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Technically Speaking By Bill Swank, President & CEO
It is true. For over a decade, Microsoft has relied on other companies to manage their network, vast number of workstations, help desk and other business functions that are not core to their business. Microsoft has learned a long time ago what most companies are just now discovering: Focus on your core competency and hire strategic companies to manage the rest.
What are Managed Services?
There is a new class of technology services that the big boys have used for decades that are now available to small to medium sized businesses that work to ensure that there are no surprises with regards to either the technology itself or the cost of managing and supporting the technology. This class of services is called Managed Services and supports most all facets of a company’s business.
Managed Services is the idea of transferring day-to-day management of a service, such as electric or technology, to a company that provides such services as part of it’s core business, as a way of improving efficiency and reducing cost. The most familiar Managed Service that we all use everyday is that of power generation. Nowadays, most companies do not generate their own electricity, relying instead on the electric company to manage that service for them. As a result of this transfer of management to the electric company, we realize much lower costs of electricity and we have come to depend on the fact that the power is on all the time. An added bonus of using the electric company to manage our power needs is that there is a defined cost of procuring this service. We do not need to concern ourselves with how the power gets to us, just that it does. This reliance on the electric company to produce all of our electricity allows us to focus on more important tasks such as managing our business relationships and finding new clients or even taking some much needed time off. Other common managed services that have become second nature include utilities, Internet access and vehicle maintenance.
Benefits to your company
Using a Managed Services Provider for your workstation and server needs has much the same benefits. You need not concern yourself with any issue involving the technology that you rely on every day, just that it works as it should. Your business would not concern itself with how it gets done, just that it is done. These services are now available to even single workstation businesses. Successful Managed Services offers up a different way to manage your computer systems than what most small and medium companies do today. Typically computer issues such as monitoring and log checking are based on either the break-fix model which involves waiting for it to break and then fixing it or on the block-time model in which your staff is so busy they only do monitoring and log tasks for a set period each day, week or month.
The big plus of working with a Managed Service Provider for your technology maintenance is the cost and efficiency savings. From a cost perspective, Managed Services are typically provided at a monthly fixed cost for the services needed. This eliminates the surprise if something goes wrong and also eliminates the fear of calling for services due to the big costs that may be incurred. Typically, companies are able to save 50 percent or more by using a provider, compared with managing their technology themselves. It is relatively easy to add or remove services as your business needs change.
Some typical tactical services that are included as a part of the managed services technology offering include 24 x 7 monitoring, automatic updates, back-up log checks, Anti-virus updates and log checks, server and workstation availability, and Help Desk services amongst a host of others. If your company currently has an IT staff doing some or all of these things for your company that staff would be able to take on a more strategic business role than before.
Is it a Good Fit?
To determine if your company is a good candidate for Managed Technology Services ask yourself the following seven questions:
• Do I worry that I might have a problem with my workstation and/or servers?
• Do I want to know before Monday that my server has crashed over the weekend?
• Do I know that the anti-virus software on my workstation and servers are keeping viruses out?
• When my server “burps” in the middle of the night, do I want someone to take a look to be sure there is not a problem?
• Do I know that my workstations and servers have the correct and recommended operating system patches?
• Do I want my company to be more efficient?
• Do I want to focus more on my clients, prospects and other aspects of my business than on my technology?
If you answered Yes to more then one of these seven questions, then considering Managed Services for your technology should be on your business list of things to do. Next month, we’ll focus on how to determine what part of your business might be a candidate for using a Managed Service provider.
Bill Swank is President and CEO of Lime Systems and President of the Philadelphia Purchasing Management Association. Bill is available to speak to your group or company on issues involving technology. Please e-mail Bill if you have a topic you would like addressed in the future at bill@limesystems.com or call 610.828.6100. |
