You may have heard Managed Services mentioned before or you have asked yourself “What is Managed Services and how can it benefit my business?”

Managed Services has become a very popular word in the IT industry. But like many industry ‘buzzwords’ its meaning has become diluted. So much so that some businesses see managed services as simply a term for outsourced IT services. But it is much more.

For most businesses, handling the day-to-day computer and network support issues is more than enough to handle. Can I reduce the level of spam entering my staff’s inboxes? Can I receive email from my clients and vendors? Is the order entry system working so I can track that status of orders? Can my employee’s access information anytime, anywhere?

But let’s face it, most businesses in today’s economic climate do not have the time or resources to control any or all of these basic everyday business operations effectively. For example, you may have the desktop and server maintenance under control, but what about new business opportunities that require a system or infrastructure upgrade? What about the growing levels of security threats to your network? Are you able to focus on long term IT plans that go beyond the monthly or quarterly issues you face?

According to Gartner around 40% of Australian Mid Market Companies are using some sort of outsourcing in 2009. This includes computers, servers, and network devices, web hosting and application management. This has resulted in more and more businesses turning to Managed Service Providers to help them move away from a traditional Break –Fix model.

Managed Services allows quicker resolution time due to early issue detection and identification of root causes for failure. Therefore, allowing you to focus on your core business activities, reducing costs and mitigating security and compliance risks.

However, there are many so called Managed Service Providers in the marketplace at the moment, many of whom claim to offer managed services when what they really do is remote monitoring and management. Whilst this is a step in the right direction, it is only one part of the solution.

True Managed Services however will provide business owners with an enhance level of confidence in their IT systems by providing ongoing support for all network operations. You will be able to offload specific IT operations that you do not have the resources to maintain. The MSP will assume ongoing responsibility for monitoring, managing and problem resolution for selected IT systems and functions on your behalf. Thus presenting your organisation with increased operational efficiencies and enhanced productivity.

Without reliable, managed support, continuous business growth cannot be sustained. In a highly competitive global marketplace reliable systems are a must to maintain an edge over your competitors. It important to find a Managed Service Provider that not only has sound technical skills but has strategic capabilities to align with your business.

Contact an Andor representative TODAY to discover how Managed Services can benefit your business.

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