A recent study by IBM's Institute of Business Value revealed that IT Managed IT Services can be used to address a wide array of IT related issues. The institute compared four IT managers from smaller IT companies to a large IT consultancy firm which had CIOs with management experience and found that the Managed IT Services company was far more effective at reducing costs, improving operational efficiency, and meeting government regulations than the other two IT companies. Why is it so effective? IBM's researchers attribute this success to the fact that IT Managed IT Services businesses provide IT departments with the tools, expertise, and process improvement guidance they need to address rapidly evolving technologies and issues. In other words, IT Managed IT Services helps businesses become increasingly capable and agile of deploying technology, while IT consultants to help them deal with the problems that come with using IT technology.
Of course, all Managed IT Services has costs, and the nature of the service itself requires investing in IT tools and hardware which are rarely cheap, and of course staff, and therefore the more staff you have the more you will pay. But do the benefits of IT Managed IT Services justifies the costs? According to IBM's study, Managed IT Services can help business in five ways: Reduce IT costs by resolving IT issues, providing IT expertise to solve problems, giving IT departments visibility into IT practices and operations, and making IT departments more effective at managing the business. In addition, IT Managed IT Services can increase a business' agility by deploying new technologies quickly.
Managed IT Services can help businesses reduce their IT costs is by resolving IT issues. When you hire an IT consultant to help you manage your IT infrastructure you should ask about their services for resolving specific IT issues, rather than general questions like “how many servers do you need?” Because IT issues tend to be unique to each business, the best approach is to discuss your requirements with the consultant, and let them provide you with IT solutions tailored to your specific needs.
IT expertise can also be a very valuable addition to your Managed IT Services team. IT consultants can offer a wealth of experience to your team, helping them to solve some of the most complex IT challenges they may encounter. This expertise, coupled with good communication, can really help your business to reduce their IT infrastructure costs, because consultants can give you expert advice based on their vast IT experience and understanding of your industry. It can also help to save you time, as IT consultants usually know the best solutions to complex IT challenges and can get the job done faster and more efficiently.
IT Managed IT Services can also help you save money. When you use an IT professional to manage your IT infrastructure, you don't have to pay for the full cost of their professional services, as you would if you hired an in-house IT staff. IT Managed IT Services can really save your organization money in the long term, reducing your IT costs and giving you more time to focus on your core business functions.
The bottom line is that how managed IT services can help business to reduce their IT infrastructure costs depends entirely upon you and your business. IT Consultants can help you make decisions about IT, but ultimately you are the person who will have to make the decisions in order for them to be right. IT Consultants can offer valuable advice and guidance, but ultimately your responsibility is to be sure that your decisions are ones that will help you grow and prosper.
