If your organization lacks IT expertise or your IT team is focused on other initiatives, you may benefit from using a managed service provider.
If you utilize any type of telecommunications solution that isn’t supported by a strong level of IT expertise, you may open your network up to vulnerabilities that may not be apparent to your organization.
Additionally, an overworked IT team may become frustrated while managing too many solutions which can result in the poor management of those solutions.
Poor productivity and efficiency among employees can be a result of poorly managed solutions.
Coeo knows how important a reliable and secure network is to an organization and has delivered thousands of network solutions to customers to improve their network.
We want you to know what a managed service provider is so you can determine if you would benefit from having one.
By the end of this article, you will know what a managed service provider is, the benefits of having one, and if a managed service provider is a good fit for your organization.
What is a managed service provider?
A managed service provider is a third-party organization that provides and remotely monitors an organization's IT infrastructure.
The solutions and services that a managed provider can install and manage range from network security solutions such as managed firewalls and DMZs to communications solutions such as UCaaS and SIP Trunking.
These solutions are integrated to protect the network infrastructure of the customer. Many organizations benefit from using a managed service provider to ensure the best results for their organization.
Benefits of using a managed service provider
There are many benefits of using a managed service provider that delivers, manages, and maintains your IT solutions. These benefits include:
● Cost savings
The first benefit of having a managed service provider is that your organization will likely reduce costs.
If your organization does not have an IT team, you will save money by using a managed service provider rather than paying for an entire team to manage your services.
Although a managed service provider will be less expensive than paying for an entire IT team, it is recommended that you retain at least one IT professional on staff that can help manage your infrastructure.
Since your employees will know more about your organization and your industry than a managed service provider, it is important your organization keep at least one IT expert on your team if possible.
● IT support
A managed service provider brings support to the IT solutions integrated into your organization.
If your organization uses any type of network solutions but has limited IT staff or an IT team that is overwhelmed with other projects, your solutions may underperform and fail to meet their objectives.
While IT solutions integrated into an organization's network are meant to improve the performance and security of your network and phone system, they must be properly managed in order to perform correctly.
If your network solutions aren’t properly managed they may fail to perform correctly and open your network to vulnerabilities, malicious actors, and cyberattacks.
With IT support from a managed service provider, you will have a network that is managed properly and your solutions will be updated regularly to ensure high performance.
● Increased network security
Another benefit of having a managed service provider is increased network security.
Since managed service providers manage and maintain the services, any security solutions in place will be managed professionally by IT experts from the managed service provider.
Managed service providers have the expertise and resources to provide better network security that your internal team is likely to be able to deliver.
● Customizable solutions
A managed service provider will manage and provide IT expertise for you while at the same time, allowing you to customize the solution to meet the needs of your organization.
The combination of customizability and expertise allows your organization to get the exact service you want while knowing it will be managed properly.
● Increased employee productivity
With better network management comes better network connectivity and security.
As a result, your employees will have an easier time connecting to the network and the internet allowing them to work more productively.
Is a managed service provider a good fit for your organization?
Now you know what a managed service provider is and the benefits of using one. After reading this you may be wondering if a managed service provider would be a good fit for your organization.
If your organization has an IT team in place that has the proper capacity and your network connectivity and security is good, you may not need a managed service provider.
However, if your organization does not have an IT team or your IT team is distracted with other projects, or your network reliability and security is poor, you may want to invest in a managed service provider.
Without IT expertise from a managed service provider, you may not know how to properly manage the solution which can open your network to a variety of vulnerabilities.
If the solutions you have integrated into your network are not reliable, it can result in poor productivity and a potential cyberattack. A managed service provider may help with these problems.
Next steps to investing in a managed service provider
Now you know what a managed service provider is, the benefits of having a managed service provider, and whether a managed service provider is a good fit for your organization.
This will help you determine if your organization should invest in a managed service provider.
If you do not have a managed service provider, appropriate IT team capacity, or someone on staff with enough IT expertise to manage network solutions, you may unintentionally open your network up to cyberattacks or operate a poor-performing network.
These issues may cause poor productivity and poor efficiency. As a result, your employees will not be able to perform their tasks properly when your network is not reliable and secure.
Coeo has managed the network solutions for thousands of customers and knows how important a reliable network is to an organization.
We want you to understand what a managed service provider is and the benefits of having one so you can determine if your organization should invest in a managed service provider.
If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about managed service providers or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.
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