With all of the different digital technologies out there these days, it can be challenging for small to medium-sized businesses to manage their IT infrastructure. Here we will walk through a 7 step guide to managed IT services for your organization to explore. We will discuss some essential questions to ask and core services to look for when considering managed services.

What are managed IT services

At a basic starting point, managed IT services are a holistic approach to overseeing and improving an organization’s IT. This includes governing and monitoring the organization’s network, systems, and data. That can be a lot to cover for a person unfamiliar with various forms of technology so we created a guide to managed IT services that anyone can use.

Let’s explore our 7 step guide to managed IT services.

7 Step Guide to Managed IT Services

1. Network and Infrastructure Management

What is it? – This service is an MSP managing your network infrastructure. This includes servers, routers, and switches. The goal is to keep your network running smoothly.

Questions for you to ask:

• Do we have the expertise currently to manage networking in-house?
• How often do we have network downtime?
• Do we have the skills on hand to upgrade our network and perform regular maintenance?

2. Cyber Security Services

What is it? – Cyber security is critical to every organization. Cyber security services include implementing antivirus software, intrusion detection systems, firewalls, multi-factor authentication (MFA), conducting regular security audits, and many other services crucial to securing your organization’s network and data.

Questions for you to ask:

• Do we have a comprehensive cyber security plan in place?
• Are our employees trained to recognize cyber threats?
• Have we conducted any security audits recently, such as penetration testing, to test our systems for vulnerabilities?

3. Data Backup and Disaster Recovery

What is it? – Your organization’s data is critical to it being able to continue operating. It is important you have backups in place in case you have a loss of data from a cyber attack or natural disaster. This means having local backups onsite and cloud backups offsite. Not only is it important to have the data backed up but it is also important to regularly test that your restoration points actually work.

Questions for you to ask:

• What data is most critical for our daily operations?
• Do we have reliable backup solutions currently in place?
• Do we have a plan for recovering in a data loss incident and if so, how quickly could we recover?

4. Cloud Services

What is it? – While there is a component of cloud-based services related to data recovery as we just discussed, there is also the daily use of closed-based services for organizational functions. This includes storage, using cloud-based software programs for additional collaboration, and other IT resources.

Questions for you to ask:

• Are we currently using any cloud services? This can include cloud-based apps.
• What benefits would we gain from moving our IT infrastructure to the cloud?
• How secure are our current cloud-based applications and data?

5. Help Desk and Technical Support

What is it? – A help desk and other technical support services can assist your organization with any IT-related issues. Whether that is troubleshooting hardware or software issues, or providing technical guidance for business operations, a help desk from an MSP can increase the access to skills and knowledge for your organization to run smoothly.

Questions for you to ask:

• How often do your employees encounter technical issues that disrupt their work and how to they currently work to resolve these issues?
• What in-house resources does our organization have to resolve technical issues?
• How satisfied are your employees with the current level of IT support?

6. IT Consulting and Strategy

What is it? – The consulting services that a managed service provider can provide will help you with the technological components your organization needs to meet your goals. It includes things such as IT infrastructure and planning for future technology needs.

Questions for you to ask:

• Do we have a long-term IT infrastructure plan? If so, what is it?
• Are we utilizing our technology to the fullest extent in order to meet our goals?
• What emerging technologies are out there that can help better our organization?

7. Compliance and Regulatory Standards

What is it? – There are many industries that have compliance standards regarding data and technology. If you are in one of these industries you are required by law to meet the standards set. These include things such as HIPAA or PCI. A managed service provider can assist with audits to be sure you are in compliance with the necessary standards and help you develop policies to meet or maintain those standards as well as train employees.

Questions for you to ask:

• What regulatory requirements are there for our industry and business?
• Are we currently complying with the appropriate regulatory requirements?
• What is our plan to stay up-to-date with the regulatory requirements?

Conclusion

Having the right managed service provider can significantly enhance your organization’s operations. In order to find the managed service provider that is the best fit for your organization it is important that you ask the right questions. This will help you understand the types of services the managed service provider can offer and also help you understand your organization’s needs better. This guide to managed IT services is not a one-size-fits all solution nor is it exhaustive, but it will help get you started in the right direction.

If you are considering managed IT services for your organization use this guide to do some homework on your organization and its IT infrastructure. Talk with your employees and learn about any pain points as well as goals for the organization. Utilizing a managed service provider can be a great next step for any growing organization.

As always, we are here to help.