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Today, most IT departments are under-staffed and overworked. With limited resources, you need to focus on what will give you the biggest bang for your buck in terms of solving issues that actually matter to the business. To help with this, we’ve gathered our top recommendations for where you should be focusing your efforts; whether it’s App Management, Network Management or just generally working smarter.

Network Management

Network outages are extremely costly for businesses. Not only can they result in downtime for important systems and productivity loss, but they also generate a negative impact on customer experience.

Typically, the cause of network outages is not due to a lack of available technology in the business, but rather how it’s used. When working with an infrastructure monitoring specialist, look for businesses that have worked with your industry before and are familiar with common issues you might face. A few examples would be ensuring that servers are up-to-date with the latest security patches and anti-virus software, checking firewall configurations to ensure they’re not restricting access to resources that need it, and checking your network equipment settings.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is a growing concern for businesses as data breaches become an increasing risk. In many cases, those who carry out cyber attacks do so to exploit the vulnerabilities in IT systems.

So how do you protect your business? Well, much like network management, it’s about working smarter and not harder. When hiring a cybersecurity specialist, look for those who understand the industry you operate in and know what attacks businesses like yours are most likely to face. It’s also important to ensure that there is a process for managing cybersecurity issues, so they don’t escalate out of control before they’re resolved.

Cloud Backup and Recovery

The cloud can be a risky place for your data – and we’re not just talking about the potential repercussions if you ever suffer a ransomware attack. Arguably, it’s how your data is stored and transferred between devices that leaves you most vulnerable.

For cloud backup and recovery specialists, look for those who understand the industry your business operates in and can adapt plans to suit your needs. In other words, working with a security specialist who provides support for other types of business will likely be beneficial.

Business Continuity Plan

When disaster strikes, it can be difficult to quickly determine the extent of damage. It’s important that businesses have a plan in place so they can react as efficiently as possible when something unexpected happens.

Working with experts who have experience working with businesses similar to yours will ensure your plan is customized for your specific needs, and also takes into consideration business disruptions that are likely to affect you.

IT Infrastructure Management

Today, it’s no longer necessary for businesses to put all their IT eggs in one basket. By integrating more than one service provider into your IT network, you will be able to increase productivity and reduce costs.

For IT infrastructure specialists, look for those who understand how different technologies work together to provide you with services. If they’re familiar with the industry your business operates in, that’s also a plus.

IT Support

When it comes to IT support, think about what you want from an outsourced firm. For some businesses, using an on-site IT department works best; for others, they need on-demand support. If you’re looking to outsource your IT department completely, look for those who can provide the full range of services related to your business’s technology.

Hospitals and medical providers face many challenges when it comes to running their IT infrastructure.  In a competitive industry where patient satisfaction is paramount, downtime for critical systems can have devastating effects. This post will explore how managed IT services can provide healthcare facilities with the highest quality of care by keeping their technology up and running at all times.

Let’s Start with a Look at Some Health Statistics

The World Health Organization estimates that the total number of patients in hospitals globally will be 1.12 billion by 2015, and 1.56 billion by 2030 [1] . The U.S. Census Bureau says that from 2000 to 2010, the number of Americans aged 65 and older increased 29%, while the number of Americans below age 18 increased only 3% [2] . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over 10 years, the leading cause of death in America was changed from diseases of the heart to malignant neoplasms (cancer) [3] .

The healthcare industry remains one of the primary drivers in the economy.

What are the Needs of Hospitals?

Hospitals are among the most technology-dependent organizations, often making them prime targets for malicious attacks. The demands on IT resources are constantly evolving in order to meet industry regulations, patient needs, and an increase in system complexity. While there is not one solution that will fit every hospital’s needs, many facilities will benefit from a managed IT service provider (MSP):

• Lower costs by optimizing and consolidating staff and equipment.
• Improved uptime with 24/7 support and monitoring to detect threats in real-time.
• Reducing downtime through preventative action plans, such as patching networks.
• Ensuring HIPAA and PCI compliance with central monitoring and management of security solutions.

How Does an MSP Help Hospitals?

Hospitals need many different types of technology to run, including software systems for patient records, billing & collection, electronic medical records (EMR), systems integration, point-of-sale (POS) systems, and many others. MSPs provide the following services to hospitals:

• 24/7 monitoring of critical systems to diagnose network issues through remote monitoring
• Configuration management combined with proactive reporting to fix problems before they negatively impact the hospital’s operations
• Remote support for all endpoints including desktops, laptops, servers, tablets etc.
• A flexible service model to rapidly adjust staffing levels and IT resources.
• Hospitals need to maximize their uptime, but don’t have the cost structure in place to do so. MSPs can provide high-quality solutions at a much lower total cost of ownership than full-time staff would require. How Does an MSP Benefit Patients?
• Hospitals that have a business partner with an MSP can provide their patients with better service from the following:
• 24/7 access to patient records from any connected device.
• Immediate response for system malfunctions.
• Patient scheduling, appointment reminders and other automated services.

