5 Ways Small Businesses Can Get the Most from Their Austin IT Services
Small businesses today are leveraging IT solutions from third-party managed service providers (MSPs) more than ever, and it’s easy to see why: Austin IT services tend to be more affordable than fully staffing an in-house IT team and the support you receive is often more thorough (and sometimes even faster) than it would be with an internal department. Despite many small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) recognizing this, not all organizations know how to get the most out of their MSP contract. Keep reading as we explore five ways that you can ensure that your organization is getting its money’s worth from your IT provider.
1. Take Advantage of Your MSP’s Expertise.
Your MSP has a wealth of knowledge and experience dealing with various technologies. Therefore, if you are considering implementing new technology (such as software, an application, or even a new piece of hardware), all you need to do is reach out to your IT provider for more information and insight about it. This saves you from having to spend hours conducting arduous research about the tech on your own. Moreover, your MSP can likely offer more insights than traditional research can because they are constantly using and testing different products. Because your MSP is both familiar with your IT systems, they can typically give you a quick answer about whether something is suitable for your unique business. This prevents companies from wasting time exploring options that don’t meet their needs. By taking advantage of your MSP’s expertise, you can shift your focus back to your strengths and work on meeting important milestones and goals for your small business.
2. Get Assistance with Your IT Budgeting.
MSPs usually have some form of proactive IT reporting services or other process established to help their clients figure out what their upcoming IT budgets should look like based on their current and future IT needs. Budgets are typically constructed using your existing IT spending on things like carrier services and ISP contracts. In addition, budgets should take into account your technology lifecycle management expenses, vendor contracts, and subscription renewals to better predict your upcoming IT costs.
Being aware of the amount of money that is required to maintain ongoing systems and products can help you to better understand how much of your budget will be left for new tech investments. When selecting which strategic IT investments you want to make, always be sure to consult your IT provider first, as they can often recommend the best-suited technology for your organization based on your business goals and budget.
Besides guiding you to the right new tech, IT budgeting can also help you avoid surprise expenses from equipment that reaches the end of its lifecycle. MSPs should alert you any time a piece of equipment is nearing this stage, allowing you to proactively make better-informed decisions about the next steps.
3. Let Your IT Provider Handle Software Licensing.
A great way for your small biz to get more value from your Austin IT services is by letting your MSP manage your software licensing. When you buy your software through your IT provider, they will typically manage your license at no additional cost. At Contigo Technology, for example, we offer Office 365 migration services that include pre-launch services designed to guide you to the right licensing option for your company, along with post-migration license management services. This helps you save time and avoid the headaches associated with managing licenses by yourself.
4. Leverage Other Services Your MSP Offers.
As a small business owner, it is in your best interest to consolidate the number of vendors you deal with for the sake of streamlining operations. MSPs are constantly expanding their service offerings to provide their clients with more value, so if your IT provider offers solutions in other areas (such as managed cybersecurity, VOIP telephony, etc.), it would be wise to consider using them for these services. This can help to keep costs at bay while improving your firm’s overall efficiency.
5. Make Use of Any Educational Content from Your Provider.
Many IT providers will send out monthly or even weekly communications with lots of useful information regarding important updates, IT trends, and more. Oftentimes, MSPs will also consistently post educational content via their blog page on their website. To get the most out of this educational information, your enterprise should distribute any content that is relevant to end-users across your team.
This is an extremely easy way to keep your employees up to date with key trends and updates that might directly (or even indirectly) affect them, thereby impacting your entire organization. Moreover, this type of content is usually totally free – talk about value!
As a top Austin IT services provider, Contigo understands that our clients want valuable IT solutions that are designed to enable and improve business operations. We truly do have something for every client, from disaster recovery solutions to network management services to compliance assessments and more. If it’s a value that you’re after, contact us today to speak with an expert about our wide array of services and see how we can give you the most bang for your buck.