With summer coming into full swing, you’re going to see a lot of articles, videos, and social media posts floating around with the “best ideas” for stepping into a beach body. Most of us know from intuition or experience that these kinds of things never work out. Your six-pack isn’t created from a weekend of juice fasting – it’s the product of hours and hours spent in the gym on a cold February morning.
In fact, not only do quick-fix fitness solutions not work, but in many cases, they can actually be unhealthy. But what does any of this have to do with IT? In a word, everything.
There are tens of thousands of business owners out there who treat IT like a crash diet. They ignore things like equipment maintenance, software patches, and cybersecurity for months and years at a time. Then, when they run into a problem, they try to solve it all at once, symptom by symptom. And, because they usually haven’t planned or budgeted for the setback, they end up looking for a fast solution that kicks the can down the road.
As with crash diets and fitness fads, these strategies don’t work. They end up costing you more money in the long run and can make productivity problems worse than they needed to be. Fortunately, there is a much better solution… and one that won’t necessitate drinking smoothies or doing push-ups at the crack of dawn.
Meet the Managed Services Agreement
As amazing as it seems to those of us within the technology industry, there are still many business owners who aren’t familiar with managed services agreements. Many have heard about it but don’t understand the concept. Others have heard about it through an underwhelming sales pitch that left them more confused than informed.
So, let’s clear things up: a managed services agreement simply allows your IT provider to monitor and maintain your most important technology for a predictable monthly or quarterly fee. It’s like getting computer and communications support on a subscription rather than through a series of small purchases and invoices.
Why would you sign your business up for another bill when you already have so many to pay? To find the answer, let’s consider what you get when you have a managed services agreement in place.
Managed Services Means Lower Monthly Costs and Better IT Care
Clients sometimes think that as an IT provider, we recommend managed services agreements because it benefits us. That’s not necessarily the case. Charging people huge rates for emergency repairs and maintenance is probably a good business model. It’s just not consistent with what we are trying to do for the business owners and executives we serve.
When you have a managed services agreement in place with the right outsourced IT provider, you get lower (and more predictable) expenses and better service from your vendor. That’s because we get paid the same whether you have any issues or not. It makes much better sense for us to be proactive with your technology care so we can solve small riddles before they become huge challenges.
Get Your Business Fit the Right Way
No one ever got in shape by going to the gym for 30 straight hours in one weekend. And, waiting for your technology to stop working isn’t the best way to manage things like computers, email services, and mobile devices.
If you want to get your business fit the right way, contact the Fantastic IT team now to schedule a free consultation and see how easy and affordable it is to get our help!