Remote work will be driven by managed services going forward

Reflecting on the past year, it's clear that remote work played a significant role in maintaining business operations across ANZ. Many businesses quickly moved to a full or hybrid remote work model in response to the pandemic, which led to an increased need for IT services necessary to resolve a myriad of issues that arose as a result and ensure business continuity.

Large organisations across the regions pivoted to work-from-home models very quickly when the pandemic hit, with one such company in Australia managing to equip over 40,000 employees with the right tools and systems in the space of just over a week.

At the start of 2020, the Technology - Services Industry Association (TSIA) released The State of Managed Services 2020. This report revealed the ratio between products and services for the T-S 50 (an index of 50 of the largest tech companies).

In addition, the report showed services now comprise 60% of revenue, a stat which confirms IT services are a growing industry and remain a top process outsourced by small businesses.

For IT services looking to use these findings to grow their business and participate in the expanding market in 2021 and beyond, it is necessary to understand their appeal to small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Managed services provide four major benefits for SMBs: cybersecurity, cost-saving services, access to the latest technology and the right talent to handle their concerns.

Below, we'll explore each of the reasons that make managed services the perfect solution for SMBs:

Cybersecurity remains a top priority

With the rapid shift to remote work and growing threats of cybercrime, one of the major concerns for SMBs is the ability to fortify their businesses and protect their clients from bad actors.

Mounting phishing attacks from compromised emails and ransomware attacks were listed among the most compromising threats in a recent study conducted by the Ponemon Institute. The report also showed that 66% of SMBs worldwide reported a cyberattack within the previous year.

While alarming in nature, this data aligns with another study supporting the importance of employing experts in cybersecurity for SMBs, with 91% reporting they would start using or change providers to get the right cybersecurity protection and pay up to 30% more for these services. Managed service providers (MSPs) who follow the data and ensure their businesses are providing the right cybersecurity services for their clients will see their business grow as a result.

MSPs and ROI

Although many SMBs had to reduce their IT staff because of the pandemic, business leaders continued to value the advice and services of experts in the field for cybersecurity, business continuity and other technical tasks that fell outside the expertise of other staff members.

MSPs provide SMBs with the ability to budget monthly IT costs that fit their business needs without the absence of qualified professionals. Additionally, SMBs' staff no longer need to worry about conducting software updates and researching hardware issues when MSPs are available to help with IT services. This frees up staff time, leading to increased productivity and customer satisfaction.

Embrace the latest technology

MSPs are no strangers to embracing technology suited for remote work.

Equipped with the latest technology, MSPs have a better understanding of cloud computing, backup and disaster recovery solutions, and remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools. Armed with an arsenal of modern technology and solutions able to maintain uptime and profitability, MSPs can quickly and easily troubleshoot and repair issues while also preventing future problems.

Notably, outsourcing MSPs allows SMBs to call on professionals to help understand and manage advancing technology, allowing SMBs to focus on their own business goals and scalability.

Lean on the right talent 

From keeping track of finances to meeting customer demands, SMBs have their hands full with the daily requirements needed to run a business.

Worrying about network connections, the maintenance of their IT environment, setting up a VPN for remote workers, and other day-to-day IT operations is an added stress that MSPs can help to alleviate.

MSPs have talented staff available to meet the needs of SMBs who might not know where to begin when looking at troubleshooting, investing in their security stack or implementing backup methods.

In short, by working with an MSP, SMBs can leave the IT services to the professionals and focus on running their business.