Ever found yourself wishing for an extra set of hands in the IT department? Dreamed of a trusty sidekick to handle those tedious tasks that crop up day after day? Enter a Managed Service Provider—the superhero ready to supercharge your team’s efficiency and revolutionize your daily operations.
Learn how outsourcing IT is reshaping IT workflows and freeing professionals to tackle bigger challenges.
What’s the Buzz About Outsourcing IT?
Outsourced IT is all about leveraging software to perform repeatable tasks, cutting down on as much as a quarter of the work week on manual tasks.
Instead of handling every minor to-do list item or firefighting common issues, in-house IT teams can give those tasks over to a managed service provider.
Let’s delve into the challenges that most IT departments face: deploying software and updates to an entire organization. This process, when done manually, is not only time-consuming but also fraught with potential inconsistencies and errors.
Challenges With Taking Care of the IT Workload Yourself
- IT personnel have to manually install or update software on each machine, which can mean visiting hundreds of workstations, leading to inconsistencies if some are missed.
- The versioning of the software may vary if employees attempt personal updates or if new employees join at different times.
- Each manual installation or update poses a risk of human error—incorrect configurations, missed steps, or the wrong version installed.
- Tracking licenses can be challenging and inconsistent.
How Using a Managed Service Provider Helps Eliminate Those Challenges
Your MSP will be focused solely on helping you and your in-house team maximize your technology. Here’s how they’ll do it:
- Automated Deployment: IT personnel can remotely deploy software to all workstations from a central location. Whether it’s the initial installation or an update, the process is the same and ensures that every machine has the required software without physical intervention.
- Consistent Versioning: Your MSP ensures that every workstation has the same software version, eliminating compatibility issues and security vulnerabilities.
- Scheduled Updates: Updates can be scheduled for off-peak hours (e.g., overnight) to minimize disruptions. If a critical security patch is released, the tool can be configured to deploy it immediately to all systems.
- License Management: Your MSP will monitor software licenses, ensuring your firm stays compliant and can manage renewals or procurement efficiently.
- Feedback and Reporting: Post-deployment, the IT team receives reports on which installations or updates were successful and which, if any, faced issues. This allows for targeted troubleshooting instead of manually checking each workstation.
Top 5 Benefits That an MSP Gives Your Business
If you want to get the most out of your IT systems, a managed service provider can help you with these 5 services:
- Software Deployment and Updates: Centralized software deployment tools can push updates or new software installations across the entire organization. This ensures that all systems remain updated, reducing vulnerabilities and compatibility issues.
The Forum Info-Tech team works overnight so that your daily operations aren’t impacted—we know how expensive that downtime can be!
- Network Monitoring and Alerts: Network monitoring tools scan the infrastructure for irregularities. If the server goes down or there’s unusual traffic hinting at a potential breach, the system instantly alerts the IT team, enabling quicker resolutions.
Through our Network Care, we’re always on the lookout for advanced threats and our team springs into action immediately to make repairs and stop potential threats.
- Help Desk Ticketing System: Modern ticketing systems can auto-categorize issues, prioritize them, and even route them to the appropriate team member based on the issue’s nature. This reduces response times and enhances customer or user satisfaction.
With the Forum Info-Tech Workspace, you can add a ticket directly without sending an email or making a call. We’ll take care of it and your workday won’t skip a beat.
- Security Patch Management: With the constant threat of cyberattacks, timely security patch application is crucial. Our team will keep an eye on all of your patches—from your servers to your workspace.
- Backup and Disaster Recovery: With our Network and Server Care, you can create a backup plan that covers every angle. In case of data loss or disasters, recovery processes can restore systems to the last best configuration, minimizing downtime.
Successfully Working With a Managed Service Provider—3 Key Practices
Outsourcing IT is about optimizing resources, ensuring consistency, and setting the stage for innovation. It’s a step forward into a more streamlined and efficient IT landscape.
- Clear Goal Setting: Understand the bottlenecks you aim to address with outsourced IT. Is it to free up staff time, reduce errors, or perhaps ensure faster response times?
- Engage Your In-House IT Team: The insights from your team members can be invaluable. They can highlight which tasks consume the most time or which repetitive issues they constantly face.
- Continuous Communication: Once you’ve done onboarding, regularly review with your MSP. Tell them if their services are meeting your needs and adjust accordingly.
Interested in Doubling the Effectiveness of Your IT Team?
Take the next step in IT excellence with Forum Info-Tech. With our tailored solutions and dedicated experts, we provide the support and insights you need to optimize your technology operations.
Schedule a free consultation today.
