Why managed services are so good for your bottom line
The words ‘managed services’ and ‘outsourcing’ typically bring joy to the ears of most enlightened CFOs. And with good reason(s).
Save on extra salaries
The opportunity to replace or reduce a large internal cost with a predictable and controllable fixed monthly fee (in most cases) and to avoid growing the number of full-time internal resources needed is a welcome one. A predictable cost structure means you can develop more accurate budgeting and forecasting, so you have clarity of where resources need to be allocated and eliminate those nasty financial surprises.
Savings made on employee salaries (whether through a hiring freeze, a reduction in numbers, or redeploying them to other roles) can fund an outsourced provider. And the larger your business, the more you can save.
Fill skill gaps without recruiting
Instead of recruiting your own costly technology specialists, or constantly investing in training to upskill existing employees, you can fill capability gaps with outsourced experts while reducing business overheads.
The consultants and engineers employed by Managed Service Providers (MSPs) already have significant and ongoing exposure to a wide range of technologies and industries and are instantly productive.
Stay financially focused
For those businesses that are tightly focused on their business, there’s no need to fund and build an IT department or service desk. As opposed to the traditional model, where you’d hire an expert for every requirement, your MSP can do everything for you – and only needs a single point of contact in the business to report to.
Scale to order
Thinking about growth? Scaling isn’t an issue either with an MSP. You’re not limited by the staff you need to recruit to support more systems and users, and the cost to support more employees is entirely predictable – and usually includes volume breaks.
Play safe
And while risk reduction may not be under your specific remit, it is likely to still be on your radar as a business stakeholder. Having ready access to cybersecurity skills and proactive monitoring and detection at a time when businesses and organisations worldwide are under attack as never before offers a significant degree of risk reduction and saves having to recruit expensive (and hard-to-find) specialists. Plus, it keeps your precious financial data safe and sound while avoiding blowing your budget (or worse) when dealing with the fallout of a data breach or ransom demand.
Just keep in mind that not all MSPs are created equal. Look for the right size and capabilities, and definitely the right people and cultural fit.