Saving hospitals and clinics time and money is the best way to provide patients with a higher level of service. MSPs also improve patient satisfaction by transferring the focus from systems outages to positive patient outcomes.

As a small business owner or manager, you may not have time to become an expert at all of the technical details of running your company’s computer network. Fortunately, there are ways to find tech-savvy professionals who can keep your computers and network operating smoothly without requiring too much of your attention.

Here are some good things to look for when you are hiring or contracting with an IT services firm.

1. Functional Capabilities

When looking for help in managing your company’s computer network, it is important to make sure that whomever you hire will be able to handle all of your company’s needs. Some IT firms specialize in certain types of work like web design or server maintenance while others are more general. If you only need help with a few issues, it might be best to hire a firm that focuses on that area rather than one that may not have enough resources for your needs or experience in the specific areas of technology you require.

2. Key Contacts

It is important to have access to a team of experts at your IT company, not just one person. Find out who you would be working with if you hired them by asking for client references and talking with the technicians before making a decision.

3. Monitoring

Whether you need help setting it up or someone to monitor your network to find issues before they become serious problems, it is important to make sure your IT company can meet your needs. If something goes wrong in the middle of the night, will you be able to sleep if it’s not fixed right away? It is important that companies offering IT services can handle problems quickly when they arise.

4. Location

Do you need someone local for on-site assistance? If you have a global network that is managed from multiple locations, you will need a firm that can work around the clock. Make sure your IT services company has experience working with small businesses and the specific challenges they face.

5. Industry Specific Knowledge

If your business is only in the beginning stages, you may not have a very large IT budget to work with. In this case, you will need someone who can help keep costs as low as possible. Find out if an IT services company offers free estimates and transparent pricing before hiring them so that there are no surprises later on that could put your company at risk.

6. Networking Knowledge

Your IT services firm should be able to give you the information you need about the systems they are responsible for, including how it all works together, without presenting too much technical jargon that would make it difficult for you to understand what they’re saying. While most modern networks are highly complex, you don’t need to understand every little detail in order to manage your company’s IT network successfully.

7.  Technology Upgrades

If you are looking for new computers or servers, is your IT services firm able to help? How about software? You should ask if they offer assistance with purchasing and installing the latest updates and upgrades in order to protect your business and create a better user experience.

8. Customer Service

No matter how good the services you receive from an IT company are, if you can’t get someone on the phone when there is a problem it may not be worth continuing the relationship. Choose an IT company that gives you multiple ways to contact them and responds quickly to your requests for help.

Managed IT services consist of an extensive range of technologies meant to keep your business running smoothly. Typically, managed IT services also include network management, storage management, help desk support, security procedures and other related processes that are meant to ensure your company is running at optimal performance.

As part of the managed services, security is also included. This means that your business will receive proactive cybersecurity measures to protect you against prevalent daily threats. It’s important to note that this isn’t the same as having a full-time, dedicated IT security department. Cybersecurity professionals who work for managed service providers (MSPs) offer a unique perspective, one that can offer you peace of mind when it comes to the security of your company.

In essence, managed IT services and cyber security go hand in hand. This is why so many businesses are beginning to rely on MSPs for a wide range of services to ensure they’re maximizing their productivity and efficiency. With offices all over the world, managed service providers can provide your company with a new level of support.

What Does an MSP Do?

MSPs typically offer companies with fully outsourced technology and cybersecurity solutions that allow businesses to focus on their core competencies without having to worry about all of the hardware and software required to keep things running smoothly. Not only that, MSPs have a hefty amount of expertise when it comes to keeping businesses secure from all types of cyber attacks.

Beyond offering help desk support and other IT services, cybersecurity is becoming one of the most important issues facing companies today. As sensitive information is stored more and more online, hackers are growing more sophisticated in their abilities to access this information and make it public. Just look at the number of high-profile data breaches happening on a regular basis. This is why companies should consider working with an MSP for proactive cybersecurity, instead of relying on their own in-house IT department to handle things.

What Are Some Benefits of Working With an MSP?

There are four areas where MSPs typically provide a benefit. They include:

Productivity – When companies outsource their IT needs to an MSP, they’re allowing themselves to become more productive. The money that would have been spent hiring people to take care of the various technological issues is instead put into growing other aspects of the business.

Cost Savings – Managed services often cost less than hiring your own IT team. This is largely due to the fact that you don’t have to pay for benefits, recruitment and any training expenses associated with new employees. Not only that, but MSPs typically charge clients on a flat-rate basis instead of billing them each hour for services, which can lead to savings of up to 25 percent.

