So much of an organization's success relies on technology and the services that its IT department delivers on a day-to-day basis. Today, more and more organizations are working on a reduced or static budget and fewer resources while being responsible for a network that must be available at all times and working at peak performance to keep the organization running. Business leaders also need to lead their organizations with an eye towards the future. It's no surprise that so many business leaders are feeling a little overburdened.
Organizations of all sizes and in all industries are prioritizing investments in technology, with 38% of organizations using MSPs to manage more than half of their IT needs in 2021(an increase from 25% in 2020). It's no surprise, as most organizations in today's landscape would prefer to focus more on their main functions and not the inconvenience and frustration of monitoring and maintaining internal IT functions. From leveraging 24/7 monitoring and maintenance to utilizing IT consulting services to develop a backup and disaster recovery plan, there are many reasons why CIOS are turning to consultancies and managed services.
In the past, IT outsourcing was viewed as an expense that many CIOs and business leaders preferred not to take on. Today, IT sourcing is being viewed differently. When implemented by a skilled and experienced IT provider, outsourced IT services will be a game-changer. Outsourced IT services allow for rapid growth to match the pace of your organization, ultimately becoming a key factor in your organization's existing and future success.
Since October 2021, we have seen rising interest from larger SMB and small mid-market organizations in outsourcing some or all of their infrastructure management. We have been observing an escalating talent war since the beginning of the pandemic, but as more organizations recover economically, they will likely want to make some key technology investments to accelerate their growth and resolve issues with their existing technology that were uncovered by the changes from the central office to large numbers of remote workers. The difficulty in hiring staff across the entire organization is also driving CIOs to make technology investments that will either increase the productivity of existing staff or eliminate the need to rehire.
They Are Surrounded by a Team of IT Experts
When partnering with a managed service provider (MSP), you are not just bringing in someone to add to your IT department, you are bringing in a team of IT experts that have extensive knowledge, skills, and experience managing, maintaining, and troubleshooting existing and future technologies. The right managed service provider (MSP) can use its team's knowledge base to create a customized solution designed for your organization that improves efficiency, productivity, and helps you sustain a high level of growth and success. Managed service providers utilize best practices and industry standards to ensure solid processes are in place at all times. By partnering with a managed service provider, CIOs are able to have their incidents addressed and resolved within a short period of time, which will lead to increased uptime.
Allows CIOs to Focus On IT Strategies
What we have observed amongst our own clients is that the most successful CIOs recognize that their existing IT staff generally have the most knowledge of the organization's internal processes and line-of-business applications. Having those staff members handle infrastructure management, maintenance, and Level 1 end-user support is a big waste of that knowledge, provides little room for career growth, and often increases the risk of losing the best staff members to a more attractive position elsewhere. Shifting the IT work that does not move the needle for the organization to an MSP allows for the transition of existing staff to a better career path and more rewarding project work. Many of these CIOs also discover that MSPs have better maintenance and reporting tools, and are much more thorough at handling these core infrastructure and support functions, and are particularly effective for those organizations that have IT compliance requirements.
Partnering with Grok Technology Services allows your organization's internal IT staff to focus on more strategic initiatives, better customer/client experiences, and projects that drive revenue and growth. An experienced managed service provider like Grok Technology Services will become the partner your organization needs and not a replacement for your dedicated internal IT department. We will support your organization by doing the following:
In our forever evolving and quickly pivoting MSP space, our advantages are becoming clearer. Internal IT departments, with their limited staffing capacity and minimal exposure to systems outside what they're used to, often find it hard to stay on top of the latest technology and security trends. One of our advantages as an MSP is exposure to many systems and platforms across our very different clients. This gives us the knowledge and real-world experience to properly steer our clients in the right direction depending on their needs. An internal IT team may need to be trained and familiarized with a new platform, while an MSP would likely have already done multiple deployments of the same system and bring to the table real-world experience which will ultimately save time and money.
Outsourcing IT is complex, but it offers a variety of benefits for your organization if you choose the right provider. Ensure you have a deep level of understanding of your IT needs and everything your environment requires, and that the MSP's services and solutions align with your existing and future business goals. Contact Grok Technology Services today.
Thanks to our friends at Velocity IT in Dallas for their help with this article.
