You have seen the ads for Managed Services for IT Support. Managed Services is leaking into the SMB world where it was once resigned to the Enterprise budget. Prices have dropped and service providers are picking up this service and you are now in line to take advantage of that.

So…… WHY should you consider Managed Services for your network?

Let me first explain the overall dynamic that most of you are facing in the IT world. There are a few areas where IT is a real issue for all of you. First, IT has become your baby. You have grown to rely upon your network and IT infrastructure and for most it is the life line of your business. Part of the problem in the industry as a whole is that companies rely more and more on IT but your budgeting for IT can sometimes be painful. That becomes the second point and that is that IT has out grown itself and now sits as that “beast” just below your business surface. Rising costs for product and service is still a huge issue for you but conversely your dependence on it has also increased. So it creates a “strain” and a focus of a lot of headaches and worry.

Basically, your IT network, is your small child that has grown up…..and has done so it seems over night. It is now a teen-ager and has more complexity, bigger problems and in need of more attention than you have time for. It has a lot of growing pains and those growing pains create a lot of small problems that eventually lead to much bigger ones. And these problems can really hurt the pocket book.

So, how can Managed Services help? Managed Services is essentially a “parent” for your network and IT infrastructure. It is a guiding voice. It monitors and maintains your teen-ager. It plans to address it’s smaller issues so that they do not become bigger problems for you. It helps to ensure that it matures correctly and does so with as much ease as possible. It will take the worry away from you so you can focus on your business and know that your “teen-ager” is monitored, guided and placed in a “managed” state.

Managed Services will monitor your IT infrastructure 24×7; it will incorporate automatic response to small issues and large; it will maintain the maturing network and make sure that you are informed of its health at all times. When your network becomes “managed” it becomes more predictable and thereby drives your overall IT costs down. It extends the life of your current equipment and you can ultimately spend less on replacements and the services to do that.

You can now control the maturity curve of your teenager and make sure that it gets the attention it needs to mature gracefully and mature without chaos. Like a real teenager, a teenage network that is allowed to run free will act like a teenager when it matures unless proper attention is provided. Grow properly and you will know that your network will deliver when it is most important, you will not be let down, and will you will not drive yourself bankrupt doing so.

The universal reality is that most networks are teenagers and are on the brink of maturing. Your IT network is your second most important investment next to people that make your business function. If you do not manage that investment now that teenager will not mature into a productive adult. It may in fact evolve, build and get more complex but will still act like a teenager; and that is not a risk that any successful business should take.

Your decision to invest in a Managed Service package will be a very wise one. It is essential to the future of your business life line. With that, the decision on a vendor to provide Managed Services should not be taken lightly either. Investigate and find a trustworthy service provider. That kind of verification can usually be heard through their current customer base. They are on your side of the fence and are in the position you now face when considering an IT outsourcing solution and can provide you the best reference of information.

Research with a trustworthy service provider and make sure to find out what elements you should look for to find a successful MSP solution, what features to include and characteristics of an efficient model. The most essential component to planning is knowing the elements and knowing what to look for.