Many companies in Dallas outsource their IT needs to a third party company. In fact, the practice is becoming almost ubiquitous. Most modern competitive businesses in are in the outsourcing game. 

For many growing Texas businesses who still manage IT in-house, however, the common question is why? Why do so many organizations in the Dallas area choose to rely on a third-party provider to manage their IT instead of doing it themselves?

In this article, we’ll outline several reasons why managed IT services have become so popular in commercial hubs like Dallas and what your business can do to gain a competitive edge in your technology management:

Managed IT Services and How They Benefit Your Business

When businesses are small (between 1-15 employees), they may start out maintaining their IT infrastructure themselves, or have one IT specialist on staff who can manage major aspects of their IT. 

However, as they grow and start adding employees, IT support needs can become overwhelming, and many companies seek bigger IT teams. Rather than pay to hire on several different in-house specialists, however, companies generally choose the more efficient route of outsourcing their IT to a single managed service provider. 

A Managed IT Services company provides businesses with teams of seasoned professionals who offer total IT management services—including cybersecurity and disaster recovery planning, risk assessments, software upgrades, security regulation compliance, and more. Outsourcing this support reduces stress and provides your business with access to a greater number of resources at an affordable price.

Here are some of the main benefits of hiring a managed IT service provider:

1. It Is Cost-Effective

Perhaps the biggest reason why so many business execs choose to outsource their IT operations is that it is cost-effective.

Hiring in-house IT staff isn’t cheap. Not only do you have to pay a regular salary for each member of your IT team or department, but you’re also usually on the hook for taxes, healthcare expenses, insurance costs, employee benefits, and other liabilities. It’s also not always easy to attract and retain skilled, qualified IT service professionals for the specific services your business needs.

Hiring an IT service provider, by contrast, is much cheaper and more efficient. You don’t have to worry about payroll, insurance, tax liability, or accounting complexities. All you need to do is pay a monthly fee and, in return, gain access dozens of support services. Managed IT service companies act as a sort of one-stop-shop for all your IT needs. Additionally, the total cost of outsourcing your IT can cost as low as one salaried employee, making it a viable option for businesses on a budget.

2. You Get Access to an Entire IT Team Instantly

So far, we’ve compared the value of an IT service provider to a single, salaried employee. This comparison, however, applies exclusively to cost, as an IT service provider has much greater access to resources and different skillsets than a single IT specialist will.

An IT service provider offers a team of highly skilled professionals with diverse backgrounds in a variety of different IT specialties. That means they have the expertise your business needs to address every IT issue. They are also much more efficient, as they can produce greater output than a single specialist can and can therefore resolve issues quicker.

3. It Mitigates Downtime and Security Risks

Modern companies face both great benefits as well as risky downsides to depending almost completely on technology for their business operations. On the one hand, technology provides them with a means for streamlining processes and serving their customers more quickly, but on the other hand, they are a severe source of security risk and can inhibit operations when downtime occurs. As many businesses in Dallas have discovered over the years, networks can go down at any time, leading to loss of income and revenue. 

However, as it’s generally not wise for competitive businesses to reduce technology within their offices, it’s becoming more and more important to hire IT support that understands the impact security risks and extended periods of downtime can have on business production and brand image. 

Reliable managed IT service providers will make it a priority to monitor your IT systems and search for possible issues before they can affect your systems or hinder productivity. Third-party service providers are trained to proactively prevent cyberattacks, interrupt suspicious data packets, and root out malware that could impact your business so you don’t have to deal with the stress of a potential data breach. 

Furthermore, MSPs can expedite software updates and resolve compatibility issues to ensure systems are working at maximum efficiency with little risk of downtime. They also typically offer 24/7 emergency support to ensure damaging IT issues are solved on the spot, even after business hours.

Compare this to the standard state of affairs with in-house IT. If there’s a cyberattack, you usually don’t know until your systems stop working, and you may have to wait hours or even days for your specialist to implement a fix. The damage that can  Since your single specialist is usually dedicating time to more pressing IT issues each day, regular maintenance can fall by the wayside and lead to longer periods of downtime. Hiring an MSP to implement comprehensive cybersecurity helps your business avoid catastrophes like these and stay ahead of regular updates and maintenance to ensure your IT infrastructure remains healthy.

4. It Boosts Productivity And Operational Efficiency

Quality IT service providers in Dallas don’t just prevent cyberattacks, data loss, and downtime; they also provide tools that help businesses enhance their operational efficiency and staff productivity. 

IT service providers dedicate themselves to continually learning which new computing tools will help specific companies carry out their operations more efficiently. They make product recommendations and service updates that will improve workflow and communication between employees. 

One prominent example is cloud solutions. You might still be relying on a desktop computer-based network where each worker has to sit at a specific terminal connected to a particular server. The world has moved on considerably from this setup, thanks to the cloud, and today there are many more options than there were in the past to store your data securely. There are also private cloud options that allow you to maintain greater internal control of your data.

IT service providers create or recommend these types of tools and solutions to help integrate more advanced technology into your everyday practices, thus enhancing employee workflow and overall system performance.

At Mentis Group, we understand that your Dallas business needs unique IT solutions to maintain a competitive edge. We are committed to finding the most productive, secure, and efficient solutions for your IT infrastructure so your business can thrive in the coming years. 

If you want to learn more about our services, contact us today.