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Info-Tek The Computer Guys |
Can Small Businesses Afford Managed Service Providers?
Small
business owners often find themselves in a position of trying to balance a
limited budget while making sure they have the proper tools to grow their
business. It is a challenge many business owners face, in that they recognize
the need for additional products or services that will allow their business to
continue to thrive, however funds are in short supply to achieve these goals.
This is especially true today, when small business owners find financial
institutions are less willing to extend credit in the current economy.
Faced with
this challenge, many small business owners are forced to make difficult
decisions as to where they can afford to spend money to improve their business.
One of the areas in which business owners are on the fence is whether or not
hiring a managed services provider is something they can afford. In some cases
the cost is not worth the benefits; however there are many situations where
cutting costs will end up costing you more money in the long run. Here are a
few reasons why managed service providers may be more affordable than the
alternative.
Technology-
In order to be competitive in this day, small businesses must remain
up-to-speed with current technology. The amount of money invested in this area
can be quite large, making it necessary to ensure you have someone in your
corner who can help manage and support the technology
used in your business. While the average person is becoming increasingly well
versed in the use of basic technology, there remains a need for experts in the
industry to ensure your business can stay up and running on a daily basis as
well as in the event of a natural or man-made emergency.
Internal IT-
Larger corporations have the budget necessary to support an internal IT
department that provides expertise and support of the technology used by the
company. Small businesses do not have the same resources and often find
themselves either without backup or paying a high price when they have to bring
in an outside expert.
Services
provided by MSP's- When a small business enlists the help of a managed service
provider, they will agree to a contract which covers specific services at a
specific price. This allows the small business owner
to see upfront what they are paying for and how it will work in the budget.
Some of the services provided by MSP's include; computer and server support,
data backup and disaster recovery, network security, custom software solutions,
remote network monitoring and technology evaluation and planning. Depending on
the business these services can be customized to meet the specific needs of the
client, making it possible to reduce costs in certain areas.
There are
many reasons why a small business owner might feel managed services providers
are not something they can afford. Unfortunately the services provided are
often not realized until there is an emergency, where small business owners
quickly discover the amount of money spent to "fix" a problem or
recover from a disaster is much more expensive than planning for it in the
first place. In this case it is not a matter of if you can afford manages
services, rather if you can afford NOT to have them.