What Are Managed IT Support Services?

Finding the right IT support for your business can be difficult, especially if you’re not entirely familiar with the different services available to you. In this blog, we go into detail about managed IT support services and how they can benefit your business. So, let’s start with the basics – what are managed IT support services?

Managed IT support providers offer a range of external IT support services. They go beyond simply providing tech support and include services such as:

• Proactive IT support

• Fully managed IT support services

• IT helpdesk

• System management and monitoring

• Backup and restore

Read on to learn more about IT support services, what they include and the benefits of hiring a provider. 

Jump to section:

• What are Managed IT Services?
• What Kinds of Managed IT Support Services are There?
• What are the Benefits of Managed IT Support?
• What Is the Difference Between Fully Managed and Serverless?
• What Is the Difference Between Managed IT Services and IT Services?

What are Managed IT Services?

Managed IT services are those handled by third party experts in the effort to reduce costs, improve service quality or free internal teams to do work that only they can do. External providers can fill the skills gaps of an internal team, or act as your team if one doesn’t exist. They are a reliable way to ensure business continuity.

What Kinds of Managed IT Support Services are There?

There are a wide range of managed IT services. Which one(s) you choose depend on your business, your existing team and their skills, and your priorities as a business. Learn more about the different types of services available below.

Proactive IT Support

Proactive IT support is an all-inclusive, fully-managed service that ensures your business is in safe hands. This frees up your time to make sure that your systems and technology works to meet your goals. 

At Obsidian Networks, this includes:

• Unlimited 24/7 IT and technical support (onsite and remote)
• A range of servers, virtual servers, NAS and SANs
• Network infrastructure
• Proactive maintenance of all IT infrastructure
• Hardware purchasing and leasing opportunities

Fully Managed Services

Whatever the situation, a fully managed IT service should be able to help. They typically have expertise in all areas; ideal for businesses without an internal IT team. Fully managed IT support services may vary from company to company, but at Obsidian Networks, our service includes:

• Office 365 installation, migration and support
• IT security services
• IT consultancy
• Mailbox and data migrations
• Hosted solutions
• Internet and telephony solutions
• Network cable and IT infrastructure installation, maintenance and support

IT Helpdesk

IT helpdesk engineers can help to resolve any issues that your business has. This is especially beneficial for businesses that don’t have an internal team, or for when the skills of an existing team are better placed elsewhere. The following services are often included:

• Dedicated ticketing system
• Staff onboarding and offboarding
• IT documentation and policies

System Management and Monitoring

Systems management and monitoring ensures that your business can react to IT issues before they even happen. This not only minimises downtime but also saves you money in the long run, as well as your reputation with customers. 

This service often includes:

• 24/7 system monitoring and diagnosis
• Patch and security updating
• System error monitoring
• 3rd party software install, updates and patching

Backup and Recovery

Fully managed IT services will take every precaution to protect your networks and data, but sometimes the worst happens. A backup and recovery service ensures that your business  is always covered and can effectively respond to threats. This service often includes:

• Automated backups at an agreed frequency
• Encrypted off-site backups
• Regular monitoring and integrity testing
• Restores as required

What are the Benefits of Managed IT Support?

Now you know the types of managed IT support services available, it’s important to understand the benefits of hiring a provider. Not all services will be relevant to you, but the benefits are universal. Here are just a few:

• Scalability – managed IT services allow you to scale up or down your system as needed without impacting your team structure. Support companies can respond to changes in demand quickly without the need to worry about downtime.
• Support that suits you – think of managed service providers (MSP) as an extension of your business. Whatever you need, an MSP will likely offer a service that can help.
• Cost-effective – MSPs are known for lowering labour costs as they eliminate the costs of hiring and training new IT staff. Providers offer a wide range of skills around the clock, meaning that you don’t have to hire to fill a skills-gap. You’ll also save money on hosting data backups and other servers in-house.
• Reduce downtime – IT downtime can be expensive if your business relies on it. Managed IT support reduces the risk of downtime and can help to get your system up and running faster, should the need arise.
• Compliance – some systems collect and analyse a large amount of personal data. An MSP can help to ensure that you’re complying with industry regulations such as GDPR. 

Fully Managed IT Support Services with Obsidian Networks

Obsidian Networks offer a wide range of managed IT support services designed to keep your systems running efficiently. Our expert team provides reliable, friendly and fast IT support when and how you need it. Learn more about our services online, or get in touch with us today to see what we can do for your business.

Managed IT Support FAQs

What Is the Difference Between Fully Managed and Serverless?

Fully managed vs serverless is usually discussed in relation to cloud platforms. Fully managed services are those that you don’t need to set up yourself. Machines, management, patching and backup are all taken care of for you. This option allows you to have more control over resources but without managing it yourself.

Serverless, on the other hand, means that there is no visibility of the machines. The machines that run your applications are shielded from you and are not available for configuration by you. As such, you don’t need to worry about server management or scalability; everything is usually handled for you.

What Is the Difference Between Managed IT Services and IT Services?

The main difference between managed IT services and IT services is simply the frequency of use and the scope of the project. Managed IT services offer ongoing support for all problems and tasks within scope. IT services, however, tend to handle specific problems on a case-by-case basis.