Part 2 will discuss three more benefits of utilizing managed services.

3) Predictable Operational Expenses

An underrated benefit of managed services is obtaining predictable operational expenses or OpEx. For a fixed annual or monthly cost, MSPs provide services as determined by your chosen service tier. Typically one to three years long, an agreement will discount services for longer terms. Trustworthy MSPs are transparent about the services that they will deliver.

MSPs allow you to avoid purchasing expensive IT infrastructure components by eliminating a capital expenditure or CapEx upfront. Costs can also be spread monthly throughout the contract. Paying for specific software solutions is more affordable with this approach.

As a result, your organization’s finance team can forecast operational expenses months in advance over the term of your MSP agreement. The MSP provides services and support selected by the client at a predictable cost. This is in stark contrast to the “break-fix” approach, which is quite unpredictable and can be detrimental to the reliability of your IT infrastructure because regular maintenance is not an emphasis.

4) Access to Advanced Solutions at a Discount

Advanced IT solutions can be pretty costly. Occasionally, an organization declines to implement them because of the time, money, and effort required.  Oftentimes, advanced software solutions are purchased, but they need to be integrated, and personnel has to be trained. In some instances, such as IT infrastructure monitoring tools, a better approach is allowing an MSP to handle the technology as part of a service package.  

5) Operational Continuity and Institutional Knowledge

Each day has several tasks to be performed daily involving your company’s IT infrastructure. Some are required revisions and upgrades only known by in-house staff. When an engineer of your IT staff departs for another job, there will be a resulting knowledge gap. Former employees bring their institutional knowledge, which may impact operational continuity. An experienced and expert MSP can help implement standard procedures, documentation of your IT environment, and the deployment of backup and disaster recovery solutions ensuring business continuity.

Alpha Business Support

Choosing an expert computer technical support provider is essential for your business. Alpha has been a trusted partner of many Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Annapolis companies since 1990. For affordable client-focused network consulting services and solutions, please call Alpha today at (410) 295-9500.