Most modern providers of IT Services deliver their solutions in what is commonly referred to as Managed IT Services. While many of us simply refer to it as IT Support, it’s like saying your mobile device is just a phone. Making calls is just one of many functions your mobile device can do and the same can be said for modern IT Services. IT Support is a very important element of Managed IT Services but only one of the many functions carried out by your IT service provider. Your Managed IT Services provider is now responsible for your physical devices in the office and in the home office, the security for these devices and the digital and cloud applications utilised on these devices. They ensure you have instant access to valuable data and insights and let you collaborate effectively from anywhere in the world. IT is now at a point where it’s not simply a tool anymore but more an essential utility that is delivered and supported by your IT service provider.
Utility computing is a concept established by John McCarthy in the 1960s when he predicted that computation may someday be organised as a public utility. There are several utilities that a business requires to function: electricity, water and gas are some of the obvious ones that come to mind. When you think of a utility you think of a service you simply can’t live without and that is fundamental to the survival of your business. When Windows 95 was released, all those years ago, it allowed offices to transition from the electric typewriter to the word processor or at least allowed you to play solitaire on your lunch break. Today’s landscape is vastly different, and the IT systems that we utilise in business have gone from being useful tools to an essential utility that effectively powers your entire business and its operations.
IT as a Utility is a subscription-based model of Managed IT Services that requires little or no upfront capital investment on the part of the client. When you pay for your monthly or bi-monthly electricity bill, you expect to have power. This is how we view Managed IT Support Services, as just another business utility that you expect to work for you.
At IT.ie we provide a host of Managed Services that can be billed monthly as a utility. This then allows you to have a more predictable spend and moves IT costs from capital to operating expenses. With the old break/fix solution, your IT issues actually benefit your support provider who only gets paid when you have a problem and so your problem is their solution. Managed IT is completely different. It is a strategic and proactive approach to long term IT maintenance and management.
Much of today’s modern utility computing is delivered via the could which typically involves over a network, on-demand, self-service access utilising pools of often virtualised resources. This allows you, or your IT provider, on your behalf, to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without the need to invest in new infrastructure. Services delivered via the cloud allow you to scale at ease as there’s no requirement to purchase a new piece of expensive software for an individual machine. If new staff come on board or leave you simply scale up or down your subscription, as required.
When you first contact us, we start by getting to know your business and your business goals. This then allows us to provide you with a solution that not only addresses IT issues when they occur but also ensures that your IT infrastructure is aligned to power business growth, well into the future. Customer experience is at the core of Managed Services and so we work hard to establish and build relationships, based on trust and an understanding that the key to our success is aligned to your success. Our dedicated team proactively monitors your systems and will often identify potential problems and implement solutions long before they impact your productivity.
Some advantages of IT-as-a-Utility
Break-fix was the go-to model of IT Support for many years and a model we too delivered, to our clients, in our early years. With the adoption of cloud technologies, remote access to the office IT systems and the relentless risk of cyber-attacks, the break-fix model is effectively dead.
It simply isn’t efficient or a sustainable model.
Managed IT Services delivered as a Utility is the future of business IT solutions and the fuel to power your business growth.
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