The pandemic drove a mass conversion to online business models across the board. Small businesses that were once in-person-only, local affairs needed that eCommerce revenue just to stay afloat.
Of course, in the rush to get online, many businesses deployed technologies they didn’t understand well. As they grew and grow more conversant with IT, the opportunities and threats become more apparent. What also becomes apparent is that creating an in-house IT infrastructure is a costly and long-term project.
For many startups and small businesses, those hurdles can look insurmountable. Fortunately, you have options in the form of ITaaS. Not familiar with IT-as-a-Service? Keep reading for an overview of what it is and why businesses use it.
What Is ITaaS?
The old operating model of IT was that businesses dumped a lot of money into software and physical hardware, like servers, cabling, and routers. You hire people for an IT department to manage that software and hardware. In some cases, an external vendor would provide some support if you purchased a licensing agreement.
With ITaaS, instead of pouring time and money into hardware and software, the new operating model transitions most of those former in-house services and hardware into the cloud.
How Does ITaaS Work?
In essence, you rent the IT resources you need from a managed service provider or MSP. Instead of keeping all of the hardware on-site at your business location, the MSP owns most of the hardware. If you do need on-site hardware, you typically lease it as part of your service agreement.
The MSP packages offerings into service bundles that they provide to you for a set rate. Some common services you see with a top rated IT support services company include:
- Cybersecurity
- Network monitoring
- Hardware
- Disaster Recovery
- Compliance
The exact mixture of services will depend on the company and how they structure their service bundles.
Why Businesses Use ITaaS
For many businesses, IT-as-a-Service is the only way they can access the IT resources they need on a limited budget. The monthly charge proves far more manageable than trying to buy and service all of the hardware and software.
You get the benefit of expert support. For example, an MSP will keep one or more cybersecurity experts on staff. That means your data will remain more secure than you could otherwise likely achieve.
ITaaS also saves you time. While the MSP deals with updates and upgrades, you spend your time leveraging that technology for the benefit of your business.
ITaaS and You
For startups and small businesses, in particular, ITaaS can act as something of a lifeline in a time when so much more shopping happens online. It makes the technology more accessible at a price point more businesses can afford.
It also helps ensure that the technology gets proper management and maintenance. A task that it’s easy to overlook in the hustle and bustle of daily business decisions.
Looking for more tech tips to help keep your business current? Check out the posts over in our Technology section.
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