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Managed IT services are IT infrastructure monitoring, maintenance, repair and reporting operations, carried out, by a service provider, on behalf of the business that owns the infrastructure.
In simple terms, it is what happens, when a business outsources the management of its IT to another firm that exists, to take on such work, instead of leaving this task, with in-house IT teams.
There is an important point to note, though. Occasional repair work done, by a technician you have hired, for a one-off job is not managed service, in the real sense that, it is understood.
Managed services, unlike occasional repair and maintenance, are carried out, based on a Service Level Agreement, (SLA) and you, typically, pay for the service monthly.
When you have a working agreement, with a Managed Service Provider, (MSP), they will take care of a range of IT issues that you ask them to provide.
Whether you are a small business or large corporation, you should consider using managed IT services.
Here’s why.
Managed Services or One-off Repairs?
As a business, you want your IT systems in top shape, every hour, all day, throughout the work year.
Your productivity depends on this, as does your bottomline, (ultimately). If your workers are, even, skilled and primed to do their jobs, they will be unable to produce the best quality output, unless they have the tech tools, in good condition.
For a long while, most companies in Nigeria have relied on technicians to fix these issues, when they arise.
They contact someone to sort out their problematic wiring, or set up a WLAN, (Wireless Local Area Network).
This approach is, however, becoming less convenient. That is because, our businesses have grown, so dependent on these technologies that, our operations shut down, if we have to wait for technicians to carry out hours-long fixes. When it takes too long to deal with IT problems, we lose hours or even days of productivity.
This is where managed services come in.
With managed IT services, you will not have to hurry someone over, to troubleshoot issues, or burn precious hours, while trying to figure out tech problems.
Your IT infrastructure will be taken care of, by experts, who ensure that issues are dealt with before they can threaten business continuity.
Examples of Managed IT Services
Here are some things that an MSP can do for your business.
Managed WLAN
You do not have to wait, until there is a problem with your business’ wireless connectivity, before getting a technician to have a look at it.
Why not let a team of experts, manage the setup on your behalf, so that they tackle any weaknesses that exist, before it disrupts your activities?
Enterprise Mobility
Companies often need their staff to deal with tasks, while they are away from their offices.
A managed services provider could help them set up channels that let employees to securely access their company’s digital platforms, from wherever they are.
MSPs, also, ensure that such systems are always functioning optimally and will fix any issues that may arise with them.
Managed Security
When an MSP provides managed security, they take on the monitoring and management of a client organization’s cybersecurity.
They can help set up and maintain systems, like virus blocking, Virtual Private Networks, (VPN) and firewalls.
Professional Services
Managed Service Providers also plan, design, implement and manage networks and general enterprise technology systems.
This includes network audits and forensics, voice and data network visualization, installation and configuration, live network monitoring and 24-hour emergency maintenance, among others.
Managed Cloud, Storage and Backup
Instead of having their cloud-infrastructure on-site, most businesses now prefer to let cloud service firms provide and take care of those facilities on their behalf.
What You Stand to Gain with Managed Services
Frees Up Time and Resources
MSPs take a significant amount of load off businesses. They no longer have to struggle with very technical repair and monitoring tasks.
This frees up time and resources that they can channel to the core aspects of their operations.
Increases Productivity
Given more time and resources, your team will be able to achieve more. The improved IT services you get from your MSP will also allow your staff to do better at their jobs—they do not have to struggle with outages that disrupt their work, for instance.
Smaller Budget
Depending on what your IT needs are, you may not, even, need an IT team, if you are using a managed service provider.
The MSP could completely take on that role. This takes out the cost of training and remunerating an in-house IT team.
Scalability
If your business grows, or if the demand for your services increases, you may need to ramp up your IT resources, to meet up with the market’s requests.
Managed services are designed to adjust quickly to this. You can scale up, or scale down the service you are getting, with relative ease.
You do not have to hire and train staff, change your technologies and incur the costs that accompany these things.
Support
If there is anything about your IT that you are not sure about, you can call your MSP and ask them, to make it clearer to you.
The more customer-centric service providers, will respond promptly to your requests and keep you updated, on things, as often as, is possible.
Does Your Organization Need Managed Services?
Your business or agency, needs to consider managed IT services, if it meets one or more of these criteria:
•Your in-house IT team is overworked or struggling to keep up with the many tasks on their plate
•The organization has a growing IT infrastructure that requires constant monitoring
•IT maintenance costs are expanding rapidly and eating into your budget
•You are dissatisfied with the current level of support you are getting for your IT infrastructure
A Managed IT Services Provider You Can Trust
If you would like to find out more about managed services, you can speak with the IT consultants at Layer3.
They could help you determine what kind of services your business needs and how they should be deployed.
For over 14 years, Layer3 has served clients, in both the private and public sectors of Nigeria, providing them, with the technologies that meet their peculiar needs.
You could benefit from their extensive expertise, in cybersecurity, managed WLAN, mobile device management and network maintenance.
Get started, with managed services, to help your business up the growth curve. Contact us now to begin this journey.
About the Author
Victoria Shokunbi, Business Development Executive at Layer3
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