A Managed IT Service Provider (MSP) delivers tech support, network and telephone services to its customers for a flat monthly fee. Of course, there are alternatives. Firstly, you could pay for IT support on an ad hoc, break-fix basis. Secondly, your Internal IT department can buy, install, maintain and support your network infrastructure.
Commercial property network services
Commercial properties such as office blocks, shopping centres and warehouses rely on core IT, telephone and broadband services to function efficiently and safely.
A building’s IT network is like plumbing. However, instead of pipework, the network consists of routers, switches and cables. The bigger the building, the more complex the IT infrastructure is likely to be. Therefore, if the network is poorly designed, installed or managed then problems will occur. What’s more, a slow and unreliable network is frustrating for users and costly to your business.
Managed service benefits
The biggest benefit of using an IT managed service provider is that they provide unlimited IT support, usually by telephone, email and remote online connection. Additionally, they will send an engineer to your site if a fault cannot be fixed remotely. Certainly, you should always check what level of cover you are buying, as defined in the Service Level Agreement (SLA).
Monitor, update, patch
An MSP will support all your IT hardware to ensure that it runs at peak performance. Typically, your service provider will schedule essential maintenance to avoid any business disruption. Also, an MSP should check the health of your systems, update software and apply security patches.
Cybersecurity and data protection
A successful cyberattack might disable your IT systems, which for a commercial property will mean shutting your building down. What’s more, any data loss will damage your business reputation and might result in expensive litigation and regulatory penalties. Today, managed IT service providers play a key role in data protection and safeguarding critical IT systems from attack.
Theft, fire, flood and storm
Unfortunately, cybercrime is only one of many threats commercial properties face nowadays. Recent crime figures found 103,391 burglaries against commercial properties across the UK.1 And last year, British insurers paid out around £1.3bn in fire related claims; 70 percent of claimants were commercial properties.2 Additionally, more extreme weather events mean more commercial properties are at risk from flooding and storm damage. What would you do if your commercial property were robbed, caught fire, or flooded?
Data backup and disaster recovery
Most managed service providers will supply data backup and disaster recovery services to ensure business continuity. However, it is worth remembering that data backup and disaster recovery are not the same thing. Data backup means making multiple copies of your data for safekeeping. While a disaster recovery plan ensures you have the processes, procedures, people and technology in place to restore your business operations as quickly as possible. Remember, every minute of downtime is costing you money.
Planning and budget management
With over 20 years’ experience of working in commercial property, Modern Networks understands the importance of planning and budget management. Some commercial properties rely on the traditional break-fix model of IT support. After all, why pay for something until you need it?
Well, adopting a break-fix model of IT support means that you will only know the total cost of an incident after it has happened, which makes budgeting difficult. Also, you will have no idea how long your systems might be down before they’re repaired. In contrast, working with an MSP means you can plan and budget for the IT systems and support you will need in the short and long term.
Your managed service partners
Finally, a managed service provider is a strategic partner. We can help you plan and implement the latest technologies. Using an MSP can take the day-to-day pressure off your internal IT department so they can focus on business-critical projects. We have great vendor relationships, which means we can secure the best technical solutions without it costing you a fortune. Most importantly, we have a wealth of industrial knowledge and experience that we can share to help you realise your business plans and operate your commercial buildings profitably.
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