What Is "Managed IT"?
We talk a lot about “managed IT,” but most people aren’t entirely clear on what it really means, let alone what all it entails. Let’s break it down.
What is "Managed IT"?
Managed IT refers to services to configure, manage, and monitor technology systems proactively by ensuring the right technology solutions are in place to anticipate and prevent all foreseeable incidents and to react immediately when one occurs. It’s a level of expertise and efficiency unparalleled by alternative methods, such as the dated and costly “break/fix” model. We’re pretty one-sided on this debate. Company President Ed Knott shares why. “The dated and risky “break/fix” approach is what we would consider reactive. You’re not leveraging your partner properly to advise you, consult you, prevent issues, and put you in a position to succeed. Rather, you’re crossing your fingers and hoping nothing is going to go wrong, but it’s just a matter of time.”
Conversely, the managed IT services approach is a proactive and much more effective method of managing systems.
"Managed IT is a proactive approach. You're anticipating problems that are going to happen, whether ransomware, failed hardware, etc. We want to minimize any downtime and disruption to your business by making sure you have the right solutions in place to protect your data, protect your systems, to put your users in a good environment where they can excel and give you the biggest competitive advantage. This is being proactive and putting you on the leading edge of technology."
What are the benefits of managed IT?
Small to medium businesses can leverage managed IT services on a contract basis to elevate their companies to the same level as the industry giants in their field at a fraction of the cost. Many SMBs don’t have the time, talent, or money to handle all their technology systems in-house. That’s where managed IT services come in.
Break/fix
An older, reactive style for delivering IT services and repairs to organizations in a fee-for-service framework. Essentially, a client contacts a break/fix technician to request upgrades, maintenance, or resolve issues after a problem has already occurred. In the break/fix model, technicians bill customers on a “per service” basis after completing the work.
High cost, low value
You pay (and pay handsomely) when something goes wrong. Break-fix means high expenses—ones you didn’t see coming and you didn’t budget for.
device & network failure
When you don’t have a dedicated expert (let alone a team of experts) managing your network and devices, they’re more likely to crash. And when they do, you’re on your own.
DATA LOSS
When the worst happens, you’re dealing with significant and catastrophic losses.
UNGUARANTEED RESPONSE TIME
It may be catastrophic to you, but to the support team you contact for help, it’s just another ticket. You’ll likely be put in a queue with a “we’ll get to it shortly,” and not the faintest clue what “shortly” means to them.
UNGUARANTEED RESPONSE TIME
If something goes wrong, you have no backups, no BDR plan, and nothing to suggest your provider will respond with any urgency. That means you’re vulnerable, offline, and out of business for longer.
AND THE provider profits from customer failure
We’ll let you take this one. Do you feel comfortable working with a company who only profits when you fail? When you see catastrophe in your business, they see dollar signs.
Managed IT
Services to configure, manage, and monitor systems proactively, resolve issues, and perform work with a level of expertise and efficiency unparalleled to other solutions.
Fixed cost, high value
No surprises. You’ll have the same predictable monthly payment, which buys you health, security, uptime, backups, recovery, peace of mind…
device & network uptime
You and *this* army. We’re monitoring and managing your systems around the clock, which means we see threats coming and take care of them on the spot (often before you even know they exist).
offsite/cloud data backups
If the worst happens, you’re back up in no time with minimal, if any, data loss thanks to off-site backups.
priority service
We stay ahead of issues and anticipate problems before they arise, so you’ll run into snags far less frequently. And when you do, we’re on it! You have our full attention. You can just consider us your in-house IT team. We do.
risk management & reduction
When a dedicated team of off-site IT pros manages your systems, you’ve essentially got a virtual force field around your business, and “risk” is taken out of your vocabulary. You’ll be secure, efficient, and prepared for anything.
AND THE provider profits from customer success
We profit when you succeed. We lose when you lose. So even if we didn’t care about your well-being (we do—a lot, actually), it’s in our best interest to keep you up, secure, and healthy!
IT doesn’t get better than that.
The managed IT services model
MSP services from Applied Connective are offered at a flat, recurring rate in two levels (standard and premium, with premium clients receiving greater automation and management, priority service, and an annual vCIO business review). Customers only pay for the services they require and can increase or decrease their service tier based on business needs and demand.
Off-site services, such as remote monitoring and management, help desk solutions, backup and disaster recovery, and more services, which are essential to maintaining core business functionality. Managed IT services enable customers to run their businesses more smoothly and efficiently than otherwise possible, including SaaS-based solutions at a price that in-house options can’t beat.
Managed IT: great for the entire organization
We’d like to take one moment to dispel one common misconception about managed IT services: That managed IT services make internal IT professionals obsolete. Quite the opposite is true. For the end user, an IT professional can act as an endpoint liaison that manages the relationship, provides feedback, and analyzes the reports provided by the MSP. Because Applied Connective is completing most of the routine work, the IT professional is capable of greater efficiency and the flexibility to tackle more extensive, complex projects they would otherwise not have the time or capacity to handle.
""Not only do we love when our customers have internal IT staff; the IT staff love it too! Having a technical contact person "on the inside" helps us to be even more efficient, and the IT professional appreciates the peace of mind that comes with knowing you have an entire team of experts who have your back and can handle many of the routine tasks. Our clients love that about managed IT services too—freeing up these workforce resources makes our services even more valuable to businesses at any size and during any stage of their growth."
In sum...
Break/fix is essentially a frantic attempt to do damage control after an incident has already occurred. It’s risky. It’s costly. It’s potentially devastating. Managed IT, on the other hand, makes sure your systems avoid issues, stay secure, and run seamlessly. It’s affordable with predictable fixed costs tailored to your needs, and it helps you achieve achieve optimal security, efficiency, productivity, and system health; know what you’re spending always; perform at peak potential; and sleep a lot easier at night.
Interest piqued?
Give us a shout if you think managed IT services sound like a good idea for your organization or if you’d just like more information. Sometimes it’s just easier to hop on a phone call. We’re always happy to make time to chat to determine whether our services would be a good fit. Call any time.
(866) 358-0109
Email hello@appliedconnective.com