5 Common Challenges Addressed by Managed IT Services

Managed IT services have made a name for themselves over the last several years. More and more organizations turn to managed IT services such as email hosting, backup and recovery, storage, and network monitoring. 

Imagine you are working in the IT department, and you are overwhelmed with requests. You are already having a hard time solving the IT issues promptly. On top of that, your organization is experiencing network slowness! Unfortunately, you have so much going on that you cannot address this issue immediately, and consequently, the entire organization will come to a temporary halt! 

Therefore, relying on in-house IT teams to maintain your systems is not ideal for any organization that wants to scale and run smoothly. Organizations need to have a proactive IT approach, not a reactive one. If they fail to do so, they will struggle to stay afloat in the digital business world. Managed IT services offer an organization multiple benefits, especially if your organization is using Microsoft Dynamics 365! 

What is a Managed IT Service Provider? 

A managed IT service provider can be defined as a third-party vendor that remotely oversees a client’s IT infrastructure (or portion therein) on a proactive basis. The client usually buys a subscription from the vendor/company. Most people use the terms cloud service provider and manage service provider as synonyms – especially when a service level agreement (SLA) is involved and delivered via the internet. 

However, it is essential to note that managed services do not mean managed IT services. Managed IT services are a part of managed services. Managed services can entail any business administration and management responsibilities that have been outsourced to a third-party vendor.  

From 2019 onwards, many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) joined the business landscape, increasing the demand for managed IT services. These companies need the latest technology to maintain a competitive edge in their business domains to sustain their growth. Unfortunately, they do not have the IT budgets to do so. Hence, the increase in demand for managed IT services! According to Statista, the global managed services market was valued at 152.02 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. 

Managed IT services have leveled the playing field for SMBs and enterprise-level companies. They allow them to compete at the same level as large companies without going over budget or overextending themselves. Managed IT services enable companies to overcome many of their top challenges, such as: 

1. Inability to focus on core objectives: 

As a company starts to scale, its IT capabilities need to grow proportionally. The IT team can only handle so much of the increased workload. They will inevitably find themselves overwhelmed, and consequently, the IT team will be unable to meet the needs of the growing business. Many companies try to assign additional responsibilities to existing members outside the IT team. This not only results in lower quality work but also distracts them from their primary job and goals. 

A managed IT service company can free up your employees to concentrate on their responsibilities by fulfilling the gaps as they arise. A genuinely qualified managed IT services partner such as AlphaBOLD allows for a customizable model based on the company’s exact needs. 

2. Keeping up with new technology 

Modern technology is constantly evolving, and while that is a good thing, it can also act as a problem for SMBs. New technology = new issues! Most SMBs do not have the bandwidth in their IT team to keep up with the knowledge and experience needed to continually learn and manage new technologies. Furthermore, companies also need multiple resources to support their business solutions regardless of whether they are on the cloud or not – without a scaled and qualified IT department, this is not possible. 

Companies can address such problems by employing new team members, but most SMBs cannot hire new employees. due to the cost of hiring and training new employees is a lot! Another advantage of working with a managed IT service provider is that you can automatically hire an entire team of IT professionals at a flat monthly rate, making your costs predictable.

3. Increasing costs 

In terms of increasing costs, hiring a managed IT service provider is beneficial for companies. It decreases labor costs and diminishes the need for hiring and training new IT team members. It empowers organizations with a variety of skills available on a scalable basis. Furthermore, since most SMBs have a service level agreement customized to meet their business needs, they do not have to worry about surprise costs.

4. Scaling limitations 

An organization needs to scale its system up and down based on its changing needs. Luckily, systems like Dynamics 365 are scalable by design. Managed IT service providers can thus efficiently respond to changes in demand and ensure that a company never has to face downtime. Reliable Managed IT service providers like AlphaBOLD have a proactive approach to maintenance and monitoring, allowing for upgrade release management and reporting. 

5. Expensive Downtime 

Organizations usually have a reactive approach towards IT which means they are sitting and waiting for something to go wrong. When something goes wrong, the organization suffers due to expensive downtime. However, when an organization is affiliated with a managed IT service provider, it has a proactive approach to maintenance. This means that they remotely identify, diagnose, and troubleshoot possible complications daily.  

AlphaBOLD’s Managed IT services. 

AlphaBOLD offers dependable, reliable, and transparent Managed IT Services. We aim for continued support and long-term relationships. Our experts will help your business thrive with industry-leading IT management services that will: 

  • Improve the productivity and reliability of your IT operations 
  • Enhance your security and compliance processes 
  • Give you a proactive approach to maintenance 
  • Guarantee access to new technologies
  • Transfer capital costs to operating costs 
  • Forecast pricing and manage expenses 

At AlphaBOLD, we understand that companies value their independence. We help organizations improve user adoption rates to ensure that they can eventually reduce their dependency on our managed IT services team with time. 

Our team of BOLDEnthusiasts are dedicated to helping organizations across all industries streamline their business operations and embrace digital transformation with Microsoft technologies. If you’re ready to streamline your current IT processes and nourish new initiatives, then contact us today!