IT services and IT security are not mutually exclusive. So why do managed service providers (MSPs) treat them differently? Why do they often set up separate entities to provide these services?
What many IT service providers don’t understand is that these two concepts work in tandem: IT services influence IT security, and vice versa. We think it’s time to integrate them once and for all.
Here’s why you should incorporate IT security into your managed IT services.
1. IT Security Is More Important Than Ever Before
IT security is a crucial component of your managed services strategy. In fact, it could be the most important. A massive 31 percent of businesses have experienced a cyber attack on their technology infrastructure, and some of them failed to recover from the event. Ignoring IT security, therefore, could jeopardize your entire business.
Still, most MSPs treat IT security as if it’s less important than their other managed services. They might include it as an “add-on” for an additional cost or neglect it completely. The truth is, you need to incorporate IT security into your managed services. Ramping up your IT security will protect your data from hackers and improve your trust and reputation.
2. It Makes Better Financial Sense
Outsourcing IT security to one company and other services to another company will almost always cost you more money in the long run. Essentially, you are paying two different companies when one company could do both jobs for you at the same time.
You might not want to outsource your IT security to a MSP. You might think that these firms only handle tasks like hardware maintenance. But not all MSPs are the same. Choose a company that will optimize your IT security and support other areas of your business as well.
3. Fewer People With Access To The Network
The majority of people have concerns about businesses keeping their information safe. Data breaches, hacks, insider threats — all of these could jeopardize your company’s most valuable secrets. Therefore, it’s much safer to hand your data to one company instead of two or three. Instead of using separate companies, outsource your data to an organization that handles both IT security and managed services and keep the number of organizations that know your critical credentials to a minimum.
This is one of the areas that we have taken to the next level at CentrexIT. We’ve seen far too many companies utilize a Managed Service Provider and then also hire another “security specialist” or company that is unqualified to do the work. This opens that company to another layer of vulnerability and can often interfere with the productivity of the network. Not only is it counterproductive for those companies, but also doubly expensive.
4. Less IT Headache
When you use separate IT security and managed services companies or use an MSP with a separate IT security department, it can be a chore. You will need to check in on both companies, send two separate invoices and make two phone calls if your systems go down.
When you incorporate IT security and managed services, however, one company will do all of that work for you. As a result, you can improve your workflows and focus on other areas of your business. It’s just one less thing to worry about.
5. Minimize Errors and Mishaps
You’ve heard the saying, “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” When it comes to separate IT security and managed services, this phrase rings true. When you use two different companies, things become messy. You might tell your IT security company to perform a particular task but fail to inform your MSP, for example.
Relying on just one firm can solve this problem. There will be fewer errors and you can keep all of your data in one centralized place.
It’s time to incorporate your IT security and managed services. You could improve your security, save money, improve peace of mind, concentrate on other areas of your business, and reduce errors.