Main reasons SMBs outsource IT to MSPs

1. The Top Reasons SMBs
Outsource IT

2. • Technology is a key factor for most businesses today. With BYOD (Bring
Your Own Device) on the rise, employees are using multiple devices “on-
the-go” and need internet access both inside and outside of the office.
• These devices and your networks need to be protected so your sensitive
company information isn’t compromised by cybercriminals. But, are all these
devices up-to-date and secure? Do you have an appropriate firewall in place?
Are your employees accessing public Wi-Fi? Is the perimeter of your
network protected? As the owner of a Small to Medium-Sized Business
(SMB) these are all really important questions you should be asking yourself.

3. • For enterprise level companies no expense is too large when it comes to
security, but what about SMBs where budgetary constraints may be limited?
Working with an IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) will take the majority
of this technical responsibility away from you. They will make sure all of
your IT needs are met so you will have the time to focus on what matters the
most, your business.

4. Technical Team
• Each and every SMB has their own specific business and technical needs.
Cybercriminals have the ability to compromise systems within seconds and with
each attack, they become more sophisticated.
• All users are vulnerable to phishing/spoofing schemes, as these threats live within
their email. The inability of standard firewalls to inspect network-packet data and
identify legitimate business applications versus attacks, forces those devices to
accept or reject all traffic in a very unintelligent manner.
• Your employees are your weakest link and educating your employees on these types
of attacks is crucial.

5. Technical Team
• Many SMBs only have a single internal technology person or a staff member
with “IT” as an add-on to their title, and they may only be able to provide
more reactive solutions to issues that can be and should be handled
proactively.
• They probably do not have the bandwidth to provide educational
programming, such as Security Awareness Training, to guard against these
attacks. In many cases, this is due to the fact that you IT employee is busy
putting out fires or handling another job function and does not have the time
to focus on the strategic development of your IT operations.

6. Technical Team
• Whatever reason may be, the combination of these factors can
lead to a mismanaged cyber environment and an overload for
your single IT employee.
• At the end of the day, no one person is going to be able to
provide as much support as a full technology team would.

7. Updates and Upgrades
• Can you imagine one person needing to set up hardware and install software
for every person in your company? Partnering with an MSP assures that your
software will be updated and patched daily.
• Technicians monitor your network to make sure you have the latest software,
and if there are any issues with the software your support team will patch the
software or work directly with the software company until a resolution is
reached.

8. Updates and Upgrades
• This cycle often happens without you even knowing.
• Your support team discovers an issue, contacts the partnered
company, resolves the issue and has you up and running before
any of your end users are affected.

9. Updates and Upgrades
• It may seem unnecessary to upgrade your hardware. Everything turns on,
and tends to work 90% of the time. Aside from reasons such as high
maintenance costs, decreased productivity, and limited performance, the
security risk you expose yourself and your business to can be quite extensive
without maintaining these updates.
• Old devices running on old operating systems are far more susceptible to file
hacks, viruses, and other sophisticated security threats.

10. Updates and Upgrades
• With an MSP you have first-hand access to their procurement department
who have direct access to vendors and the expertise to provide guidance in
hardware upgrades. In addition, you have a team of professionals who are
proactively monitoring your environment and making recommendations to
your environment to ensure your business is secure.
• This saves you time and money. The cost of one hour of downtime for an
SMB starts at $20,000 and for at least 20% of SMBs this fee can hike up to
$100,000.

11. Cybersecurity
• Most SMBs don’t think they are at risk of cyber-attacks but in
actuality it makes them the perfect target because many are not
always properly prepared and end up learning the hard way. The
thought of partnering with an MSP usually does not occur until
they experience a breach.

12. Cybersecurity
• That’s why it’s imperative for businesses that haven’t experienced
those attacks to put a system in place.
• When outsourcing your business and technical needs to an IT
Consulting Services Company, you pay a fixed monthly cost for
proactive support that includes 24×7 monitoring and
management.

13. Cybersecurity
• There is no recruiting, training, vacation, sick days, turnover,
performance reviews and other management issues as it relates to
hiring internal IT staff. You work collaboratively with your MSP
to develop a layered approach to security and will realize a cost
savings that impacts your bottom line.

14. Your MSP takes the success of your business personally
• Find out now how working with our MSP will provide the
strategic guidance necessary to allow you to meet your business
objectives. Contact The TNS Group today for more information.