5 ways managed IT services keep your business evolving quickly
With cyberthreats expanding and artificial intelligence (AI) quickly becoming essential for companies of all sizes, managed IT services are evolving. Historically, organizations considered outsourcing relationships successful if their provider delivered technical experience in a specific area, such as help desk coverage. Today, however, technical proficiency is the bare minimum. Organizations now expect their outsourcing providers to secure their systems continuously, make work simpler for their in-house employees and adopt AI and other leading-edge innovations responsibly.
Given these changes, what results should you expect from a managed IT service provider today? Seek advisors who can drive resource optimization and uncover IT efficiency improvements so you can achieve these five big wins.
Win No. 1: Full visibility into your security risks—and opportunities
While rigorous cybersecurity is nonnegotiable, it can also be prohibitively expensive, especially for organizations struggling to understand their biggest vulnerabilities and opportunities. Without a clear roadmap, companies run the risk of never-ending spending on new tools that may not deliver the desired results.
An experienced managed IT services provider will prioritize IT budget optimization by first benchmarking your security posture, contextualizing where you are in your journey and showing you how you compare with other organizations your size. Armed with this data and a detailed risk assessment, an advisor can then recommend the types of controls your company should implement to address your most pressing vulnerabilities and secure your systems.
Ideally, a third-party firm will then support you in effectively using technology by:
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Regularly testing your backup systems, enabling you to recover quickly should an attack occur.
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Integrating a best-of-breed managed IT services platform across service management with:
- IT operations and monitoring
- Backup and recovery
- Cybersecurity, easing you from the demands of investigating and implementing your solutions.
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Measuring the outcomes that matter the most to your firm so you can calculate ROI accurately.
The RSM difference:
- 70%-plus first contact resolution with designated Managed Service Desk teams on ServiceNow IT Service Management platform.
- 95% patch compliance within two weeks of release with managed endpoint and infrastructure.
Win No. 2: 24/7/365 protection from cyberthreats
Sure, your organization may never get hit with a cyberattack. But if you do, the results may be devastating. The average incident cost across small to medium-sized enterprises and large companies reached $205,000, according to the 2024 NetDiligence Cyber Claims Study, and that doesn’t include the hefty reputational damages caused by broken trust with customers and business partners.
For these reasons, organizations must implement 24/7/365 monitoring. But trying to do this in-house requires several full-time staff members, which is out of reach for many companies.
Managed IT services providers can fill the gap, reducing your risks cost-effectively by offering round-the-clock protection from a dedicated security operations center (SOC), along with training and advanced IT support.
These dedicated resources can strengthen your security profile even further by:
- Adopting a security framework built on the principle that no device, user or system should be trusted by default.
- Conducting role-based security awareness training that goes beyond phishing-prone percentage scores to bolster your organization’s “human firewall” and attain 100% compliance.
The RSM difference:
- 95% of critical security events were identified in less than 30 minutes with managed security/RSM Defense.
- Clients experienced <4% phishing prone percentage with managed security/RSM Defense, cyber awareness and ongoing testing.
- 99.9% reduction in account compromise attacks with managed Microsoft 365 zero trust methodology and additional security reporting.
Win No. 3: Highly specialized, industry-specific talent
Organizations across industries face steep challenges attracting and retaining IT workers with the right skill set and technical acumen. What’s more, leaders who choose to keep IT in-house must dedicate considerable time to talent management, taking on the burdens of hiring, training, nurturing and firing workers themselves.
By outsourcing their IT resources, leaders can recapture their valuable time and tap into highly experienced professionals.
A managed IT services provider that aligns teams by industry will empower you to:
- Source key talent, such as a virtual chief information security officer, who can develop, refine and manage your security strategy.
- Leverage best practices with leading compliance frameworks relevant to your industry.
- Explore comanaged IT services that combine your in-house team with outsourced professionals who can show you how to automate manual processes, freeing existing staff from mundane work so they can focus on business-critical goals.
The RSM difference:
- 90%-plus change success score with managed infrastructure change management ITIL best practices.
- 25% improvement in Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) with automation and knowledge in Managed Service Desk and Infrastructure.
Win No. 4: Accelerated adoption of new technologies
How do you implement generative AI for maximum benefit without putting your data at risk? Few organizations can find the answer on their own. Further, when companies delay AI adoption due to security concerns, they risk employees going rogue with shadow AI, which creates even more data risks.
By working with a top-tier managed IT service provider, organizations can tap into best practices based on multiple successful tool implementations like AI and machine learning.
Must-have capabilities include:
- Readiness assessments, security evaluations and posture reviews so you can calculate your potential blast radius when you turn on AI.
- Industry-specific AI policy and governance testing and responsible AI frameworks designed to advance decision making.
- Use of AI copilots to improve core workflows.
The RSM difference:
- 1.5-plus hours of weekly time savings per employee with managed Microsoft 365 on-demand and instructor-led training plus Copilot adoption.
- 1-to-2-day reduction in new hire setup time with Windows Autopilot, powered Endpoint managed premium deployment services.
Win No. 5: IT budget optimization balanced with service flexibility
IT leaders walk a tightrope between controlling costs and flexing up to meet fluctuating business needs. Achieving balance means finding a managed IT services team that excels in resource optimization, guiding your future growth and preventing spiraling expenses simultaneously.
Gain a competitive edge with outsourcing professionals who:
- Offer services at a predictable monthly cost.
- Provide 24/7/365 service desk capabilities with multilanguage options, allowing you to grow across time zones and borders on your terms.
- Deliver economies of scale through integrated outsourced solutions like managed applications services, finance and accounting, and HR.
The RSM difference:
- 15%-plus cloud cost optimization through enhanced insights and reporting with RSM’s managed cloud services, such as Azure Managed Services.
- 10%-plus savings on software and hardware purchased through RSM.
Manage IT services better with RSM Catamaran
RSM Catamaran offers organizations a suite of integrated outsourced solutions, including managed IT services. With RSM managing your IT function, you can grow your business by effectively using technology.
- Tailored solutions, including fully managed and comanaged IT services.
- A flexible pricing model with a predictable monthly spend and the ability to scale based on evolving business needs.
- 24/7/365 security with RSM Defense™, a proprietary SOC, plus assiduous cyber crisis management, digital forensics and incident response.
- Seamless, global service delivery with 24/7/365 service desk capabilities and multilanguage options.
- Access to a technology platform (ServiceNow) that integrates with best-of-breed third-party solutions.
- Hundreds of innovative professionals with deep technical and industry knowledge plus a strategic, future-focused mindset.
- Scalable efficiency with deep outsourcing experience in finance, risk and HR, in addition to managed IT.
The RSM difference:
- 95% user satisfaction (very satisfied) as measured through Managed Service Desk ticket surveys.
Make the move toward hassle-free IT today
Secure and reliable IT systems provide maximum protection for your organization while making your employees more productive and happier. With RSM managing your cloud and infrastructure, business applications and data analytics through RSM Catamaran, you can embrace new ways of working, improve IT efficiency and gain the confidence to scale your business.