Monthly Archives: April 2021

Debunking 7 Myths About Managed IT Services – Part 2

Manage Service, ,
Team of diverse IT services employees working in an office with different computers.

Providing quality customer service is just one feature a managed service company brings to the table

Welcome back and thanks for joining us for part two of our segment on the seven myths of managed IT Services.  If you missed the first part, please check out myths 1 through 3 posted last week by clicking here

Myth 4: Managed IT Teams Won’t Work with In-House IT

A darker version of the same myth is the idea that an MSP will refuse to work with in-house or even insist that you fire any in-house IT on your team. This is patently ridiculous.  Managed IT teams often rely on teamwork with in-house in order to fully understand and manage their part of the company’s technical tasks. They’re often our favorite people in the company because we work together so often and collaborate to most practically split up the mountain of technical management, service provision, and upgrades that take place inside a modern business.

Myth 5: A Managed IT Team Can’t Care About Your System Like In-House Will

Another myth floating around is that a managed IT team will be indifferent to the needs of our company. The idea is that outsourced outsiders just don’t have the same passion or investment in your business systems, so they won’t put their heart into the work. The reality is that passion is an individual factor, but professionalism is a powerful force. A managed IT team stakes their reputation and future client trust on their dedication to each system they work on. If there was really a lack of passion for strong security and well-built systems, then there would be no successful manage IT businesses from which to outsource.

Managed IT teams often care deeply about the integrity of the servers, networks, and tech-stacks they work with.  While your in-house team may also be dedicated don’t underestimate the passion for good systems that an MSP team can bring to the table.

Myth 6: Working with Managed IT Can Compromise Your Cybersecurity

Many businesses  worry about protecting their servers and cybersecurity. This is a good worry to have in a hacker-rich environment. However, sharing your server’s credentials and hiring a managed IT team to take care of your tech is the exact opposite of bad for cybersecurity. Your device, network, and cloud security are about to get a major tune-up, one that in-house IT may have been unable to take care of with work piling up.

Remember again that a managed IT business goes in with their reputation on the line. If any team became associated with compromised security, they would have a hard time keeping other business clients. Therefore, your MSP will naturally be dedicated to both providing great cybersecurity integrations to your software and absolutely ensuring that they are not the cause of any security weakness.

Myth 7: All Managed IT Teams are the Same

Last but certainly not least is the myth that every managed IT and MSP business provides the same services at similar prices for comparable results. Just like any industry, managed IT service teams are hardly identical from business to business. One team may specialize in web servers, another may have a crack team of cybersecurity specialists. As we mentioned earlier, some MSPs focus on big enterprise services while most provide a variety of helpful and cost-effective technical services for small to medium sized businesses.

No two managed IT service teams are completely alike, even if they do offer similar services to the same types of businesses. It’s always worth your while to compare your options before choosing a managed IT provider for your business.

There are myths and false rumors floating around about every industry, and the truth is just as easy to find. These myths come from anecdotes, misunderstandings, and often from baseless conjecture around the water cooler. To find out more truths about managed IT services or to discover the benefits for yourself, contact us today!

Debunking 7 Myths About Managed IT Services – Part 1

Manage Service, , ,
Team of diverse managed IT services provider working in an office and using computers to attend to tasks.

How well do you understand the benefits of Managed IT Services?

Managed IT, sometimes called a Managed Service Provider or MSP, is an outsourced team who help to manage our business’s technical aspects. An MSP team traditionally helps to build and maintain your software stack, servers, and cybersecurity among a myriad of other computer-related duties that they can take on. Managed IT teams are great at stepping in wherever a business needs more IT support, whether that’s becoming your entire IT department or taking on the overflow IT work that has overwhelmed in-house IT.

However, because managed IT tasks are so custom-tailored to the needs of each client, it’s also easy for misconceptions and myths to form. One company’s experience with a managed IT service likely won’t mirror another’s, even if the two businesses are in the same industry and of similar size. After all, the behind-the-scenes tech-stack of software, hardware, and workflow choices are unique to each and every business.

As managed IT providers ourselves, we’re here to help clear up some of the confusion floating around the business water cooler and debunk a few managed IT myths. Many of the top-seven MSP myths are paired as opposites of each other to point out how contradictory these industry assumptions really are.

Myth 1: Managed IT is Only for Startups and Stop-Gap

The first myth is that managed IT is only for teams who are desperate for an IT team, like startups and emergency stop-gap measures. It’s true that startups often benefit from the full-service approach of an MPS, where all the business-tech bases are already covered from network security to software and app integration. It’s also true that businesses experiencing a technical emergency have rescued deadlines and recovered from hacks by temporarily bringing a managed IT onboard. However, the benefits of working with an MSP go beyond filling a vital gap in your workflow. MSPs also offer a great deal of benefit to medium and large businesses, and provide steady support services to stable businesses that aren’t in a technical tail-spin.

