Managed IT for SMEs - Affordable Services to Benefit Every Business

With advancements in technology, managed IT services are now an affordable option for small and medium businesses.

There are so many benefits to gain from partnering with a managed service provider. You keep control of your business data, you don’t have to manage a cohort of staff whose skills you may be unfamiliar with and your infrastructure is fully supported.

IT is an ever-changing field. You need to keeping up with the latest regulations, technologies and defending against threats. This requires a huge amount of both planning and knowledge. Partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) is a much less stressful way to handle your technical requirements.

Individual contracts will be customised to some degree. We’ve approached this article this from the perspective of a business which has opted for a comprehensive service. This will cover their infrastructure, end points and security management.

The Benefits of Using Managed IT Services

An external IT team can free up your time and put your mind at ease. With your IT secure and in-hand you can get on with what you do best – your job.

Some of the typical benefits of a managed IT service include:

• Operating on state of the art infrastructure without needing to know how it works or how to maintain it.
• Upgrading to the latest software versions without needing to do any manual updates.
• Minimal downtime for the business. MSPs design their networks to be as robust as possible. Upgrades requiring downtime can also often be scheduled outside of your working hours.
• Scale up or down monthly as needed. Throughout your contract you may at times need access to more resources.
• Continual monitoring on all your systems. The MSP will proactively respond to potential issues or threats before they become problems.
• Enterprise level backup and disaster recovery policies.
• Robust cyber security protection across all infrastructure.

For a more in-depth read, take a look at our related article and shareable poster on?6 Reasons to Embrace Managed IT.

Different Types of Managed IT Services

Managed IT is often treated as synonymous with IT support, but this isn’t the case. There are many other aspects of IT that can be managed, including:

Managed Security.?Your cyber security will be managed on your behalf, including updates and patching. End user devices will be protected and connected securely to your environment at all times.

Managed Software.?This can be leased on an on-going basis with the management of this handled by an MSP to ensure you only buy the level you need. Productivity tools such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace are a key part of the digital transformation process.

Managed Connectivity.?Never again will you need to spend hours on the phone to BT. Your connectivity can be fully managed, from ordering to security to maintenance. You’ll be connected and protected at all times.

Managed Cloud.?A cloud approach can be applied to virtually every computing service – servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics and intelligence. It’s likely you store some or all your data on external servers that are delivered over the internet to you. A managed cloud service can help you achieve enhanced revenue, streamline your operations and increase your agility and innovation.

Managed Communications.?A unified communications solution can boost productivity levels, leading to healthy, thriving companies. A fully managed communications service handles setup and installation, ongoing maintenance, a rolling upgrade program and staff training.

Managed Infrastructure and Networking.?If you sign up to a completely managed IT service (including support) this may all be taken care of in your contract. The alternative to managed infrastructure is establishing and maintaining your own network and data centre. This is a complex and challenging task to do well for many small and medium businesses.

It’s clear from the above that there are many different types of managed IT. Having a provider on hand to advise you through the many different directions is invaluable. As well as the potential to save money, you’ll also reduce stress and gain time back. Managed IT will help you to remain competitive, gain agility and provide a strategic input into your operations.

Managed Services from M-Tech

At M-Tech our goal is to help our clients achieve their strategic and operational goals by delivering bespoke managed technology products and services.

We focus on building successful relationships through our core values of:

• transparency
• trust
• passion
• ambition
• collaboration
• partnership

When you entrust us to manage all or part of your technology, we want you to be confident you’ve made the right decision.

Download our NEW?Managed Services Brochure?– Your guide to the innovative productivity tools and intelligent managed services from M-Tech that can help you achieve more each day. It’s joined up, forward thinking, managed technology – all in one brochure!