In this blog post we explore 10 reasons why you need to consider Managed Services in 2023. It’s 2023 and businesses are expected to more than just survive a pandemic – they need to be resilient and ready to face the future.  Managed Services continues to play a critical piece in achieving this post-pandemic success by digitalizing business operations in an enterprise environment.

1. Capitalize on synergies with your Managed Services Partner to achieve challenging KPIs

Working closely with a Managed Services Partner allows enterprises to build strong synergies and solve problems. Solid support teams that are trained on the industry-renowned ITIL framework can ensure that the IT services provided are aligned with the needs of the business.

2. Informative Change Analysis

In addition to expert technical support, a reputed Managed Services Partner also offers the benefit of thorough change analysis. Typically, enterprise resource planning systems evolve over the years to increase efficiency and decrease costs.  A trusted partner can help your enterprise make informed decisions related to change management through informative cost-benefit analysis of recommended changes.

3. Regular updates, risk mitigation and future proofing for enterprise environments

In the fast-paced world of digitalization and digital transformation for enterprises, change is inevitable. These changes can mean that the applications you use today could become redundant in the future, bringing your business to a screeching halt.

A Managed Services Provider can help your business overcome and neutralize the threat of obsoletion of expensive IT applications. Support consultants need to work closely with businesses to formulate a ITIL framework and business continuity strategy. Additionally, the Managed Services Provider should routinely assess options for flexibility and ensure that these options are built into enterprise systems to mitigate and accommodate change.

4. Continuity & availability of resources

Your Managed Services Provider can be an important ally in business continuity planning. A reliable partner would work closely with the enterprise to deliver support as an extension of the business’ own IT operations teams to ensure that business KPIs are fulfilled.

5. Quick response time

With a Managed Services Provider, enterprises can expect quick response times as they would be bound by Service Level Agreements (SLA). Fortude Support Consultants respond instantly to acknowledge receipt of an issue and typically deliver results in less than an hour.

6. Knowledge retention through strong partnerships

Working together with a Managed Services Provider can help enterprises immensely in terms of knowledge and skills retention. Unlike employing an expert who may leave at the end of a certain period – a strong partnership with a reputed Managed Services Provider brings many benefits. Employee and knowledge retention are no longer a concern, as Managed Services Providers typically come equipped with the latest technology and technical expertise required.

7. Minimize downtime with a trusted Managed Services Provider

Digital systems such as computer programs and Enterprise Resource Planning applications are heavily reliant on electronic circuitry and advanced algorithms. Needless to say, sometimes complex, dynamic and interactive programs are susceptible to glitches and bugs. Application Support Services are crucial to continuity of enterprise operations as such support services help overcome and prevent technical glitches.

A good Managed Services Partner will take proactive measures to reduce unplanned downtime by proactively monitoring and managing critical components of your IT applications to anticipate issues and speeding up problem resolution.

8. Support consultants on-demand

Partnering with a Managed Services Provider, enables businesses to access best-in-class international application support. Firms also stand to benefit from experienced and qualified resources with deep domain knowledge who can support the business’ mission critical applications at the push of a button. In this regard, Service Level Agreements can help firms specify response times for various aspects of their enterprise operations.

9. Freeing up in-house talent and management workloads

Outsourcing routine support and proactive maintenance delivers indirect business benefits. Working with a Managed Services Partner, allows businesses to free up valuable human resources and to focus on core business development activities. Outsourcing routine support and proactive maintenance delivers indirect business benefits too, as they allow client-focused managers to focus on other aspects of business improvement.

10. Online dashboards provide real-time visibility of business executions

While Managed Services Partners can do the heavy lifting in terms of keeping the business-critical IT processes running, it is crucial that business owners have complete and real-time visibility of all operations. A Partner who leverages data visualization, real time business intelligence dashboards and regular reporting features, is crucial for enterprises as this can enable them to monitor service performance, spot any performance degradation early-on, and make informed decisions to ensure business continuity.

Still weighing the benefits of a managed services partner? It is estimated that successful deployment of managed services will help reduce IT costs by 25-45% and increase operational efficiency by 45-65%. In addition, 25% of organizations said downtime costs averaged between USD 301,000 and USD 400,000 per hour (source: Intelligent Technical Solutions).