The Benefits of Cloud-Based Services with a Managed IT Services Provider in Raleigh

With different, new technology coming on-line and becoming increasingly accessible to businesses in Raleigh, the way that business work needs to change too. A managed IT services company helps clients to adjust to these changes by recommending effective, safe options that allow their clients access to capitalize on technological advancements.

One of the most important factors of today’s ‘sharing economy’ is the ability of businesses to leverage cloud-based businesses that offer longer-term benefits such as low capital investment, monthly costs that are predictable, solutions that can scale and, importantly, offer reliability.

Cloud-Based Services Have Low Capital Investment

As a business owner, you may be concerned about the cost of switching to cloud services because, at least upfront, there may be an initial cost to implementing a cloud-based server. But it’s important to look at the bigger picture. Cloud services offer operational efficiencies that should be considered with a longer-term view, taking into account ROI rather than the initial capital outlay.

But these capital investments are usually lower than expected. With managed IT services, a business can utilize shared resources that are hosted remotely, saving on expensive hardware costs. Importantly, switching to cloud services reducing data storage costs significantly, while employees still have quick access to the files that they need. 

High Levels of Reliability

Using cloud technology is reliable as regular, scheduled backups ensure that businesses are protected against the failure of physical hard drives. And, because cloud-based service providers regularly update their technology, the business will not need to upgrade their own technology as frequently. 

Cloud-based security is very tight with private cloud, secured storage space, and data encryption that allows businesses to reduce their own security risk. Studies show that businesses who switch to cloud servers see an improvement in security which, in many cases, makes it easier to meet their compliance requirements. 

Cloud services have disaster recovery options that are second to none. Because natural disasters aren’t easy to predict, cloud storage will allow a business to continue normal operations even in the midst of a natural disaster.

Accurate, Predictable Monthly Costs

With cloud services, businesses can pay on a monthly basis or the resources that they need, which ensures that they only need to pay for what they use. In contrast, with a traditional system, payment is all upfront, regardless of whether you use all the features and capacity or not. Cloud services, therefore, help to lower costs and make monthly expenditures easier to predict. 

Scalable Solutions

When a business taps into the cloud infrastructure, they access the ability to scale on demand. This means that as workloads increase (or decrease) the cloud solution can scale with it and so businesses are able to maximize their use of resources. As a business owner, therefore, you only need to pay for what you’re using, but you’re not limited into the future should your needs increase (in which case cloud resources will be increased) or decrease (in which case resources will be scaled back). The costs scaling increase or decrease accordingly making it a long-term affordable solution. 

The Role of Managed IT Services Providers

Managing cloud services for a business requires specialist knowledge of both the cloud technology as well as the business using the infrastructure. This makes working with a managed IT company invaluable. Outsourced IT takes the worry out of cloud services for businesses as they are available to educate employees if necessary, facilitate the change over to cloud technology and ensure business continuity and data safety.
Mobile Computer Services in Raleigh offers managed IT services for local businesses. They are able to offer cost savings and improved efficiencies as they lead the way in assisting their clients to adopt new cloud-based technologies to benefit the businesses' bottom line.

Are IT Support Services or Internal IT Staff the Best Option for Businesses in Wake Forest?

Technology is a non-negotiable, inescapable part of today’s business environment. So whether a business uses outsourced IT support services, or an internal IT staff member or team, it is vital for businesses to have the support they need to ensure that the correct IT system for their business is implemented, that it is proactively managed, and that it provides security and continued uptime.

A slow network, unforeseen outages, or security issues can have a serious, negative impact on the productivity of a business and their ability to service customers effectively. In turn, this has an impact on the company’s bottom line.

Since technology forms an integral, expensive part of most companies, it’s important to make an informed decision when choosing managed IT services or to keep them inhouse.

What to Expect with Internally Managed IT

For most businesses, this will mean having a single go-to person for any tech or IT-related issues. They’ll address any issues that come up, but may not be proactively working towards developing robust systems that will ensure that the business is secure and will continue to function optimally into the future.

In addition, it is likely that highly qualified IT professionals may have their time tied up with small IT fixes and user-issues, preventing them from making the bigger changes that are needed. They’re likely to be intimately familiar with the systems that the business uses, but that may keep them from viewing the technology solutions objectively, causing the business to fall behind as newer, more efficient technologies become available. 

Another cause for concern is the cost of an internal IT department. An experienced IT professional will come with a high price tag, often upwards of $60,000 per year. This is a large expense to incur, and it may not be the only costs that the IT department incurs if they are not able to handle all the IT issues resulting in outsourcing in some cases. Factor in continued training and the cost of replacing them if they resign (which is a real risk with IT professionals being in such high demand) and the expenses begin to mount up quickly. And all this is without taking into account the IT equipment and software that they will need to do their job properly.

How IT Support Services Differ

With IT support services, the costs are predictable. The company can choose the services that they need for a fixed monthly fee. This saves money on software, unexpected overhead expenses and staff turnover.  It also frees up company employees to focus on meeting business goals rather than sorting out their own internal IT-related issues. 

The business will also benefit from access to the latest technology at no extra cost. As objective IT service providers, they will source and utilize the best brands to ensure that their customers have a bespoke solution that is a good match for their needs. These solutions will be selected to cover all aspects of the business from cloud-based backups, remote monitoring and management and, importantly, the latest network security protocols. This research and implementation would otherwise need to be done by the business owner or a hired internal staff member.

With outsourced IT services, the business has access to industry veterans and a larger team so that IT issues can always be handled efficiently as there are back-up professionals in place, rather than relying on a single in-house person. The training and certifications are also handled by the managed IT company, rather than being another unexpected expense that the company needs to incur.

Ultimately, the best choice will depend on the needs of the business. Computer support and services professionals, Mobile Computer Solutions in Wake Forest, NC specializes in helping businesses make the move from managing IT internally, to an externally managed solution offering hand-on support, and round the clock monitoring.