As businesses become more dependent on data and information technology (IT), ensuring that your IT resources are running optimally becomes critical to keeping the business running optimally. Dealing with technical issues can be overwhelming, especially for small and mid-sized businesses that have focused on growing their business capabilities rather than their technology teams. Hiring consultants can solve immediate, short-term issues, but managed services are a better approach to handling your longer-term technology needs.

Benefits of Managed Services

Managed services providers don’t just work for you; they work as if they are you, a part of your team. This means they take ownership of the technical problems assigned to them. Rather than using stopgap solutions and temporary fixes, they take a strategic approach and implement the appropriate tools and processes that ensure your IT is streamlined and effective. The solutions implemented by a managed services provider can transform your IT from a challenge to a competitive advantage while increasing security and compliance.

With managed services, your IT team gains:

• Current technology. A managed services team can implement new technology that provides features to enhance your technical base.
• Expertise. Managed services teams are expert in the technologies they support, with knowledge gained from supporting many organizations.
• Cost savings. Using a managed services team can reduce your operational expenses including training. There’s also likely to be less system downtime and the costs that go along with that.
• Proactive support. Managed services teams focus on resolving problems before they impact your business. A high level of automation ensures routine operations run smoothly.
• Increased security. The technical expertise of the managed services team ensures that the products they use are configured appropriately to meet compliance standards and enhance the cybersecurity of your organization.

Managed Services Offer Support Throughout Your Data Center

Managed services can help you address almost any technology challenge your team is facing.

• Desktop and server support. Desktop and server support starts with configuration and deployment. The provider can install software, including upgrades and necessary patches, and troubleshoot any end-user issues.
• Mobile and email support. Endpoints today aren’t limited to desktops. Managed services make sure user devices are properly provisioned and secure. Managed email services ensure that email servers are reliable and secured to be safely accessed both inside and outside the office.
• Help desk. Virtual help desk services offer a single point of contact for end users who experience technology issues. The managed services provider is responsible for escalating issues to third party vendors if necessary to resolve the problem.
• 24×7 Monitoring. Managed services providers offer 24×7 monitoring of system status. Remote access capabilities allow the provider’s on-call staff to log into servers and begin corrective actions immediately.
• Backup and disaster recovery. A robust managed backup and recovery process protects your business from outages.

Whatever your IT needs, managed services can provide the support and alleviate stress on your organization. Prescient Solutions has provided IT consulting and managed services to Chicago and Schaumburg-area businesses for 20 years. Download our guide to managed services to learn how managed services from Prescient Solutions can improve your information technology.