Myth 2: Managed IT is an Expensive Luxury

On the flip-side of the myth that managed IT is only for startups is the myth that MSPs are an expensive luxury. This is often accompanied with the assumption that only large enterprises can really benefit from outsourcing to a managed IT team.  The idea is that all managed IT services cost a similar amount, which is too high for normal businesses to reasonably invest in.

In truth, managed IT services very widely in style and pricing. Some large MSPs are geared to cater primarily to large enterprises, but most are actually focused on small to medium businesses who are looking to optimize costs. This means that most managed IT services are priced to be practical and particularly to save money for smaller businesses.

Myth 3: You Don’t Need Managed IT if You Have In-House IT

Managed IT and in-house IT are not directly interchangeable. In many businesses, the two groups work together and split duties based on what makes the most sense. For example, your in-house IT may focus on day-to-day server maintenance and inter-office tech support while the managed IT team takes on the time-consuming projects like reconfiguring your tech-stack after an update. This leaves your in-house team free to take care of business-as-usual without getting overwhelmed by the occasional large projects or big-picture oversights.

If you have an in-house IT team, they might be the most enthusiastic about hiring an MSP as recipients for their back-log and overflow of technical tasks. Outsourcing can lead to the man-power needed for both backlogged maintenance tasks and special projects.

Stay tuned for part two on debunking the myths about IT Managed Services or if you would like to discuss more ahead of time, Contact us today!

4 Common VoIP Adoption Mistakes To Avoid

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VOIP customer support concept, showing person using VOIP headset and computer.

Things to know before choosing VoIP phone systems.

If you have been searching for costs savings, improvements in efficiency, production, and mobility, investing in a Voice over Internet Protocol(VoIP) solution could help you achieve what you have been dreaming about. Due to the long list of VoIP vendors and the variety of features they offer, many prospective VoIP clients may feel hesitant about choosing a VoIP vendor.

One of the toughest decisions you will have to make will not be whether or not you should choose a VoIP provider, but which provider should you choose. You do not want to fall victim to common pitfalls and mistakes that many businesses and individuals make when choosing a VoIP provider.

Transitioning to VoIP

Making the transition to VoIP should not be one of the hardest things you’ve ever had to do, nor should it lead to an extreme decrease in call quality because you want to save money. The technology behind VoIP solutions is not complex. It is important to have an understanding of VoIP solutions and the features they offer so you will not make any major mistakes that can harm your business.

Mistake #1: Choosing an Inexperienced Provider

One of the biggest mistakes that people make is choosing a provider that does not have a great amount of experience. It is important to choose a provider that has experience providing solutions for businesses and organizations for the industry you are in. If you choose a VoIP provider that does not have experience in the industry you are a part of, the VoIP provider may not be able to get a hold on what your business or organization needs.

Mistake #2: Not Properly Assessing Bandwidth

It is not difficult to underestimate or overestimate the bandwidth that you will need to support VoIP, especially if there is not a constant in your call volume. If you have excessive bandwidth, you can overspend. On the other hand, underestimating your bandwidth can lead to the following:

  • Poor call quality
  • Inconsistency in your call service
  • A reduction in your internet speed

If you do not have the right amount of bandwidth, the VoIP provider will not be able to provide you with the high-quality services you need. It is important to properly assess your bandwidth so you will be able to choose a provider that can support your bandwidth.

Mistake #3: Choosing A Provider Without A BDR Plan

As a business owner or a business manager, one of your worst nightmares would be to have your business go down for a significant period of time. What will happen if your business experiences an outage or breach and you are not able to recover from it? If you choose a VoIP provider that does not have a Backup and Disaster Recovery(BDR) plan, it will be very difficult for you to recover.

This is why it is so important to choose a VoIP provider that has a solid backup plan. Power outages, natural disasters, data breaches, etc. can all happen at any time, but having a BDR plan will give you a better chance at recovering.

Mistake #4: Not Considering Additional Costs

One of the major mistakes that many businesses and organizations make when it comes to VoIP is failing to consider all the costs. There may be additional costs that you will need to consider when it comes to VoIP, and it is important to ask the right questions so there will not be any surprises.

The costs and fees you will be expected to pay will depend on multiple factors, including your current phone and your network. Do not be afraid to ask the right questions about costs and fees so there will not be any surprises down the road.

What strategies will you implement to ensure you are prepared for a VoIP implementation? If you do not want to make any of the common VoIP mistakes, contact one of our experts today.