Embracing managed services
No one would dedicate time and money to a personal project that wasn’t core to their life, especially if someone else could do it better. So, why do so many businesses continue to push resources towards non-core activities?
To answer such a question, let’s start with a given: technology is undoubtedly the common underlying thread for all modern businesses. Whether your company is a producer of widgets or a specialist in high quality services, it will definitely rely on technology to ensure business operations run smoothly.
Such reliance on IT, however, does not necessarily mean software is a core specialism of the business. Your company – whether it operates in the manufacturing, finance or public sectors – will know what it does best and why.
For most firms, it is unlikely that your expertise lies in IT applications. Many IT specialists can now offer you the ability to tap into such software resources cheaply and effectively. Rather than looking to manage applications in-house, you should concentrate on your core activities and look for external assistance.
Managing internal IT can be a risky business – bespoke solutions can lead to bespoke problems, whose solutions lie beyond the skills of internal teams. Thankfully, many firms are beginning to recognise the potentially potent mix of an IT skills gap and the need to keep IT running in a cost-effective manner.
Research suggests just three per cent of UK businesses plan to replace IT staff to fill the skills gap. But at the same time, 95% believe it is vital to continue investing in IT, with 61% citing managed services as the preferred approach (see further reading, below).
Using a third party to manage your IT applications will produce a range of benefits. Pressure on internal development resources can be reduced and then redeployed towards more productive areas. And rather than having to rely on internal employees to manage applications, you can draw on external specialists to ensure software is up and available.
Non-IT staff will benefit from being able to call on the skills of an applications expert, a managed services firm that knows software and can respond quickly to questions and concerns.
The result is a cost-effective and predictable alternative to internally-managed IT. Managed services – a solution that will help you ensure cash and resources are available for your core activities.
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Further reading:
www.computing.co.uk/computing/comment/2266683/teaching-staff-embrace-managed
