How are small businesses convinced to recognize the value of managed IT services? Start-up companies are typically driven by entrepreneurs or C-level execs. When we meet the owners or decision makers at smaller companies and organizations, we understand who they are. They’re visionaries. They’re risk takers. They’re competitive…. and they want to be in charge.
Therefore, they aren’t always quick to place the fate of their business technology in the hands of a third party. They’ve come as far as they have by being in control and they’re hesitant to give up that control. But we’ve learned a few things along the way.
Key Points: Small business owners are both highly independent and very competitive. These characteristics play well into the competitive advantage that managed IT service model provides vs. those companies that don’t consider IT strategically or skimp and try to maintain systems in house.
But those businesses we bring on board are committed to the efficiency, security, and stability of their business technology to see our value proposition. And they recognize that managing their IT infrastructure is an investment they consider to be vital to their success.
So here are a few things we commonly have to address before any deal for managed IT services is signed.
Is my business large enough to even consider managed services?
The truth is, any company, regardless of its size or the number of people they employ, will run more efficiently if its technology is monitored, maintained, and managed properly.
These are facets of your operations that drive profitability and give you a competitive edge. You can rest easy whenever business is booming because your technology is built to sustain growth.
How is making another IT investment a cost-savings move for my business?
Many SMBs feel a greater focus and investment should go towards their core operations or marketing and sales…those who only worry about technology when it breaks (known as the “Break and Fix” model). Others will just use Office/Staples/Costco warehouses for their IT purchases, often making purchases based on price only without consideration of long term value or other efficiencies.
There are some very obvious flaws to this strategy.
- Business often pay way too much when it’s way too late – Many issues are likely preventable with early detection are escalated into a full blown business disruption requiring expensive on-call emergency technician plus hardware replacement costs, causing downtime and productivity delays. Being Proactive vs. Reactive to technology issues is important!
- Don’t forget productivity killers – It’s taking your employees too long to boot their computers. Servers and applications are running slowly. Employee devices are full of Malware. Non-technical employees are running around troubleshooting tech problems. If you see this, your present approach to IT management is killing employee productivity and your bottom line.
- What happens internally is noticed externally – Don’t think for a second that customers or clients don’t notice outdated or slow internal technology and mismanagement. If your site or applications are down often, run slowly, or your customer service rep tells them “I’m sorry, our system is down”, they’re noticing and it’s hurting your business.
When all is said and done, professionally managed IT services will give you a competitive edge, guarantee your business is always leveraging proven cutting-edge technology, and enhance your relationships with customers and clients – all while reducing costs.
Contact us at Technology’s Edge
