5 Reasons to Use Managed IT Services for Your Small Business

Startups face many challenges, but technology doesn't have to be one. The right services and tools can help your business solve problems by improving communication and collaboration. Yet, maintaining hardware, managing installations, and securing your network can quickly become a full-time job.

Now, you can take advantage of the latest technologies being used by startups at all stages of growth and eliminate the burden of understanding how they work by outsourcing. Managed services are a convenient way to save money and meet your technology needs while scaling your startup or small business.

Many startups and entrepreneurs today use smartphones as a virtual office. Cloud-based applications allow you to work from anywhere with just a few clicks, but this also means that there's one more device needed for each person on the team. Additional devices can be costly in terms of both money (for hardware) and time spent setting everything up when launching a startup or running a small business.

However, there is a way to reduce part of the cost by adopting a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy for mobile devices. Under this policy, employees can use their personal mobile devices for work purposes.

Allowing personal mobile devices has several advantages. First, it reduces the need for dedicated work devices, which can save your startup money. Second, it will enable employees to use the devices they are already familiar with, increasing productivity. And finally, it gives employees the flexibility to work from co-working spaces, remote offices, or virtually anywhere they have an Internet connection.

BYOD is a growing trend among startups and small businesses. However, the need for Mobile Device Management (MDM) grows as more employees use their personal smartphones and laptops for work. MDM is a cloud-based system that allows businesses to manage and monitor devices remotely. Companies can enforce security policies, track usage, and remotely wipe data if a device is lost or stolen.

MDM can be a valuable tool for managing BYOD policies and keeping data safe for startups and small businesses. In addition, MDM can help to improve productivity by giving employees access to applications and data from anywhere.

How popular is MDM? Orbis Research predicts that the mobile device management market will reach $10.67 billion by 2025.ⁱ

Mobile device management will become essential to most businesses as the BYOD trend continues to grow. Adapting now can be a quick win for you and your team.

Predictability is one of the top advantages of using managed IT services for your small business startup. You'll most likely pay a predetermined monthly fee for maintenance, hardware issues, and repairs. If there's a problem, your managed service provider handles it.

Predictable monthly payments can decrease startup cash flow issues stemming from investments in technology as your business scales. Moreover, the expenses associated with attracting, training, and retaining IT employees can add up quickly. Outsourcing IT means you don't have large capital expenditures from managing your systems and network in-house.

The Small Business Association (SBA) found that "88% of small business owners felt their business was vulnerable to a cyber-attack."ⁱⁱ  The statistic makes sense, considering Accenture reported "a triple-digit increase in intrusion volume" during the first half of 2021, and "the United States was the most impacted geography with 36% of incident volume."ⁱⁱⁱ

Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDOS) attacks, malware, and viruses can shut down operations and leak private client, investor, founder, and business information. While larger, established organizations can weather cyber events' challenges (and costs), a new startup may have neither the time nor money to do so. Indeed, a vicious attack can eat up precious resources that startups can't afford.

Managed IT services offer cybersecurity solutions. The offerings typically include antivirus and data loss protection. Vendors may also provide malware protection for mobile devices.

Unlike self-management, your team won't have to worry about updating antivirus software on each device. Instead, managed security services automatically update the software, helping to protect your business against the latest threats. You can also monitor activity via an online portal, allowing you to configure your backup and security settings and content filtering.

Every minute counts when managing a crisis, regardless of the size of your business. A trusted technology partner can be a lifeline to your startup or small business in an emergency.

Limited resources are often why many startup businesses don't have a disaster recovery strategy. Here's where your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can often assist with managed services to fill the gap, allowing you to focus on other important matters during and after an emergency.

It's no secret that human error is often the cause of downtime for startups and small businesses. Whether it's an employee accidentally deleting a critical file, someone neglecting to back up data regularly, or opening an email link attachment containing malware. There are many ways that things can go wrong. And with the stakes so high, it's crucial to have a Disaster Recovery (DR) plan in place to help you get your business back up and running as quickly as possible.

In the past, DR primarily focused on getting people and operations back up and running in an emergency. However, the goals have changed with the recent shift to remote working. Now, the focus is less on getting people back into the office and more on ensuring speed, reliability, and connectivity in remote operations and enhancing communication during a crisis.

Managing remote functions can be a more challenging task than traditional disaster recovery. Still, it is essential for startups and small businesses to adapt to survive and thrive in today's environment.

By having a well-defined DR plan and working with a trusted technology partner like Cox Business, startups and small businesses can help ensure they're prepared for any eventuality. Explore how our disaster recovery as a service offering can protect your business.

As more and more startups and small businesses adopt a remote work model, there's an increased need to provide 24/7 remote support for your team. However, keeping someone on-call around the clock isn't cost-effective for most businesses just starting out. Fortunately, many managed services providers make 24/7 support an option.

By outsourcing your IT services, you gain access to experts and their skills and monitoring that can help catch issues before they escalate into serious problems.

With managed IT services, small businesses can focus on what they do best without worrying about technical complexities.

Even the smallest of companies can benefit from managed cloud services. Indeed, 84% of small business owners told the SBE Council" that cloud services are essential tools for operating their business."^iv  Learn how a custom solution can enable your company to scale securely by contacting Cox Business.