Sit back. Relax. And let an MSP such as Lobster take care of IT.
7 REASONS WHY MANAGED SERVICES MAKE SENSE.
Global research and advisory firm Gartner recently announced that worldwide IT spending was set to grow by 9% in 2021 with IT services amongst the top drivers. The pandemic has left businesses hungry for integration and automation and it shows.
In today’s digitalising world, the first big question facing IT teams looking to keep pace with the constant innovation is:
Where do you start?
Because what if you don’t have the time to finesse your EDI and/or EAI, for example? What if you’re short on resources to put your plans for digital transformation into action?Whether you’re looking for a helping hand here and there or someone to take care of the whole thing: Managed Services by IT companies such as Lobster are the answer. And the benefits speak for themselves:
- Cost optimisation
Running an IT department with the capacity to cater to a constantly evolving IT landscape is rather expensive in today’s digital age.
You’re looking at equipment maintenance overheads, repair fees, the cost of replacing key hardware components. And that doesn’t even include the price of hiring experienced professionals, then training them… the list goes on and on.
With Managed Services, you’re guaranteed to stay as cool as a cucumber. Because everything from admin to equipment is covered, while your fees come in predictable monthly charges with minimal upfront costs. Backup and maintenance included.
By doing away with the nasty surprises, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) such as Lobster improve the stability of your business processes, allowing you to reinvest any money you save into your core business.
- Operational scalability
Whether you’re a small family-run business looking to expand, or an mid-sized firm that has just won its next big account – scalability is going to be a major consideration. There’s nothing worse than a legacy system or IT bottleneck at odds with your expansion plans. Or worse – making existing clients consider jumping ship.
With Managed Services, scalability is key.
MSPs can respond to changes in demand in real time, alleviating your IT department’s workload and helping you up or downscale your network, which in Lobster’s experience is usually a considerable headache for businesses.
Instead, Managed Service Providers let you put your feet up, while all the heavy lifting is taken care of.
- On-hand experts 24/7
We can all agree: hiring and training staff is expensive. It’s also time-consuming.
You’ll never truly know whether your IT infrastructure is sufficiently robust until that first big network issue – when it may already be too late. Not to mention the challenge of having all bases covered, no matter the hour. All it takes is a system failure in the middle of the night and you’re in hot water.
This lack of efficient and effective responsiveness can even be fatal to businesses, particularly if their network of partners extends around the globe and into different time zones.
With Managed Services these network issues are taken care of 24/7. Why stretch your hardworking IT team to breaking point, when you could turn to the extensive support and experience of a Lobster team, for example, to see off any failure headed your way?
With Managed Services it’s about taking a preventive approach, not a break-fix one.
- Minimised downtime
According to Gartner, the estimated cost of downtime per minute is $5,600. That’s $300k an hour.
Now – there is some variance in this figure, based on the characteristics of the business and environment involved. However, most organisations will agree: downtime spells disaster. And it can be sourced back to all manner of triggers.
Hardware and software misconfigurations, equipment failure, human error and power outages to name but a few. Clearly, reducing downtime requires a multi-faceted, robust approach. One that some businesses may not be able to muster without stealing time away from more pressing areas, such as their core business.
Managed Service Providers such as Lobster put an end to this multi-tasking muddle by introducing rigorous processes, instilling best practices and taking care of day-to-day monitoring and ultimately correcting issues before end-users and customers feel the impact.
- Enhanced security & compliance
Cybercrime has increased 600% since the start of the Covid19 pandemic. One particular company’s website was even shut down by ransomware hackers demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars to put it back online.
Never before has it been more crucial for organisations to ensure absolute compliance with data standards and regulations – for the good of both their customer’s data as well as their own business assets.
Navigating legislation, such as GDPR, or standards, like PCI DSS, is a challenge at the best of times with violations entailing hefty fines. Not to mention the incalculable impact a data breach can have on a company’s reputation.
With Managed Services, you don’t need to give these statistics a second thought. You can simply rest easy, knowing your data is safe in a maximum-security environment equipped with state-of-the-art IT (security) systems with all audits taken care of.
- Tech updates and upgrades
In today’s digital world, IT updates are constantly vying for our attention. Although we’ve all ignored these nagging reminders at some point in our personal lives, doing the same at work could be putting businesses at risk.
Whether it’s a bug that needs fixing, user-friendly add-ons or a new automation feature – it’s not always clear which updates and patches are necessary for your business.
With a Managed Service Provider: it’s all taken care of because Lobster, for one, believes you deserve to take a load off. So no more headaches trying to discern which feature is essential and which doesn’t justify the price tag. When it comes to upgrading existing hardware, it’s no different. There’s nothing worse than investing in a new IT setup only to find it doesn’t suit your needs.
A Managed Service Provider means you’re future proof. And with a whole team of MSP technicians to lead the way, installing that update or migrating your systems is now child’s play.
- Last but not least: Focus on your core business
When all is said and done, Managed Services are all about one thing: allowing you to focus on what is truly essential. Your core business.
After all – when you’re trying to drive your business forward, anything from small distraction to devastating downtime has a big impact. Innovation and success need focus and dedication, so these day-to-day niggles can really break your stride.
Managed Services take the pressure off your IT, allowing your team to push ahead with your vision. Your time, energy and budget can now focus on keeping your business that one step ahead.
With an MSP like Lobster by your side, working away in the background and taking care of the daily grind – you’ll ask yourself why you didn’t make the move sooner. Because without all that extra baggage weighing you down, there’s only one place left to go.
And it’s up.
What’s next? It’s as easy as 1,2,3.
A user-friendly software adapts to the needs of a company – and not vice versa. And Lobster has taken this approach since 2002, promising its customers easy-to-use, state-of-the-art solutions for complex issues.
Lobster offers you all the conventional benefits of Managed Services and then some. Not only is the implementation of all manner of processes covered (even non-standardised ones) but the right interfaces for your systems are also taken care of, thanks to Lobster’s flagship solution, Lobster_data. With a service model that spans everything from self-service, to consulting to full-blown Managed Services, flexibility is guaranteed. And to seal the deal: no matter whether you’re keen to keep it on-prem, have your own cloud, or are looking to harness the benefits of the Lobster Cloud, Lobster’s delivery options have something for everyone.
Keen to learn more about Lobster’s Managed Services? Getting started is as easy as 1,2,3 (plus an extra step if you’re looking for future-proof success). It couldn’t be simpler.