As your business grows, it’s natural to focus all of your energy on increasing revenue, growing your team, and creating a great customer experience. Unfortunately, doing so can cause that machine running things behind the scenes to be forgotten or neglected, which can be a costly mistake, leaving your business vulnerable to losing millions of dollars—according to IBM’s data breach report from 2024.
Yet, for many small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), ballooning IT costs and scalability issues can make it difficult to secure the IT support they need. That’s why many small business owners turn to outsourced IT or managed IT services to improve their security and control IT costs.
If you are not familiar with managed IT services and the benefits they can provide to small businesses, you may wonder if outsourcing IT is the right move. To help you make this decision, further down we’ve listed the seven signs that it is time for you to partner with a managed service provider (MSP). But first, let’s learn a bit more about what managed IT services are.
What Are Managed IT Services?
Managed IT services involve outsourcing your company’s IT management and support to a specialized provider. Instead of handling your tech issues internally, managed IT services utilize a team of experts to manage and support your business’s IT infrastructure. This includes tasks like maintaining networks, securing data, updating software, and providing technical support.
Managed IT services exist to make sure your technology runs smoothly so you can focus on your core business activities, rather than just trying to keep your infrastructure afloat. With managed IT services, you have a reliable partner by your side to assist in handling the complexities of IT and making sure everything works securely and efficiently. They make sure your tech works without interruption so you and your team have the support in place to keep your operations running.
Managed IT services cover a wide range of tasks to keep your technology in top shape. Here’s some of the types of managed IT services you can typically expect.
Managed IT services offer several key benefits that can make a big difference for your business:
The truth is, the cost of managed services pricing can vary from provider to provider. A 50-person company might pay $50 per user to an MSP or $300 per user for the same 50 people.
Why?
Well, it depends on a few factors, including:
If you’re curious about what your investment would be to begin working with Ripple, we have our Pricing Calculator to help you get an initial estimate.
There are many ways to know when it’s time to switch your MSP. Here are a few.
Managing an in-house IT department can be extremely expensive. As you continue to expand your business, you may find that IT expenses can get out of control and vary greatly from one month to the next. Fortunately, partnering with an MSP can help you control your IT costs.
Rather than having to hire, train, and maintain an in-house IT team, partnering with an MSP allows you to pay for the IT services you need, as you need them. This can be a relief for small businesses with a limited IT budget and can help them better predict and budget for their IT expenses each month.
Additionally, since the costs of hiring, onboarding, and maintaining IT personnel are spread across the MSPs' customers, IT services provided through an MSP are often much more affordable than an in-house IT department, helping you to scale back ballooning IT costs.
Another clear sign that you should consider outsourcing your company's IT needs is if you struggle to scale your IT department and meet your company's growing needs. For rapidly growing businesses, it can be extremely difficult to keep up with IT demands, as it is impossible to expand an IT department overnight. In fact, you may find that each time you hire new personnel and expand infrastructure, demand is already outpacing your IT department's capacity. This is where it can be extremely beneficial to partner with a managed service provider.
When you work with an MSP, it's much easier to scale your IT services to meet your company's ever-changing needs. MSPs have the resources to meet demand changes quickly.
A clear sign that your IT department is not keeping up with demand is if you are experiencing frequent network downtime. Downtime can be a sign that your current IT strategy is insufficient or failing. It can also be costly; the average cost of network downtime is $5,600 per minute. Also, frequent downtime can negatively impact your credibility, further impacting your business’s image.
If you are experiencing network downtime regularly, it's probably time to switch to outsourced managed IT services. An MSP can scale services to meet your needs. They’ll come up with a plan to restructure your IT strategy so it’s streamlined and efficient.
For SMBs, recruiting top talent can be one of the most difficult aspects of maintaining an in-house IT department; 65% of SMBs claim they struggle to attract and retain top talent. While finding experienced, qualified IT personnel is essential in ensuring your business's continued security and productivity, it can be difficult for many small businesses who aren’t technology-focused to attract the right personnel.
MSPs, however, have the resources and experience to scout out top talent. Plus, they can provide continuous training to ensure their IT personnel are aligned with the latest industry advancements. When you work with an MSP, you can rest assured that you’re getting the best IT services for your money, as MSPs only work with the most experienced IT professionals.
One of the most frustrating things about maintaining an in-house IT department is how fast things move in the IT industry. However, staying on top of the latest technology is critical to staying productive and protected from the latest cyber threats. Often, SMBs don't invest time and money to research and acclimate to the latest advancements in IT. And, in recent years, SMBs are decreasing their tech spending overall.
However, MSPs can help you stay on top of the latest technology with resources to research, develop, and implement new strategies that improve efficiency and cyber defenses—without an insane price tag. You'll feel confident that you have access to the latest technology and security strategies to boost productivity, minimize downtime, and maximize security.
As a business owner, your primary focus should be on growing and expanding your business. But, if you’re trying to maintain an in-house IT department, your focus might be geared toward keeping up with IT demands instead. You’re not only worried about staffing your IT department, but you may also find yourself spending more time putting out fires than putting in work on your core business.
An experienced Managed IT Service Provider will have more than enough resources to handle your company's IT needs, allowing you and your staff to focus all of your attention on growing your business. If you continually find your focus being diverted to IT problems, it may be time to consider outsourcing to an MSP.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of working with a managed service provider is peace of mind.
For many small business owners, trying to keep up with growing IT demands and managing an in-house IT department can become increasingly costly, time-consuming, and stressful. With a limited IT budget, you will likely find yourself wasting precious time working on IT tasks. With limited resources, you may find yourself constantly worrying about whether or not you’re doing enough to protect your company and keep it running.
Outsourcing your company's IT needs can lift a significant weight off of your shoulders. With an MSP, your needs will be looked after by experts in your field and you’ll receive superior IT services at an affordable price that’ll help your business continue to grow.
At Ripple, we know that it can be difficult to know what the right options are for your business. Book some time with our team for a free 30-minute consult and learn if managed IT services are right for your company.