Managed IT Service vs Alternative IT Solutions – What’s the Difference?

As a business owner, you’re trying to focus on the growth of your business, which is why experiencing IT issues is both frustrating and costly. You can’t make money or deliver the customer service you rely on to grow your company when you’re having frequent IT issues. What are your options? 

Internal IT Management Solutions Compared

Most companies start with an internal, tech-savvy employee managing their IT. This can initially save costs, but it’s not a viable long-term solution. Unless they’re hired to manage your IT, they’re not experts and could make problems worse. Plus, you’ll be taking valuable staff away from their actual job responsibilities. So not only do you risk paying more later on to fix issues, you lose productivity because your staff isn’t doing what you pay them to do.

Hiring a dedicated IT expert who works on-site is a better solution but it can be expensive. You have the benefit of having someone on-site who has full control of your IT infrastructure and completely understands your business operations. As the owner of a small to medium-size business, you may be able to afford an internal IT expert. However, you’re still vulnerable to IT issues when your IT person is sick or goes on vacation. You’re also limited by the resources your company is able to provide your IT expert.

Neither of these are good solutions to supporting and protecting your company’s technology infrastructure. It makes more business sense to choose a managed IT services provider.

Outsourced Managed IT Services Compared

As your business grows, you’ll find it makes more sense to outsource some or all of your IT services. This will generally reduce costs and improve your IT performance. You can outsource to a managed services provider (MSP) or to another country, such as India, which we’ll refer to as “offshoring.” 

Offshoring or co-managed IT is a low-cost way to take a narrowly defined scope of work off your plate. It’s good for monitoring systems, especially for security, and handling after-hours tasks. The technical work is often top-notch. It’s not a good fit for a help desk, as communication can be difficult.

A managed services provider, on the other hand, takes a much more holistic approach. An MSP like mPowered IT offers a comprehensive range of technology services, including a help desk staffed with American engineers. With a team of skilled IT consultants, we create a superior customer experience by providing operational support and enhancements for a wide range of IT applications and services. 

When you outsource to a managed services provider (MSP), they take the responsibility of managing your IT network off your staff’s plate so they can focus on their core responsibilities. 

Offshoring your IT may seem like you’re saving money, but there’s another important point to note. Although they will do whatever they’re asked, they will never be proactive and tell you if there’s a more efficient way to run your business. A managed service provider like mPowered IT will work with you, proposing solutions that are effective and long-lasting. We want to see you succeed, which means going beyond simple break-fix support. In other words, the right managed IT services provider for your small business will take your IT operations from costing you money to saving you money each year.

How Effective Is Your Current IT Service?

Not all managed IT services providers are created equal. With mPowered IT on your side, you’ll get that fast, accurate support your business depends on for success. See how we stack up favorably against your other options for IT support from other managed services providers. As you’ll see, we excel when it comes to delivering services that include:

• Help desk and customer service. All of your calls are answered by U.S.-based engineers. Response to service requests in 15 minutes or less.
• 24/7 monitoring of over 2,000 points within your company network.
• Guidance. We make the time to provide the consultations you need to ensure any future technology updates align with your business needs.
• Cost. We pride ourselves on a service model that is predictable and affordable. This makes it easy for you to include in your yearly budget. Plus, we never charge an added service cost if major incidents arise.

We provide unmatched service and expertise that other service providers can’t because they aren’t dedicated to supporting your company.

If you already have an IT service provider, make sure you’re getting the service you pay for. Take this quick IT services assessment to see if your provider is up to standards. It takes less than 90 seconds to complete.