IT support is one of those things that you don’t appreciate until something goes badly wrong. There are two options for IT support.
You have Dave the computer guy. This is the one-man firm that supports you. You normally have to conform to their schedule to get support. Managed IT services, on the other hand, involve multiple professionals running the operation. These tend to be available 24/7.
So why should you choose a managed service provider instead?
Better Service
According to Small Business Computing, 9 out of 10 small business owners said that they had received better service by working with a managed service provider. And it’s not hard to see why
A one-man organization relies entirely on a single person. If the person running it isn’t particularly customer friendly, or they’ve simply had a bad day, you won’t get the service you deserve.
This isn’t the same as an organization run by multiple people at the same time. You’re far more likely to always get someone who treats you in the right way.
Time Constraints
A one-man organization can only remain open for so long. They have to sleep sooner or later. This always puts them at a severe disadvantage when comparing them with managed providers.
Managed service providers can set their staff to work through the day and through the night. For a business, this is crucial because it gives them access to support 24 hours every day.
Another important point to remember is you’re going to get a far quicker resolution to your problem. They can also work on the problem around the clock. Remember, it’s not just about initial response times. It’s about how quickly they can solve the issue you’re contacting them about.
Evolution of Services
A large company specializing in IT support can evolve and change all the time. They can send their staff members away on courses without having to shut everything down and disappoint their customers.
One-man organizations can’t learn and provide their services at the same time. There are simply not enough hours in the day. The technology industry constantly changes, and you need your service provider to keep up with you.
Let’s look at the evolution of cloud computing as an example. Today, over half of all businesses in North America use cloud computing in some form. Go back two or three years and you have less than a quarter of businesses actively using cloud computing.
It requires a quick evolution to keep up with what’s going on in the world of technology and business. Managed IT support is setup in such a way as to make it easy to keep up with what’s going on.
Overall, it’s clear that one-man IT support is completely inferior. It hamstrings your business and makes it much harder to acquire a speedy resolution to your IT problem.