Mark Anderson and Libby Powers of Anderson Technologies break down who can benefit from a managed services approach to IT support, and how it is different from an internal IT team, or traditional break/fix IT support. Curious about managed IT services for your business? Reach out today!
Transcript
Libby Powers: Hi, everybody! Libby Powers with Anderson Technologies. Today, Mark Anderson, one of the founding principles of Anderson Technologies.
Mark Anderson: Hi, guys.
LP: We wanted to discuss briefly how a managed IT firm could really be beneficial to your business. One of the starting points is, Who? What kind of companies could benefit from this?
MA: That’s a great question. We find that firms that have had one of three things occur are really good candidates for thinking about whether or not a managed services provider is right for them. One, if you’ve got any amount of technology frustrations that are holding your company back. Two, if you’ve ever experienced any kind of a negative event, whether it was a data loss or a ransomware attack that you really struggled to get back from. That’s another good example. And then the third is if your business truly could not survive without your data, and that data needs to be protected well. Those three examples are perfect.
LP: I think that’s really interesting because your business is only as good as your reputation, and if you lose any of that and have to tell your clients or the companies that you’re working with that their data has been breached, that’s going to weigh heavily on you as a business. So then let’s go to: How can a managed service provider be beneficial?
MA: Yeah, that’s a great one, Libby. So oftentimes, in a small- or mid-size business situation, they have a single person who’s in charge of IT. The struggle is that that business is reliant on that one person for everything. If they happen to take another job, or go on an extended leave of absence, or just got busy and couldn’t keep up with it, it’s a struggle.
A managed services provider has a team approach, and so an entire team gets brought to your side of the table with a wide variety of expertise from cybersecurity and firewalls, email, website, database experience, etc. And all of those people are at your beck and call, if you will, only when you need them then. So there’s an expense factor, that’s what I was getting at. You don’t need to hire eight to ten people and pay for them 40 hours a week. Instead, you just get to consume their knowledge, if you will, only when you need it.
And then a third is just that expertise. Tech is a field that is rapidly changing. If someone isn’t constantly learning the new threats that are on the horizon or the latest technological advancement that has come out, your business might be able to really benefit from some of those advancements, but you might not have the time to even know about them. And that’s a struggle.
LP: So what you’re saying, Mark, is that in today’s technology landscape and business landscape, having the proper technical support can take your company into the future and beyond for a fraction of the costs.
MA: That’s right. That’s absolutely right.
LP: Tell me a little bit about the tools that you guys have access to that would help make my business better?
MA: Yeah, that’s a great question, Libby. One of the important points that any managed services provider is going to bring to bear would be a technological tool kit, if you will, of software that are enterprise grade tools that are very specifically designed to solve deep technical problems that aren’t widely available in big box stores or anything like that. And a small business would struggle to afford the licenses for all of them if you were to cherry pick each one and try to build this technological stack on your own.
LP: No, I love that, because I’d rather spend my time shopping for other things than what technology is going to drive my business forward.
MA: Well, and the other thing that’s important to keep in mind is that technology I mentioned, it’s changing all the time. A good antivirus or anti-malware software that is perfect in today’s market, in 18 months from now, if that software company has not kept up with the times, it’s going to be obsolete, and that technology needs to get swapped out.
So you need a team that’s doing the research to determine ‘Okay, in a manufacturing environment, what tools are absolutely necessary for that business to thrive? In a legal environment, or in a dental office?’ And our team basically is charged with keeping up on tech and bringing those advancements when appropriate to the attention of that business owner, and then he or she can make the determination of what’s going to work best for his or her business.
LP: I love it. I love all of that. And, Mark, I really appreciate you having this discussion with me today. If you have more questions about managed IT, feel free to reach out or to a trusted partner that you’d like to discuss this with.
MA: Yes, thank you, Libby. Thanks for joining us.
LP: Have a great day.
MA: Bye.
