Every business owner in Charlotte knows that technology is critical to success. This is especially true in a post-pandemic world where businesses need digital innovations to stay ahead of the competition and strengthen their resilience during an economic transition. But to optimize your business’s technology, you need dependable IT support.
As a business leader, it’s essential to know which model will best serve your needs: managed IT services or traditional IT support. Let’s take a look at each type.
Managed IT services: Always-on IT support
Managed IT services, also referred to as “remote IT support” or “outsourced IT”, are provided by a third-party company that specializes in delivering IT support. In this IT support model, you pay a fixed monthly fee for unlimited access to technical support. So if you have any issues with your technology, you can simply call the managed IT service provider (MSP) and they will help you resolve the issue.
A local managed IT services provider is a great option for companies that need their IT infrastructure to be always on. For instance, if your Charlotte small business is technical in nature and relies heavily on IT systems to be operational, you need managed IT services in Charlotte that can offer 24/7 support.
But around-the-clock tech support is not the only advantage of managed IT services. Here are other ways that you can benefit from it:
- It can be more cost-effective than traditional IT support because you only pay a flat monthly fee.
- You can leverage your access to a highly skilled pool of IT professionals to solve your tech troubles and/or answer any technical questions you may have.
- Managed IT services can take away the burden of having to manage your own IT infrastructure, which is invaluable for small enterprises without sufficient resources to hire full-time IT staff.
Traditional IT support: Break/fix, reactive tech solutions
Traditional IT support, often referred to as the “break/fix” model, is what most people think of when they think of tech support. So, if you have an issue with your technology, you would simply call the IT support company and they would send someone out to fix the issue.
There are pros and cons to using traditional IT support. One key benefit is that you only pay for support when the need arises. This is ideal if your company doesn’t have a lot of technology troubles or if you have a limited budget. However, one drawback is that traditional IT support can be less reliable than managed IT services because, in most cases, you can only get help during business hours. This means that if you have an issue outside of business hours, you will either have to wait until the next day to get help or try to fix the issue yourself.
How to choose the best type of IT support for you
If you need 24/7/365 support and reliability is important to you, then managed IT services may be best. This means that if you have an issue in the middle of the night, you can still get help. But if you rarely encounter issues with your technology, then traditional IT support may be a better fit.
If cost is a primary concern for your business, consider managed IT services. With a flat monthly fee, you can budget for your tech support costs ahead of time. Although break/fix IT support services that are charged by the hour may seem cheaper, you may still end up paying more as frequent downtime events and other recurring technical issues can be the result of a poorly maintained IT system.
Ultimately, the decision comes down to what’s most important to your business. So carefully weigh the pros and cons of each type of IT support model, and identify the key pain points that you want to address in your technology.