IT support and Managed IT services have become very important in the modern world. Almost every business is opting for Managed IT services now. In this article, we are going to share the ultimate guide on both IT and managed services. This guide will help you in finding the best IT managed services for your business.
What is IT Support?
You need to hire IT support staff for making sure that your IT is working properly. This can be a team or a person. You can even hire remote workers now. However, you should understand what you are getting for your money. In this section, we are going to explain the IT support duties.
Many people think that IT is only tech support. However, the role is much greater than providing support only. The main responsibilities of an IT support team are:
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System installation
Computer systems have various integrated devices for output, input, storage, and data processing. These systems don’t come connected. Someone needs to connect all these systems with your network. This will ensure that everything is running smoothly. Your IT support team will help you in handling this task.
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Software and hardware installation
You will also use hardware and software for completing your work tasks. Your IT professionals will help you in installing this software. Also, they will help you in installing hardware. This will ensure that your hardware is ready to go.
Your computer software and hardware will also become out-of-date quickly. You need someone to check and update your systems. This will ensure that you are not doing this time-consuming task.
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Systems Maintenance
Maintenance and overseeing are required for ensuring that your systems are running at their best. This is also a very time-consuming task. Thus, you need IT support for your business.
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Troubleshooting
If you have an issue with your computer, then your IT support will be the first person you will come to. They will help you in troubleshooting the issue. If you are working remotely, then the IT support team will give you commands on the phone which you can follow for fixing the problem.
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Reporting
Your IT staff will help you in tracking all the issues that they are troubleshooting. They will also give you upgrades or updates that they are performing on your network. You can review your system’s data for months. This will help you in predicting trends and finding a weakness in your network. If you are accessing these problem areas early, then you can save your system from viruses and malware.
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Upgrading solutions
You also need to regularly upgrade your solutions. This will ensure that you are avoiding viruses and malware. Your IT team should meet with your company stakeholders and determine which systems are vulnerable. They can focus on upgrading that system first.
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IT testing
You don’t want to use a solution that is not working for your business. Thus, your IT support team will first test the new solutions. They will ensure that the new technology can be implemented with your network. If there are bugs in your software, then they will help you in figuring them out.
IT consulting vs IT service
IT consulting is another very important area of IT. An IT consultant is simply an IT expert who has a breadth of knowledge. If you are hiring an IT consultant, then they will first ask you about your IT goals. They will craft new solutions according to their expertise. Some of the main differences between IT consulting and IT service are:
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Relationship building is compulsory in consulting
You want to ensure that you can actually rely on your IT consultant. They should help you in solving all the queries about tech and computers. Thus, you should feel comfortable with them. They will talk to you about sensitive topics like system vulnerabilities.
Your IT consultant should win your trust. This will ensure that you will actually call them when you need help.
IT support is also about building relationships. However, it is not that important in IT support. The main difference between IT support and IT consulting is that IT support can do its work without having a relationship with your team.
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IT support will generally offer more services
IT consultants are very knowledgeable when it comes to tech. However, some of them are also businessmen as they have worked as managers. They will help you in putting the best plan for upgrading your network. However, not every IT consultant can help you in executing your plan.
Your IT support members are more reliable. They will help you in executing whatever task you want them to execute.
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IT consultants will always have some strategy
The main goal of an IT consultant is to help you in meeting your IT goals. This will require a lot of strategic planning. IT support generally thinks in the short-term only. However, IT consultants will help you in covering both short-term and longer-term goals.
Factors to consider when hiring an IT support team
Most companies only think about price when it comes to hiring an IT support team. You can’t discard your budgetary requirements. However, you should also keep other factors in mind also.
Some of the main factors that you should consider when hiring an IT support team are:
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Contracts and SLAs
Contracts are going to act as legally binding. If you are blindly signing your name to a contract, then you are agreeing to all the terms that are written. Thus, you should always review your IT contract first.
According to us, you should start with a short-term contract. This contract can be six months long. During the six months, you will understand the type of services that you are getting.
If you are not getting services when you need them, then you can break your contract after six months. Some companies sign a three-year contract without checking the terms of the contract. You will be unhappy with your IT services and at the same time, you can’t get out of the contract.
