What is Managed IT Services and IT Support? These are services provided by a company that specializes in information technology solutions. In effect these companies work with your organization with a vested interest in aligning their services with your needs.
We outline the pros and cons of managed IT services and support below.

Why are They Important?

1. They give you access to an entire information technology department without incurring the usual cost of hiring, training, and maintaining a regular IT team.

This helps reduce costs since all you have to think about is the monthly fee that they are asking for.

2. They can provide you with strategic monthly and even quarterly tech planning. You get to think ahead as your company grows. You can get projections about the IT tools that you might need as you expand your enterprise.
3. You also have proactive support in your hands. Managed IT services dont just come in when you need a problem fixed. They will also actively identify potential and unseen problems and issues that may occur before a problem actually arises.
4. Having IT experts gives you peace of mind. They free up your time so that you can focus on the other aspects of your business.
5. Your success is part of their key performance indicators (KPIs). The success of your business reflects their own success. Your efficiency is a statement of their very own efficiency.

The Challenges That You Will Face When Hiring Managed IT Services

We have already covered the pros or benefits of hiring managed IT services. In this section we cover the downsides that you should know about.

1. Finding an IT support provider with a perfect track record will be a bit challenging. Well, you dont need to find an IT support team that has no blemishes in its record.

Even the best IT teams in the world has its flaws and taints in their performance records. When you inquire about providers track record they should be able to provide measurable outcomes from the previous services that they have rendered.

2. It may be difficult to find an service provider that can work thoroughly with you for strategic IT planning. Managed IT services will offer some form of strategic IT planning but you need to make sure that what they are offering aligns with the needs of your business. You should also make sure that their plans are also expansive, which means they can plan for the next 12, 24, or 36 months (and longer if necessary).
3. Accountability may also be a problem. The goal of hiring managed IT services is to improve your operational capabilities and getting tech issues out of your hair so you can focus on growing your business.

Some IT service providers have limited accountability in their contracts. You should seek a more comprehensive form of accountability in the contracts so that you can be sure that these providers are actually delivering the services that you need.