A Comprehensive Approach – MSPs are able to deliver comprehensive solutions that meet the needs of pretty much every business out there. This means you get all of your IT done by one company without having to hire multiple vendors for different components of the job.

Expertise – The MSPs that handle your company’s IT services are able to provide you with the same level of expertise that you would expect from hiring your own IT staff. This is because they’re constantly working with other companies in a wide range of industries, meaning their knowledge base is diverse and expansive.

End-to-end Solutions

For companies that think they have a handle on their own cybersecurity, it might be time to consider moving towards a managed service provider. This is especially true if your company’s technology is taking up more and more of your time without providing the solutions you need.

By working with an MSP, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll be getting all of the support you need for a lot less money out of your pocket.

What Are Some Risks Associated With Managed IT Services?

With everything there are pros and cons, but MSPs have been able to prove themselves time and again when it comes to providing excellent service without breaking the bank. This is why so many businesses regard them as the future of IT support.

That being said, there are a few risks associated with hiring an MSP. They include: Lack of Control – When you outsource your services to an MSP, you’re giving up some level of control over what’s happening in the background. While many companies view this as a positive because they can focus on other aspects of their business, it can be a drawback if you need to know what’s going on with your technology at all times.

What exactly is an IT managed service? Is it different from traditional IT outsourcing? What are the advantages of using a managed services provider (MSP)?

An MSP is an organization that provides technology management services to its clients. Most organizations hire multiple vendors to administer the day-to-day provisioning, monitoring and maintenance of their systems.

Hiring a Managed IT Provider can save you time, stress and money.

MSPs offer multiple different services, including…

• Managed Cybersecurity
• IT Support/Consulting
• Backup/disaster recovery
• Cloud storage
• Compliance Services
• Penetration Testing/Risk Analysis
• Hardware and Software Acquisition
• Microsoft Office 365 Migration
• VoIP
• And more!

MSPs give you the opportunity to focus on your business, not on keeping your technology running. They take care of things like network security, backups and server storage so that you don’t have to think about them again.

While a managed service provider can be a valuable addition to any organization, it is important for small business owners to know what is in their managed service package.

Managed Cybersecurity

Almost daily we hear about a company that has suffered the consequences of a breach in data security. Our data is now more valuable to hackers than ever before.

A managed service provider can offer you solutions to keep your business and its data safe from the dangers of cybercrime, such as:

24×7 Monitoring – MSPs will monitor your network constantly to make sure threats are detected as quickly as possible.

Cybersecurity Tools – A good MSP will have the tools necessary to monitor and block cyberattacks, including firewalls, antivirus software, spam filters and data loss prevention software.

Penetration Testing – Penetration testing involves an independent party scanning for vulnerabilities in your network, host systems and applications. This ensures the security of your infrastructure.

Backup/Disaster Recovery

In any disaster, from a fire or flood to a ransomware attack, having a reliable backup system is essential for keeping operations going. A MSP can provide you with a range of backup solutions including:

Onsite Backup – Your MSP will provide your organization with an onsite backup solution so you don’t have to worry.

Offsite Backup – A good MSP will schedule offsite, cloud-based backups of client servers, virtual machines and workstations that are encrypted in order to secure sensitive data.

Disaster Recovery Plan – The MSP will develop and test a step-by-step plan for restoring your business in the event of a disaster.

IT Support/Consulting

With so many tasks competing for your attention, it can be difficult to make sure all aspects of your business are running efficiently. An MSP will provide you with IT support including:

Network Management – The MSP will continually monitor your network and alert you to any problems.

Server Maintenance – MSPs can provide proactive and reactive server maintenance services to keep your infrastructure running smoothly.

System Administration – This includes managing the day-to-day support of desktops, laptops, networks and servers as well as related software issues.

Cloud Storage

Almost every organization is looking for ways to reduce storage costs and increase efficiency. Cloud storage offers both by eliminating the overhead associated with housing, collecting and maintaining data.

Offsite Cloud Storage – MSPs can provide cloud-based storage for backup data and disaster recovery purposes under the same managed services contract as other administrative functions.

Compliance Services

There are a multitude of compliance regulations that businesses must adhere to in order to operate. In addition, organizations should prepare themselves for new regulatory changes occurring every year.

An MSP will ensure you are compliant with regulations like PCI-DSS, HIPAA and more. They can also help your organization prepare for upcoming changes to keep your business running smoothly.

Data Management

Complex data storage systems have become an ever-increasing challenge for businesses, especially when it comes to managing multiple locations and devices. Data management services provided by an MSP can include:

Managed Services – The MSP will provide data backup and recovery as well as retrieval for archived data.

Managed Copies – For enterprises that have multiple locations or require offsite backups, the MSP can manage backups to create copies of your data and store them offsite.

Endpoint Management – An MSP can allow you to concentrate on running your business while it manages critical tasks, such as OS updates, virus definitions and software rollouts across the network.