What Is Managed IT Services and What's Included?
Getting an understanding of what it is and what’s covered.
What Does Managed IT Services Mean?
Managed services is ongoing support provided by an IT service provider, for a fixed monthly fee. It involves proactive monitoring and maintenance along with priority support and user and device management, to keep IT systems operating at peak performance.
Not only do issues get resolved quickly, businesses have access to the latest technology and innovative solutions that can maximise productivity as well as increase profits. It is designed to take the worry and hassle out of IT, and being part of a service level agreement means you know how much it will cost, and the outcomes you should expect.
What Is Included In Managed Services?
Get everything you’d expect from an inhouse IT department – at a much lower cost. You can focus on business while your IT is taken care of. Managed IT should include:
On call remote help whenever you need it with guaranteed response times. Remote support ensure issues can be addressed quickly so there is little or no impact to productivity
Regular assessment of hardware. This highlights which systems are due for replacement before they fail or result in unnecessary downtime. Network weaknesses should also be checked on a regular basis to ensure vulnerabilities are fixed before cybercriminals get a chance. By detecting issues at an early stage, disasters can be prevented.
A good MSP has monitoring tools to ensure consistent uptime. This keeps business productivity at its peak, whilst ensuring no risk of financial loss due to systems being down.
The need for data security is more important than ever, so you need to know your data is secure and safe from hacking, data theft and ransomware. Firewalls should also be in place to detect and prevent network intrusion. Compliance with relevant regulations is also a vital role of an MSP.
Data loss can be devastating for any business, so in the case of a disaster such as damage to premises or fatal system crash, you need to know your systems will be back up and operational as quickly as possible. All good managed IT services should include disaster recovery processes, to ensure downtime is kept to a minimum and all data is safe.
Experts that are on your side and that can help you to implement and manage the best technologies to meet your business objectives. A good MSP will align technology with your business, help you with business direction, give you regular updates on new products, and spot opportunities for process and system improvements.
Response times should be guaranteed, and clearly defined in the service level agreement.
Detailed notes and diagrams of systems, network configurations, passwords, licencing, and guides for specific setups. This will ensure efficiency of ongoing support and maintenance, and ease of upgrades or enhancements when they are due. A good MSP should grant access to this documentation on request.
Full visibility of the health and status of your IT systems, with detailed monthly reporting.
To determine whether you need Managed Services, ask yourself these questions:
- Do you have trouble free IT and systems?
- Are computers and network devices secured and update to date?
- Are systems monitored to ensure they are running smoothly and at the best efficiency?
- Are your staff happy with the IT experience in your organisation?
- Is your data secure and backups regularly tested?
- Are internal staff free from dealing with IT issues?
What Is Managed Infrastructure?
Provides dedicated resources on high-grade, fail safe servers to support core business applications. Utilising managed infrastructure means businesses can take advantage of quality equipment in secure data centres, cutting capital costs, and saving on physical office space. It is commonly referred to as virtual hosting.
What Are Managed Solutions?
Typically, a business solution that is administered by a third party. Managed solutions include ongoing services like support, updates and monitoring. TechPath managed solutions include Managed IT, Managed Backup, Managed Antivirus, Cloud PBX, and Cloud Antivirus.
What Are Cloud Managed Services?
What Are Managed Services for Office 365?
What are the next steps?
Looking to remove the IT distractions from your day? Find out how Managed IT Services can benefit your business. Contact TechPath to schedule a free strategy session.
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