How Managed Services Help Reduce Business and IT Risk
Back in the day, many small to midsize businesses (SMBs) employed a person affectionately known as the “IT guy.” This IT generalist took care of routine maintenance and updates, added and removed users, made sure that key applications stayed up and running, and resolved any problems with desktops, servers and the network. If the company decided to upgrade systems or implement a new technology or application, the IT guy managed the project.
Just as cars have become too sophisticated for most shade-tree mechanics, IT environments have become too complex for one IT guy to manage. Servers, virtualization, storage, security systems and other gear require the know-how of specialists who understand the ins and outs of a particular technology.
However, few SMBs have the budget to hire a team of qualified experts to support the IT environment. That’s one reason why it makes sense to outsource IT operations and support to a managed services provider such as IronLogix. IronLogix has made significant investments in hiring and training personnel with expertise in a wide range of IT disciplines. Instead of one “IT guy,” IronLogix customers gain access to a bench of engineers and technicians who work in concert to maintain systems and rapidly troubleshoot problems.
Overcoming Staffing Challenges
By partnering with IronLogix, customers also gain the resources they need without the ongoing burden of salaries and benefits. SMBs seldom need a full-time server specialist, network engineer or desktop technician, so it doesn’t make sense to hire full-time staff in each of those disciplines. At IronLogix, we put our team to work for multiple customers, making it much more cost-effective for each customer to take advantage of our expertise.
Many SMBs also find it difficult to retain high-quality IT staff in a competitive market. Skilled engineers become bored supporting the same environment day in, day out. They also worry about keeping their skills up-to-date if they aren’t given the opportunity to obtain training and work on new technologies.
The IronLogix team gets to support a wide range of customer environments and receive certifications from leading manufacturers. There are opportunities for growth and advancement that typically aren’t possible in a small IT shop.
Even if an organization can find one person capable of handling all of its IT needs, relying on one individual can be risky. People get sick and go on vacation. Relationships sour. There have been situations where the lone IT guy literally holds the company hostage because only he knows the server passwords.
A Team of Skilled Professionals
And many times, executive management doesn’t know enough to realize that the “IT guy” is actually hampering operations. Companies often pay a longtime employee to keep a legacy IT environment up and running, when some strategic upgrades could save the organization a lot of money and improve operations. The in-house IT person may face a steep learning curve when it comes to implementing and managing the latest solutions.
When you partner with IronLogix, you’re not relying on one person — you get an entire team with diverse skill sets and experience with the latest solutions. You will be supported 365 days a year by multiple individuals who are familiar with your environment and partner with your in-house IT staff to ensure that all of your technology needs are covered.
IronLogix managed services are designed to help SMBs minimize downtime and maximize productivity by outsourcing IT maintenance, management and support. Let us help you streamline your IT infrastructure to improve performance, availability and security, and provide the IT skills needed to keep your organization running smoothly.