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Managed IT Services in Toronto: 3 Major IT Cost Savings

Managed IT Services in Toronto: 3 Major IT Cost Savings

Managed IT services in Toronto can provide your small business with convenience, security, and savings when it comes to your IT network. From preventing cyber security threats to helping your business scale its operation, managed IT services offer major benefits without the expenses of an internal IT department.

In this article, we’ll take you through what managed IT services can offer small businesses and give you tips on choosing the right Toronto managed IT services provider.


What Are Managed IT Services?


Managed IT services refer to companies that offer outsourced IT solutions. You, the client company enter into an agreement with a third-party managed IT services provider, like BSWI, who then manage and maintain your IT network on your behalf.


Because this arrangement lets you gain access to a team of IT specialists to handle all of your core network functions and projects, this replaces your need for a traditional IT department. If you already have a small internal IT department, working with local Toronto managed IT services can help boost your IT capabilities without overtaxing your team and driving up costs. This means you can accomplish more with your network while also maintaining your budget.


What’s more, these IT service providers usually bring a wider range of services that can help you fill technical gaps in your IT administration. Whether it's installing computers, bringing new servers online, implementing or integrating cloud-based solutions, or managing your company email and helpdesks, managed IT services give you more bandwidth as a company to enhance your capabilities. Just a few additional services BSWI alone provides include:




Why Managed IT Services Top Standard IT Services


The biggest distinguisher between managed IT services and typical ad hoc IT services is the level of proactive response the former offers customers. Managed is a key word here. What services like BSWI do is actively monitor your network for alerts and issues in real-time. When something’s wrong, we are able to assess the problem, alert you and your team, and provide a solution quickly because we are already managing your network.


Because of this, managed service providers give you a lot more peace of mind that if issues arise, your work won’t be derailed. When you have an IT issue but no Toronto-based network management to rely on, the burden falls on you to find a Toronto emergency IT support service to help. On top of this though, you’re still dealing with other business demands.


Ultimately, If you just have IT support and call them ad hoc when you've had a problem, you're calling them after the fact. This wastes time and forces you to divert focus from customers. Why not partner with a Toronto managed IT services provider who’s equipped to see and prevent your issue beforehand? At BSWI, for example, we constantly monitor our clients’ networks to ensure that they have current patches that are functioning properly to ensure they are protected from viruses. Preventing problems in the first place is all part of our job. This means that managed IT services add a preventative layer of IT protection that you don’t get with a one-and-done IT service call.


Managed IT services also provide more value because they help you actively upgrade your systems and provide guidance on solutions to help you function more efficiently. For example, if you’re using outdated technology, you could be at risk of a zero-day exploit, in which your patchless IT solution becomes vulnerable to cyber-attacks. We bring this to your attention immediately and help you find optimal technology replacements to avoid this threat.


Ultimately, many organizations rely on managed IT services to build the IT infrastructure Toronto-based businesses require to be competitive and adaptive to new tech requirements. But another key benefit is in how much time and money you can save through this arrangement.


Speed and IT Cost Savings Toronto Businesses Enjoy


Having an entire IT department at your disposal provides your business with rapid responses to technology glitches, errors, tasks, and even cybersecurity issues. Our own helpdesk at BSWI, for example, is able to address 93 percent of client calls within two minutes via a live tech. As a Toronto-based managed IT services provider, we put a lot of focus on this because, if you've got a problem, especially with cybersecurity, you need a solution right away.


Speed is critical in solving technical problems, whether it’s network disruptions or concerning data breach protection. The longer you deal with IT problems, the more issues can compound to make work nearly impossible to complete. If a cyber threat is involved, such as ransomware or a virus, fast detection and responses can literally save your company.


According to IBM, companies typically take about 197 days to identify a data breach and then 69 days to contain it. That’s a lot of wasted time that can cost businesses millions of dollars in both recovery and stolen/damaged data. Because managed IT services are alert and actively monitoring your network protections, you have the advantage of being able to detect, isolate, and remove threats much faster. Not to mention, you save money from the major fallout of a significant breach, which tends to average over $5M in Canada.


On top of helping you save on IT costs via speedy detection and solutions response, Toronto managed IT services cost much less than hiring a full-time IT department. You’re not paying for benefits or salaries, just a monthly fee, and get a host of services at a fraction of the cost of a heavily staffed IT department. Some estimate that this saves companies 40% on labor costs alone. At the same time, you are still equipped to upgrade and scale your network to provide more services to your customers, a win-win.


Overcome IT Roadblocks Through Toronto Managed IT Services



We’ve covered how managed IT services can help save you money while preventing and solving major problems. But how do they help businesses like yours overcome roadblocks that threaten your IT network’s safety and growth? Let’s look at three keystone roadblocks managed services help you overcome that simultaneously provide significant IT cost savings.

1. Data Backups

Having data backup is mission-critical today. If a cyber incident occurs, data recovery depends on reliable backup systems. But having a backup isn’t enough. If someone isn't monitoring that backup, how do they know if it fails? We've had people go years with backup systems in place and assumed they were working fine, only to find out that the backup didn't work when they needed it. When this happens, data and financial loss are imminent.


