In today’s world, technology is a vital component of any business, even those that aren’t in the tech industry. Your business often depends on your network, and if it goes down, it can bring productivity grinding to a halt. Most companies also gather data to analyze and make key decisions, and that data must be safeguarded. Internal information, especially proprietary designs, must be kept safe from hackers and others with malicious intentions.

Unfortunately, many smaller businesses often don’t have the equipment, the budget, or the experienced personnel needed to effectively manage their IT services and protect their network. That’s why more and more companies are looking to outsource these tasks. Partnering with an expert in managed IT services in Santa Rosa has a number of benefits. Even if you have an IT department, there are some reasons using ongoing managed IT from Wooden Spoon is the right move.

Prevent Problems Before They Occur

One of the biggest reasons to make the move to managed IT services is to prevent problems before they occur. The traditional approach to IT was to maintain the system until something broke, then fix the problem. This model is primarily reactive. The primary model used by managed IT, however, is more proactive. These experts do more than maintain your system and fix problems that occur. Instead, they regularly evaluate your network for potential issues and take steps to prevent those issues from happening.

This process involves constantly monitoring your system for signs of trouble. Experts do preventative maintenance such as replacing older hardware before it can break down completely. Some preventative maintenance solutions include patching applications, updating new versions of current software, and paying close attention to potential security breaches.

This preventative approach is actually the foundation for many of the other benefits of using managed IT. By preventing problems, you’re able to save money, reduce downtime, and boost productivity.

Save Money

When part of your IT system goes down, it’s often more than just an annoyance to your employees. It can stop or significantly reduce your productivity, prevent customers from accessing information or products, and can greatly affect your budget. You may have a small contingency fund set aside to deal with emergencies, but that fund may not cover the costs of repairs if something major occurs. Even if it does, it may not cover the costs of any additional unexpected problems that occur throughout the year.

IT service management helps keep your costs under control by making them more predictable. You know when you’re going to replace your hard drives, add new servers, and perform other preventative maintenance. You can plan for all of this and make it easier for the budget to absorb these costs. While unexpected breakdowns can still occur, they are fewer in number and farther apart.

Making use of managed IT services in Santa Rosa also helps make your overall IT costs more predictable. You know how much those services cost every month. With an in-house team, your costs may change. You may need to hire someone new, rent additional space, or buy more office equipment. You also have to consider the cost of benefits and the overhead of operating an office. These costs can fluctuate, making your overall costs change unexpectedly.

Managed IT Services in Santa Rosa Help Reduce Downtime

By doing preventative maintenance instead of reactive repairs, you’re also able to minimize your system downtime. Instead of your system going down unexpectedly, you can control downtime and schedule maintenance to occur after most customers or employees are off the system.

Downtime can affect every aspect of your company. Your employees cannot be as productive when some or all of your system is down. Customers can’t place orders or view their accounts. It’s even possible that you won’t be able to operate your retail stores at all if crucial parts of your system are affected. This can lead to hundreds or even thousands in lost income. An IT preventative maintenance plan allows you to minimize downtime and, when it can’t be avoided, control when it occurs.

Boost Productivity

Managed IT does more than just watch for problems. These experts also evaluate your system and provide suggestions on improving it. There may be new software or hardware available to increase your productivity and system reliability. Your IT services provider keeps up with new trends and models in the industry, something you likely don’t have time to do. They know the latest ways of protecting data, reducing costs, minimizing downtime, and boosting efficiency. With their help, you can upgrade or adjust your system as needed to boost your overall productivity.

Allow Your IT Staff to Focus on Different Tasks

You may already have an onsite IT support staff that handles your technology needs, and you may not see a reason to bring on a managed IT services partner. However, outsourcing some of your IT management doesn’t necessarily mean replacing your in-house team.

Instead, by having someone else monitor your network and handle the day-to-day issues with your system, your IT staff can focus on other things. They can implement changes to your system, work on special projects, or focus on providing better support to your staff. If your IT department is stretched to their limit, having someone else handle basic tasks can be one solution to giving them more time to work on things only your in-house team can do.

Make Scaling Easier

With a team focused on IT service management, you can more easily and quickly scale your system. Growth is important, but it can become a major roadblock to expanding your company if your network cannot grow with you. Systems that aren’t built to be scalable can be very costly to expand, and this endeavor also requires a good amount of time and manpower. If your IT staff is relatively small, you may lack the personnel to scale your system to accommodate growth efficiently.

However, with a managed IT service at your side, this isn’t as challenging. The team has all of the personnel and experience needed, and they can help you transition into a scalable system early on, even if you’re not ready to expand just yet. This way, you have that system in place for when you need to scale upward.

Experts Are Just a Call Away

Working with managed IT services in Santa Rosa means you always have an expert, just a phone call or email away. When you hire your own IT team members, you may look for experts in certain areas of technology. However, you may not always be able to find someone who has the specialized skill set you need. In some cases, you may not even be able to hire individuals with a good amount of experience simply due to budgetary restraints.

Managed IT services have many experts working for them, and their team has a diverse skill set. You have access to these professionals, so you have a wide range of skills and experiences to draw on. If something goes wrong, it’s very likely that at least one person on your managed IT team will have seen it before and know what to do.

Keep Compliant

Being compliant with the many different state and federal regulations that relate to IT and specific industries is vital. If you are not compliant with these regulations, you may face harsh fines and other penalties. Even if you recover from these fines, the damage to your reputation may be irreparable. Customers may no longer trust you to safeguard their information, especially if a security breach occurred in conjunction with learning about your lack of compliance.

Managed IT services understand compliance and what it takes to meet regulations. They are familiar with HIPAA, and PCI DSS demands, and they keep up with changes to these regulations. They will be ready to implement any necessary changes to keep you compliant. They also understand industry standards and will help you meet those standards, even if they are not strict regulations. It’s always better to meet or exceed what the industry deems best, even when it’s not required.

Are You Ready to Partner with a Managed IT Service?

Having ongoing managed IT services can provide a wide range of benefits, but you need to find the right partner to maximize those benefits. You need a managed IT services provider that truly understands your industry, the IT world, and what it takes to ensure that a company meets regulations and standards while also having the IT infrastructure they need to operate efficiently.

Wooden Spoon Managed IT Services is ready to be your partner. We bring years of experience and a wide range of skills to the table. Our team is here for you. We are dedicated to providing the IT services you need to help your business prosper and grow. Contact us today if you’re ready to outsource your IT services or have questions about what we offer.