Have you ever forgotten to install that Windows update you ‘rescheduled’ for a later date? How about installing those 5 new security patches?

Well, you were going to do it, but then you had a meeting. That meeting led to a mandatory orientation. From there, you nipped out for a cup of coffee and returned to an office with no working phone lines. Now, you must drop everything to troubleshoot while your computer systems remain open for attack without those oh-so-important security patches installed.

Welcome to the world of an IT technician.

With so many things to do, new systems to learn, new compliances to go over it’s little wonder these small problems grow out of control so quickly. Small businesses usually have small IT departments, so there’s not a lot of room for mistakes.

Outsourcing to a managed IT services provider (MSP) is an attractive proposition for both business owners and IT staff. It allows a trustworthy company with IT know-how to handle the most crucial tasks, while everyday business operations remain unscathed. IT techs can focus on growth-related tasks, while MSPs keep an eye out for alerts, updates and threats.

To get the most ROI from working with an MSP, outsource tasks that need more hands on deck to complete.

Tasks that you can easily outsource to an MSP are:

Security

Each year businesses spend millions in lawsuit payouts for data breaches, phishing scams and security compliance failures—and this isn’t the only loss businesses incur due to lapses in security.

According to Kaspersky, $1.3 million is lost each year on average due to cyber attacks. Sadly, much of this loss could’ve been prevented through simple data security measures. Many of the companies affected by security breaches had IT departments that were just too stretched to catch security threats before they created problems.

If the skills on your team aren’t as diversified as you’d like, or you lack the budget for a full-sized IT team, you can outsource your security to an MSP.

An MSP works hand and hand with your in-house IT team to deflect security breaches. This way your team can focus on pertinent tasks such as onsite equipment repair and installation, software setup, server maintenance and technical support.

Compliance Requirements

As you may have read recently, the EU introduced The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rule requiring all businesses with clients/customers in the EU to tweak their Terms and Conditions. This new rule helps customers understand how their data is being used.

According to Intersoft Consulting, businesses that don’t comply with this regulation risk losing customers and incurring a penalty equaling 4% of the company’s global turnover or $20 million (whichever is the highest of the two).

Most businesses—if not all—simply cannot afford to lose this amount of money. Outsourcing your compliance watch to an MSP insures you’re on top of these new regulations when they are first introduced.

Updates

Since in-house IT departments work traditional business hours on average, they have a very small window to deal with a heap of technical issues. Phones, computers, software, hardware, servers and websites are all under their radar—but what about maintenance and updates?

As software companies work to keep the risk of technical issues to a minimum, important updates are required to continue using their programs in the most efficient way. These updates take hours and may not finish by the end of the workday.

Some updates can’t even begin until everyone’s logged out for the day. This means the update will run overnight. If there’s a glitch anywhere along the line, or permission screens prevent the update from completing, the whole process will be repeated again.

MSPs start and monitor the progress of these updates from start to finish. If there are any hang-ups along the way, they will troubleshoot allowing it to complete. Best of all, MSPs are available after business hours so the updates can be installed on time.

Troubleshooting

Occasionally, IT staff will run into a glitch they just can’t seem to troubleshoot. Glitches of this magnitude can grind business to a complete halt.

MSPs work along with onsite IT staff to troubleshoot and solve these issues as soon as they occur. This minimizes downtime and in some cases, prevents it entirely.

VOIP Service

More and more businesses are looking to VOIP cloud-based phone systems over traditional landlines. VOIP systems are flexible and allow businesses to conduct business from anywhere, anytime so long as there’s a good internet connection. This saves time setting up new phone systems and troubleshooting traditional phone lines when they go down.

VoIP service also makes a great addition to any disaster recovery plan as it allows workers to continue from remote locations. MSPs offer VOIP services which they monitor and troubleshoot all without disturbing your everyday business tasks.

Backup Services

Rolling blackouts and power surges go hand and hand—but you know what else goes hand and hand? A loss of data and corrupt software.

When systems suddenly blackout due to storms or power outages, improper shutdown creates an avalanche of glitches. These systems generally require hard resets, essentially losing all data stored within them. According to Computer World, Superstorm Sandy caused this very issue, forcing some businesses to close permanently due to an inability to recover data.

MSPs offer real-time backup systems ensuring that your latest keystroke is recorded and saved. In the event of an emergency, this data can be uploaded to a new system or reinstalled on your existing PCs.

No matter the size of your business, an MSP provides great value for service. Not only will you save yourself the nightmare expenditure associated with data breaches, but you can also relax knowing that your most important IT tasks are in good hands—inside and outside of normal business hours.