There is never a good time to get a virus on your server or workstation. Likewise, downtime for predictable hardware failures or conflicting software updates never happens at a convenient time. Generally, it’s quite the opposite. You’re in a hurry to get that proposal out, or there’s a team of people you’re paying who are sitting around waiting while you call your IT support because you can’t print or access the files you need to move things forward.
This is a fact of life for those who have not embraced the Managed Services Model in IT services delivery and it is difficult for both the client (or end user) as well as the IT person, department, or outside IT firm. The unpredictable nature of reactionary “it breaks and we fix it” philosophy wreaks havoc on everyone and everything, including IT budgets. Personnel are prevented from doing their jobs because technology gets in the way.
The Managed Services Model flattens IT support costs by identifying a fixed monthly cost for IT support per user. Remote management utilities watch for predictive failures and notify the IT provider often in advance of any downtime so that parts can be ordered and downtime is then scheduled during off hours or times that are convenient. Also, software updates are tested prior to implementation then pushed out, and if problems are encountered, they can be fixed before the user is ever aware of it.
Naysayers profess that in this scenario either the provider or the client will lose. Admittedly, I was one of those people until I gained a broader understanding of the benefits for all parties. In addition to predictable support costs, benefits exist for growth forecasting, and existing staff are freed up to focus on ways to propel your business forward instead of worrying about a virus or malware infection, printing problems, and hardware failures.