Managing data backup is a major roadblock that IT service providers like BWSI can take completely off your plate while providing fully functional backups. Currently, we manage over 300 backups via full-time data protection specialists as part of our Toronto managed IT services package.


2. Proactive Cybersecurity

IT security is often another roadblock for small businesses. We have already touched on how a non-practive approach to network security and overall health can harm businesses. The reality is that very often small businesses do not take adequate steps to secure their network, relying only on typical antivirus technology for protection. Antivirus is just one component of IT security and oftentimes even this element is not monitored for peak effectiveness. What if the antivirus is not working on your computer? What if you don't have the proper antivirus in the first place? If that's not working properly, before you know it, you've lost all your data.

We've seen many times where, there's a little alert that comes on for the end user and they ignore it or do not respond effectively, resulting in an incident. This isn’t the case with managed IT services that actively monitor not only your antivirus but other security measures on the back end. We'll see that alert, identify the problem, and then remediate that issue right away, all for you.



Besides making sure that your antivirus is functioning though, managed IT providers also work to recommend additional technology and procedures to protect your network. Remember, the more layers you have, the better protected you are, especially in major cities like Toronto. It is mission-critical that you identify and mitigate your system vulnerabilities. This is where providers like BSWI come in.


One major service we provide is penetration testing or pen testing, in which we duplicate an attack on your network to see where security gaps may exist throughout your IT systems. We do this because it helps us make sure you're safe and secure from an array of different internal or external threats.


Now typically, penetration testing was originally worth tens of thousands of dollars a year and done annually. Not with BSWI. We can do it for about 500 per month, based on the size and needs of your company. This is just one way you save money and get a truly robust cybersecurity system through managed IT services. Other things that we do is incorporate endpoint detection and recovery technology to bolster your antivirus and serve as your Security Operation Center (SOC), providing 24-hour support and security analysis.


3. Full-Scale Network Management

Network management is a full-time operation, that is quite extensive, especially as you scale. It can also be challenging to find the right professionals for your individual small business - not to mention expensive. This doesn’t have to be the case through managed IT providers. Because these firms offer such a diverse range of services, you also have access to not only network protection but innovation as well.


At BSWI, we provide a range of system installations and oversight right up front. We handle patch management to ensure your systems remain up-to-date, but we can also help you upgrade to cloud-based solutions or incorporate new technology to help expand your functionality.


Managed IT services also offer staff training on a range of important topics like email security. Ultimately our goal is to ensure that your IT network is healthy, functional, and able to grow according to your ever-changing business needs.



Choose the Right Toronto Managed IT Solutions Provider

Like your own business, managed IT services come with a variety of specialties and sizes. In addition to looking at reviews and customer testimonials, engage your potential provider directly. Here are some of the questions you should ask when selecting a managed IT solutions provider.

1. Are you well-staffed?

You’ll want to make sure that they have enough staff. A single-person shop might not be equipped for the level of IT support you require. What’s more, you want to make sure that if you pay for network management you will have coverage at all times. You don’t want to be in a situation where one or two of their team members retire and your IT management suffers. Make sure they've got a breadth of people.


2. What is your team’s level of experience?

Even though you’re not hiring people full-time, you want a service provider with a seasoned team that is experienced and genuinely loves what they do. If there's a lot of turnover within the managed IT solutions company, it’s not a promising sign. This may indicate that the firm cannot retain top talent.


The average IT firm in Toronto typically lasts five years, so your best bet for receiving high-quality support is to identify organizations with a strong track record of customer success and retention of experienced personnel over a long period. BSWI has been serving Toronto businesses for over 20 years and has retained top-tier IT specialists throughout this time, which has allowed us to continually provide quality IT support. We can also demonstrate that we have the bandwidth to support new clients.


Asking about team experience and bandwidth, as well as success rate, is due diligence. You need to be sure that you can rely on their expertise and that they can deliver the level of service you pay for.


3. What are your core specialties?

You owe it to your business to make sure your IT services provider focuses on the precise needs of your organization. Maybe you need Hosted VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services in addition to IT consulting and cybersecurity functions. Make sure they have it. But before you even begin looking up local managed IT services in Toronto, try to pinpoint what your current goals with your business IT network are and what your needs may be in the future.


Obviously, there will be current IT solutions you need immediately, but you’ll get the most value from your provider if they can continue providing further solutions as you scale. Consider engaging your prospective provider for an analysis to understand the gaps in your IT network. They should be able to reliably outline your needs and recommend services aligned with your individual goals. If they try and sell you packages or services out the gate, look elsewhere. Reliable managed IT services work around elevating your business’ network, not their sales goals.


We Provide Managed IT Services in Toronto

Your IT network is one of your most critical assets. While you may be a small business, you can position yourself to grow and function more easily through a trusted managed IT service provider - and all within your budget. With a team of highly experienced professionals, BWSI is your customer-attested IT services provider ready to help with all of your IT needs. To get started, simply call us at 416-805-9296 or sign up for a free IT network analysis. Whether it’s cybersecurity or IT migration, our goal is to help your IT network be both resilient and functional to allow you the most value possible.


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