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Skills and certifications
IT is a fast-moving world. New technologies are launched every day. Thus, you should ensure that your IT pro is always learning new things. They must stay ahead of changes to general tech, hardware, and software. This will ensure that they can easily serve their customers.
You should check the training that the IT team has done. Some IT professionals will get grants from the company to learn new things. Other IT pros will pay from their pocket to learn new things. The main point is that they should always keep learning new things.
You should also check the certifications that your IT team has. Most certifications are good for two years only. Every certificate will come with an expiry date. You should ensure that your IT professionals are getting recertified for every expirable certification.
Some of the certificates that you should check for are MTA, Cisco certification, and CompTIA certifications.
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Availability
You should ensure that you can depend on your IT services. Sometimes you might need their services on a Sunday or on a holiday. Make sure that you ask about the availability of the IT pros.
If your IT pros are working from 9-5 and you are working at some other time, then you might need to deal with a lot of headaches. Your computer might crash at night and you won’t get access to IT professionals.
It is easy to avoid these issues if you ask about the availability before you sign the contract.
What are Managed IT services?
Managed IT services are just outsourced IT responsibilities. It will help you in saving a lot of money. Your IT partner will also help you in achieving your IT goals.
It is better when compared to the break/fix model. In the break/fix model, you will wait until something goes wrong. If you are working with an MSP, then you will have a reliable team.
Managed services are actually very famous. It is already popular in areas like supply chain management, marketing, transportation, water, and electricity. Some of the main responsibilities of managed IT services are:
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Security Monitoring
Security threats are a risk for your business. Your IT staff will go home at 5 p.m. Thus, your entire network will be vulnerable to viruses, Trojans, and malware for more than 10 hours.
Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire will offer you 24*7 IT monitoring. Sometimes they can identify the threats before they even affect your business. In case of a security incident, they will also help you in mitigating the issue.
They will also help you in beefing up your systems. This will ensure that your computers are at less risk of viruses. They will help you in truly improving your IT security.
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Data backups and recovery
You should ensure that you are regularly backing up your data. Most SMBs don’t focus on data backups. You should at least back up your data twice a week.
If you are working with an MSP, then you don’t need to worry about this issue. They will help you in regularly backing up your data. Also, they will schedule the backups. Thus, you don’t need to worry about backing up your data manually.
Your partner will always help you in data recovery. The worst-case scenario is always data loss. You can’t afford to lose your files and data. Thus, you should solve this problem by working with a good MSP.
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Systems Management
IT support and managed services can overlap in some cases. Systems management is one of those cases. MSPs can help you in updating your software and hardware also. This will ensure that you don’t need to manage your system.
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Cloud services
Moving to the cloud is a difficult task. However, you don’t need to worry about this if you are working with an MSP. Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire have years of experience in dealing with the cloud. They will help you in moving your data to the cloud. Also, they will ensure that your cloud infrastructure is secure.
Advantages of Managed IT services
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Less Downtime
It is difficult to tell when an IT issue can disrupt your network. Sometimes it can happen in seconds and it can even take a year.
The response team of your IT team will determine your response. Time is very important for your business. You will lose a lot of money if your systems are down. Sometimes even a few hours of downtime can cost millions of dollars. Thus, it is important to ensure that you are eliminating downtime.
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Access to best Technology
Managed IT services will help you in accessing the best technology. You can access the latest versions of software and hardware that are present in the market. If your systems are running efficiently, then you can meet your customer needs. This will help you in differentiating yourself from other competitors.
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Reliable overhead
No one wants to see surprise charges. If you are an SMB, then you are probably still struggling with the financial side of your business.
Your MSP will charge a fixed monthly fee from you. This will ensure that your company can create a fixed budget. It will also help you in predicting the cash flow that you will have for the rest of your business.
Conclusion
These are the main advantages of working with an MSP. Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire can help you in reducing your downtime. You will get access to the best tools and IT professionals. Thus, you don’t need to worry about hiring IT professionals for your business. You also don’t need to worry about buying expensive hardware and software. Bleuwire will ensure that your IT team can focus on core activities. Your IT team can focus on improving your products and services. The right MSP can help you in taking your business to another level. If you need more information regarding IT services, then you can contact Bleuwire.
Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™ services and solutions in how we can help your business.
