing to keep you up at night.
Cost Effective
Yes, outsourcing IT comes with a cost; after all, other companies are providing you with a service. However, when you compare this to the cost of hiring an in-house IT department, including equipment, set up, hiring, training, compliance, etc., you’re reducing an eye-watering outlay to something more manageable, either as a one-off cost or monthly, quarterly, or annual payments.
Increased Security
You can’t overlook the security aspect of your IT services. Cybersecurity is a massive concern, and there are over 560,000 cyber threats each day, and 81% of these targeted businesses are small to medium enterprises, according to TwentyFour IT Services.
Security Brief UK notes that nearly 42% of UK SMEs face cyber attacks daily, costing them an average of £7960. The reason SMEs are being increasingly targeted is due to the belief that they don’t have the resources to put up much in the way of cyber defences. But having managed IT services covers you for everything you need, giving you extra protection and peace of mind.
Scalability
Another important benefit of managed IT services is that it grows with you. Whether you’re a small family-run store expanding to an online shop or you’re scaling up your manufacturing production, managed IT providers have you covered and are on hand with the flexibility that benefits you and what you need when you need it.
Key Features of IT Support
When it comes to managed IT support, naturally, you want to know exactly what features you need to look for and should expect to see from any packages you’re considering.
Let’s run through some of the features of managed IT support.
- 24/7 Monitoring. Essentially, what this means is that you have the support around the clock should anything go wrong. There’s no waiting for someone to get back to you during office hours. You can rely on constant monitoring to preempt issues and get them fixed before you even notice them or cause any damage.
- Helpdesk Support. When something goes wrong, you have a direct line of experts who can help you and know your systems intimately. They can either sort the issue remotely or send someone out for you if you need hands-on attention. This removes the need to call emergency help, as you have what you need when you need it.
- Cybersecurity Protection. Firewalls, antivirus, data backups and recovery systems are all part and parcel of your managed it support, meaning you’re not left scrambling when things go wrong; you have protection to prevent things from getting that far.
- Cloud Services. Cloud services are a huge part of IT support today. Cloud services can include email, collaboration tools, storage, backups, and more. And they will all be synced and secure online, making it easier than ever to work from anywhere, be it your office in Leeds or your kitchen table in York.
Understanding Managed Services
When asking what is managed IT services, it really boils down to one thing.
It’s someone else taking control and responsibility of your system, ensuring they’re up and running and supporting your business.
Managed IT services are essentially preventative and proactive services that eliminate the need for emergency help when something goes wrong. By having them managed, you reduce or even eliminate the risk of system failures.
Your provider will
- Watch over your systems.
- Update them.
- Apply patches where required.
- Fix issues before you notice they’ve arisen.
- Monitor your cloud services.
- Look after your network.
- Protect your data.
- Scale your IT services so they can grow with you when you need them.
In a nutshell, managed IT services are the difference between firefighting and being prepared.
Exploring IT Managed Services
When you start looking into IT managed services in Yorkshire, you will see it isn’t just one thing.
It is an amalgamation of different types of support designed to keep you operational. And the support offered will be tailored to your business needs.
For example, a small sweet shop in Harrogate wouldn’t need the same level of support for its IT services as a clothing manufacturer in Sheffield or a multi-location solicitor’s firm in Leeds and the surrounding areas.
Managed IT services allow you to pick and choose what you need, so you don’t end up paying for services that are redundant for what you do, and you can scale whenever it is appropriate.
Making Sense of Managed IT
When making sense of what are IT managed services, it really all comes down to seeing how it fits into your business.
But while the term managed IT service does sound overly complicated, it’s just a way of saying it is being handled by experts. A way of putting you on the front foot, so to speak, instead of reacting to the issues as they arise.
Traditionally, IT has always been seen as a “break/fix” model; something breaks, you call someone in, and they fix it.
The problem with this approach is twofold.
First, you never know when the issue will hit and how much it’ll cost to fix, and second, downtime is expensive, and you will never know how long you might be down, costing you by the second. The longer you’re down, the fewer customers you serve, and the more you lose.
So what does managed IT services mean in this context?
It means you’re moving away from this “break/fix” model to a solution that removes this entirely and is operational in the background to keep you up and running and fix problems before they cause you any issues.
And for this service, you pay a regular fee. As mentioned, this can be monthly, quarterly or yearly, and everything you need is in one place. No chasing different departments or companies trying to find a resolution, just one point of contact, all wrapped up neatly. And they might even provide a bow, too, if you ask nicely.
Decoding Managed IT Services
Deciding what managed IT services mean for your business doesn’t need to be complicated. While the terminology and topic might be complex, understanding what its role in your business is, is actually pretty simple.
Think of it this way: with managed IT services, you’re paying someone to stop problems from happening, not clean up when they do. It’s essentially health and safety in the workplace, but IT style. Health and safety make workplaces safer for people to work in, to reduce and eliminate risks. IT services make your systems fully operational and monitor them for changes so the worst doesn’t happen.
In practice, managed IT services look like monitoring, updates, and security checks, to name a few, so you’re not in the dark about your status and the health of your system.
It is having someone to call who can help you with any concerns you might have, who already knows your system and is familiar with it. It means not explaining everything time and time again to different providers you call when you need help, and having someone have your back to get you up and running again if things go wrong.
Decoding managed IT services means understanding that it’s a proactive, preventive, and protective choice you make for the health of your IT systems and your company, with added peace of mind. It’s having everything under control.
The Meaning Behind IT Management
We’re going to strip it right back to basics here to uncover the meaning behind IT management. Because at its heart, it’s pretty simple; it’s not some fancy phrase or buzzword. It’s about making sure all of your tech works in line to deliver the support you need when you need it.
IT management is making sure the updates happen when they should and makes sure your data is backed up, your emails are sent when you hit send and that your Wi-Fi doesn’t cut out like someone pulled the plug right as you open your laptop for your Zoom meeting. It’s not the glamorous side of running a business, but it matters more than you realise.
This side of running a business can be the difference between carrying on as normal and losing a whole day’s trade when the system goes down and you don’t have anyone on hand to fix it. Whether you’re a small clothing retailer in Harrogate, an accountant in Leeds or a PR manager in Sheffield, your needs might be different, but the last thing you need is unexpected downtime.
So, the meaning behind IT management is simple: it’s someone having your back and making sure you’re not let down when you least expect it.
Embracing Managed IT Support
Embracing managed IT support isn’t about relinquishing control of your business to it. It’s about making sure nothing is holding you back and, if anything, giving you more power to steer it to its full potential.
Too many Yorkshire organisations are still running on a “hope for the best” approach when it comes to IT. But burying your head in the sand only to have the sand fall away when you run into problems isn’t the right approach. Because while the sand might be a comforting place and allow you to remain in the dark about your IT, it can also present you with real problems you just don’t see coming. And that last-minute scramble to get up and running again? It’s going to cost you in the long run; it’ll cost your reputation, customer trust and of course money.
With managed IT, someone is always there watching and monitoring and ensuring things are running as they should. For you, that means fewer sleepless nights wondering if you’re being hacked or if you’ll actually be able to send out your emails tomorrow.
If you want to be a business that is forging ahead and using managed IT services as a tool for growth and prosperity, we can help. Our managed IT services are designed to elevate your business and improve your life, and we are here waiting to discuss your IT needs to help you get the right package in place for your business.
