Global managed IT support services expenditure is forecast to reach over $193 billion by 2019, according to recent research. That’s about double current levels of spending. By the end of this decade, about one fifth of all IT budgets are forecast to be allocated to outsourced IT support.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to know what you are getting with managed IT support services. It helps to break it down into a simple formula known as the 3 Ps: Process, Product and People. These three aspects of your business intertwine to form a sort of triple helix. It’s the DNA of a successful managed IT service provider.
Hire a skilled managed services provider to ensure that you are able to give clients the value they seek from your company. Apply the 3 Ps to your managed IT support services and you’ll see a dramatic increase in customer satisfaction and efficient service execution.
Process
Success is dependent on the process regardless of scale. It doesn’t matter if you are working on a small or large project. From beginning to end, the process involves countless essential components. Leave it to seasoned professionals to get the details right. A managed IT service provider automates manual IT processes leaving you time to focus on managing your business. Your outsourced team should research the way your business runs and map out the entire IT process for you. Processes include, IT security scans, system updates, system monitoring among others. All elements of your business and entire IT system should be taken into consideration so that you can effectively combine them into coherent processes that result in your overall business efficiency.
Product (Portfolio of Services)
For the managed IT service provider the deliverable product is the portfolio of services provided to your business. The types of services provided and how they align with your current business needs or goals usually serve as the biggest differentiator when selecting a managed IT service provider. Objectives to look at include, software and hardware support, in-depth monitoring and reporting. Your IT Company should also implement preventive maintenance to keep your business up-and-running, now and in the future. It’s essential that you ask detailed questions to get information on how your managed IT service provider will achieve goals that are listed.
People
The right managed IT team has a plethora of knowledge around different IT areas, giving your business access to IT resources that maybe otherwise expensive to hire in-house. Your outsourced team should also feel like a part of your company, working in concert with you to deliver your business goals. The importance of the right fit can’t be underestimated. You should be able to speak openly about your problems. Your team is there to remove items from your to do list, so you should feel a great deal of trust and confidence. After all, you may find that you’re interacting with your provider on a daily basis, especially when it comes to upgrades, training, implementation and long term planning. Some companies also opt for virtual CIO services. It’s a great choice for growing businesses that aren’t ready to hire a full time employee but need the vision of a C-level information technology professional.
When you outsource IT services, your provider should take care of selection, negotiation and management of multiple downstream suppliers. You get the benefit of scale in price, process and performance—all of which makes up the 3Ps of managed IT services.