Managed IT Services are, at their simplest, the outsourcing of IT infrastructure and management to an external company. However, many myths and misconceptions revolve around a service which, at its core, is about making life easier for your business. So, read on for our top five Managed Services myths and their reality…
It’s more efficient to have in house IT
While moving from an in-house team to a provider apparently removed from your business can seem like a less efficient decision, Managed IT providers are often experts in their field whose experience over a wide range of issues give them the expertise to work more effectively for your business. Rather than an in-house team whose experience may well be limited (especially for a small business, whose IT department will often be appropriately small), a Managed Services team will often be varied and larger, meaning that there will be mor expertise available for you to benefit from.
Further, Managed IT providers have access to maintenance and monitoring packages that are simply too expensive for most in-house IT teams. Because they are able to use enterprise-level software packages, your business will have a more responsive and, ultimately, more efficient level of IT infrastructure to support you.
Managed Services will encourage you to buy technology you don’t need
By relying on a source external to your own company, there can be the concern that Managed IT services could encourage you to spend money that your business doesn’t necessarily need to spend in order to buy overly complicated or unnecessary software or hardware packages.
However, it’s worth remembering that this risk can be applicable to in-house teams who need to justify their budget, as opposed to larger Managed IT providers whose larger client base means that they are less reliant on one source for revenue or support. While it’s always worth reflecting on the incentives behind various pieces of advice – some companies are given financial commission by IT suppliers to sell expensive solutions to their clients, but this isn’t always the case – simply discussing these concerns with your managed services provider can circumvent any issues or complications. A good Managed Services provider will be able to justify their suggestions and provide alternatives taking into account relevance and cost, often charging less overall than an in-house department due to their increased resources.
Outsourcing IT will reduce the tailored experience of your own IT department
While it may seem counterintuitive that an external provider can provide as good a tailored IT service (or even better!) than in-house providers, this can often be the case. With increased resources and more varied expertise, managed providers are able to provide tailored services with software packages that may not be available to in-house teams, as well as the experience of how to discuss, test, and provide alternatives of solutions for businesses rather than providing few or no alternatives to their explanations.
Managed Services are expensive
Many managed services provide different stages of managed infrastructure, meaning that businesses can choose what cost and level of protection would suit best for them. This is the case at Corona IT Solutions, where businesses are given the additional freedom to move up or down the various levels of managed IT services in order to match the flexible working patterns of small to medium sized businesses. Rather than paying the salaries of full-time in-house employees, managed services can provide a more adaptable, pay-as-you-go or as-you-need payment structures which are a more cost effective option, especially for SMEs.
Outsourcing IT infrastructure puts your data at risk
As mentioned above, the increased resources available to managed IT providers mean that they are able to keep your data safer with advanced packages not available to in-house teams. However, it’s worth checking out your managed services providers to make sure that they have the correct safeguards in place to ensure that they don’t pose any additional risks to your business. To find out more about these, you can speak to a member of our team here.
If you’re interested in Managed IT Services, our team would love to hear from you! You can contact one of our team of experts here. And if you’re still not sure? Why not read more advice, tips, and tricks on our Managed IT Services page or the Corona IT blog.
