By Rahul S Kurkure, Founder and Director of Cloud.in
Modern businesses have technology deeply integrated into their day-to-day operations, but many organisations are yet to harness its full potential. Organisations get empowered only when this technology is well-leveraged to unlock new possibilities, maximise efficiency and improve productivity. Any business’s success is dependent on maintaining and securing its IT infrastructure either by utilising a traditional operating model or outsourcing its monitoring and maintenance functions to external experts.
In traditional business operations, managing IT infrastructure, software management, cyber security, and other operational tasks are handled in-house. Organisations have to invest significantly in hardware, software, and human resources leading to high upfront costs. Businesses will also have to shoulder ongoing monitoring, troubleshooting, and maintenance responsibilities.
Such a setup often gives rise to resource constraints, risks of downtime, and the inability to respond to issues quickly. Also, the approach to IT-related issues is dealt with reactively providing support only when a problem occurs, mostly delivering quick fixes and not long-term solutions. In this context, the responsibility of maintaining the IT infrastructure falls solely on the organisation. The ongoing operational expenses also soar. With the technology and IT landscape evolving the organisation has to constantly train its IT team on the latest technologies and best practices.
Advantages of Traditional IT Support Services
With the availability of in-house IT support staff, any issues can be resolved immediately. Secondly, the in-house IT team will have complete control over all the internal IT infrastructure and systems. This is very beneficial to smaller organisations whose needs are not complex and ongoing service fees due to outsourcing can be avoided. In-house IT teams are well aware of the organisation’s systems and processes and can deliver customised solutions.
In the case of highly regulated industries, in-house IT teams can ensure tighter control over security measures. Being an integral part of the organisation’s culture and business operations, there is a better understanding and collaboration between the IT support team and their colleagues in other business units.
Need for Managed Services
Despite the many benefits of having an in-house IT support services team, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of this traditional approach, which is not only costly but also consumes a significant amount of time. With businesses growing exponentially, IT support service has to scale up to accommodate the rise in demand. Here, limited scalability, lack of experience, and expertise can lead to single-point failure. Internal IT support teams may find it challenging to keep up with the rapidly evolving technology trends and sophisticated security threats. Another disadvantage of traditional IT support is that it is available only during business hours instead of the much-required 24X7 monitoring and maintenance.
Businesses should weigh the advantages with the potential challenges before deciding to opt for traditional in-house IT services or partnering with a Managed Service Provider (MSP).
Today, organisations across industry verticals have to work across a dynamic and complex IT landscape that requires expertise and specialisation prompting the need to partner with MSPs. The round-the-clock monitoring and support services provided by MSPs ensure business continuity and improve system reliability.
Business Benefits with MSPs
One of the key advantages of partnering with an MSP is that it can help in increasing productivity in the workplace. With the assurance of reliable and smooth-running IT systems from MSPs, employees can focus on their organisation’s business goals and work more efficiently. The experts in the MSP team will be able to resolve issues in the IT infrastructure quickly and significantly reduce downtime. By outsourcing IT support services to MSPs, businesses can eliminate the need for upfront investments for an in-house IT- Infrastructure, manage ongoing operations, and employee training. Instead, with regular monthly fees to MSPs all these tasks will be taken care of.
When businesses grow rapidly, their IT needs also increase. Here, MSPs can deliver scalable solutions that can accommodate the further expansion of businesses. Also, the costs involved in hiring and maintaining additional internal teams get eliminated. MSPs also take a proactive approach to IT challenges by continuously monitoring and maintaining IT systems to prevent problems from occurring by leveraging the preventive maintenance model.
By transferring routine tasks of IT support to MSPs, businesses can redirect their focus and internal resources toward core business activities. The internal team can increase its attention on innovation and product development to stay ahead of the curve. Besides having the expertise, MSPs keep track of emerging technologies and trends in the space. They can guide organisations in adopting the most suitable solutions for their current needs while enabling smooth seamless integration and reducing implementation challenges. They also offer customised solutions to businesses based on the latter’s unique requirements. MSPs also play a critical role in bolstering cybersecurity by offering advanced threat detection, incident response, and ongoing security monitoring. These external partners also aid businesses in adhering to industry regulations and compliance standards, thereby reducing the risk of penalties and brand damage.
In the current digital era with the rapidly evolving landscapes, the role of MSPs has become indispensable. By partnering and leaving the complexities of managing the IT infrastructure to MSPs, organisations can streamline their operations, transform their businesses, drive efficiency, and remain competitive.