The success of any small- to mid-sized business (SMB) depends on whether its IT aligns with its business strategy and complements its operations. However, it’s not uncommon for SMBs to encounter the following problems:
- Network downtime that lowers productivity
- Unexpected, expensive repairs
- Slow and unreliable network that affects efficiency
- Inadequate IT staff
If you’re an SMB, you’ll do well to turn to a managed IT services provider (MSP) like Online Computers for your IT requirements. Partnering with an MSP has its benefits:
- Your MSP will proactively monitor your system 24/7/365 to prevent downtime.
- For unexpected technology glitches, your MSP has a 24/7 help desk. So if you encounter a tech problem, there is a team of experts ready to assist you at all hours.
- Your MSP can provide various cloud-based solutions for backup and business continuity. These solutions will keep your data safe, reduce downtime, and further improve your productivity.
- You get to work with experienced IT experts. Not only will they solve your IT problems, but they can also act as consultants to make sure your IT solutions align with your business strategy.
If you want to get the best out of your MSP, consider getting the following must-have services.
Disaster recovery and backup services
Data plays an essential part in the success of your business. That’s why it’s important to keep your data safe and secure from disasters both natural, like blizzards and hurricanes, and man-made, like theft or malware.
But such a challenging task may prove daunting, especially if you don’t have the manpower or resources for it. Instead, you can partner with an MSP like Online Computers; the latter can provide the much-needed cybersecurity tools to keep your data safe. And should disaster strike, your business can easily recover from it, thanks to a disaster recovery plan that involves up-to-date backups of your data.
Cloud-based MSP services
Many businesses have embraced the cloud because of its many benefits. It saves them hardware costs, and it’s easy to quickly scale up their tech to match the growing needs of their business. Your SMB can benefit from cloud computing, but you will need the help of a reliable MSP to ensure the efficient use of cloud technology.
First, your MSP should be able to migrate your business to the cloud with the least amount of downtime for your business. Next, your MSP should also be able to manage your cloud technology 24/7 to ensure its efficient use. It’s best to choose an MSP with extensive cloud experience.
Billing MSP services
SMBs often have lean teams; a lot of them may not even have staff to handle their IT and HR. Hiring staff, especially top-tier talents, can be too expensive for such organizations. To keep your costs down and the size of your staff manageable, you can outsource billing services to an MSP offering business solutions such as Software-as-a-Service. In fact, MSPs can offer other outsourced business services that add significant value to your company.
Service level agreements and contracts MSP services
When a business decides to partner with an MSP, they enter into a contract that details the service level agreements between parties. Some companies may not feel comfortable going into the negotiations since they’re not tech-savvy. What they can do is to hire another MSP as their consultant for the negotiations. After all, it takes one to know one, and a fellow MSP is in the best position to negotiate the best deals from another service provider.
Online Computers is dedicated to helping SMBs like yours get an honest-to-goodness return of investment on their IT spending. We continue to provide expert IT knowledge and services to organizations in and around Hanover, Morristown, and Madison. We support over 135 organizations from various sectors, including businesses, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions, even nonprofit organizations. Want to boost your productivity? Contact us today, and leave the technology to us.
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