So, your minds made up, you have identified the tech you have is not fit for purpose and you are considering IT resource options. You are going to introduce the right tech to your workplace and reap the benefits of the increased levels of productivity, collaboration, communication, and output that it allows. There is one snag - you have no idea what you need, how to implement it, how to maintain it, or how to get the most from it. That is where an MSP and the correct IT support comes in.
“What is an MSP and what is IT support?”, I hear you ask.
IT support
IT Support has become the umbrella term for all of those core IT services - not just computers and servers, but cloud services, backup, disaster recovery, and communications as well. IT Support covers the technical expertise and resources to not only fix problems that arise from the IT that you already have, but proactively maintain technology to stop problems from arising. Identify opportunities for improvement, roadmap future advances in technology that have an operational advantage to the business, map-out and tackle industry and legislative compliance obligations - ensuring compliance in a technology sense.
MSP (managed service provider)
An MSP is a business that brings together the technical professional services (manpower) and the supply, support, and management of those core business IT services - often on a subscription basis, helping businesses make the right informed choices, that are cost-effective and taken care of.
Outsourcing your IT is the best option for sure, let us take a look at how outsourcing shows its benefits.
Save time
With IT being such a large component of modern business operations, it can be quite a drain on time and resources to plan, implement, maintain and train to ensure everyone is working optimally and getting the best from tech. The time spent within the business on all of those IT responsibilities could be better invested in operating and growing the business.
Save money
Time is money, so any loss of time spent on dealing with IT matters is money wasted that is better invested elsewhere in the business. For those firms that are on the cusp of considering the recruitment of in-house IT resources, there is too the opportunity to save by instead outsourcing that burden to a professional, expert team - rather than hiring a solo IT Manager. Get access to broader expertise, resources, management software & monitoring tools and uninterrupted cover (for the hours that you need it), which cannot be achieved by hiring internally. It goes without saying, paid annual leave, sickness and other HR burdens would be totally irrelevant too.
Limited expertise
Everyone has their fields of specialism and a business might be inadvertently limping along, by banking on inexperienced or unqualified IT manpower. (Same argument can be made here about hiring internally - you would likely only hire one person, which limits the potential for access to the broad expertise within an outsourced firm of multiple people - far more collective experience). Been there, done that - is also a case with outsourcing to an MSP. It is likely that most business scenarios will have already been tackled by an MSP - solutions having been identified, implemented, and improved over time - lessons learned by the MSP, rather than the business having to learn those lessons itself.
Discover new opportunities and ideas
The above links in with this, the MSP carries the experience, knowledge and industry awareness to table new ideas and concepts to improve the operational productivity of the business by implementing technological improvements. Something that would likely be subject to trial and error, or missed entirely, if tackled singularly by the business itself.
Improve operational workflow
The time and resources saved, combined with the improvements delivered through the right, effective technology will allow the business to power ahead with a far more effective workflow than without that support.
Ownership
Outsourcing to an external IT partner will to some degree allow the business to outsource the "IT problem". The responsibility and burden that comes with looking after the whole IT picture - from IT performance, to security, to data backup to user training - the responsibility is carried by an MSP with service level agreements in their contract obliging them to deliver above and beyond the expectations of the business.
Our approach to delivering your business transformation through tech is simple, we believe the right tech will integrate seamlessly into your workplace functions and can – if used correctly – have the power to revolutionise the way you work and assist in the growth of your business. We want you to be educated and informed about the way you are using your IT.
Datek beliefs and approach
• Continued innovation - We believe that if you choose us as your MSP we have a duty to continuously look for new, better ways to monitor and manage your IT as efficiently as possible.
• Knowledge - A knowledge of a variety of different businesses, how they work, and what type of support they need now and into the future.
• Education – You do not have to make a ‘headfirst’ approach, we know how daunting it can be to make – what has the potential to be - big changes to your work functions overnight. Instead, we make a gradual transition allowing time for you and others using the new technology to feel comfortable, at no point do we just leave you to your own devices. We will work alongside your staff from the start to ensure they are involved in making decisions, and they will be involved right through to implementation and handover being sure to educate them every step of the way on how to use the new technology. In our experience when a business has its own IT team in-house - that has usually gone slightly stagnant and demoralised in its approach with old tech – can be revitalised by the arrival of an external party with a fresh perspective, new technology and ideas.
• Best practice – We can assure best practice. Understandably once something is working it is left alone right? Wrong! There may be features which do not get explored which may be able to improve the solution being implemented. We have knowledge of how to get the most out of a solution through our extensive history working alongside businesses from different sectors.
• The cost – Reduce your risk and cost. As previously mentioned, we have experience within a variety of different industries, this helps us to avoid problems before they occur. We have good knowledge of what can and cannot integrate and the most cost-effective way of doing this.
We at Datek have the expertise required to guide you down the right path to ensure maximum utilisation of your IT within your business.
We're Datek Solutions
Since 1998 we have been managing IT support, solutions and strategy for a range of clients. We have won awards for our excellent customer service and pride ourselves on being transparent. What you see, is what you get.
What makes us different? We don’t use a one-size fit all approach. We get to know your business and everyone in it, what it needs and how we can support you to give the best solutions at the best possible prices.
Above all this, we are committed to keeping it simple for you. If there’s a solution that your company needs, or you already have and it’s essential we support it, we make sure we know everything there is to know about it.
Contact us on 01753 540000 or email us at contactus@datek.co.uk.
