Technology has fundamentally altered the capabilities of businesses. Cloud computing has provided access to enterprise-strength computing at small business costs, and now IT providers are more able to deliver value than simple repair-and-replace services. The name of the game is value, which is why the value-driven IT services of tomorrow are here to stay.
How IT Has Changed
In the past, the IT service industry was pretty homogenous, with break/fix repair services provided as needed. However, software was developed that, by leveraging automation, could be used by a remote technician to identify and resolve technology issues proactively. As a result, businesses were able to avoid downtime and get more done with their technology.
Within the last 10 years, this approach to IT has experienced considerable growth. By the end of 2019, this market is expected to reach $200 billion, and is now seeing growth in North America, Europe, and Asia. Estimates by ChannelE2E put the number of active IT service providers at 20,000. This group of 20,000 work to maintain IT solutions for millions of businesses, and some of the largest companies have included managed services in their service offerings.
Growth Within the Industry
Managed IT providers have benefitted from the (in many cases, justifiable) presumption that the hiring of an internal resource is an expensive endeavor, with that price only increasing with the resource’s credentials and ability. If a business adopts an outsourced service provider, that business can anticipate the same attention directed toward their IT solutions, with the comprehensive access that a managed service provider has to more up-to-date technology which adds additional value.
This is particularly beneficial for the companies that enlist the assistance of an IT service provider, and more companies than ever are using technology in their day-to-day operations. North American and European companies are anticipated to increase their IT expenses throughout this year, budgets increasing by up to 30 percent in some sectors. Small and mid-sized businesses have been able to use the new upfront capital that their upgraded IT has provided them to upgrade them even further, and large organizations have minimized their risk with security updates and upgrades.
Updates and upgrades have long driven IT growth and have caused managed-service-based IT providers to branch out in what they offer. Cloud computing is now all the rage for business communications and collaboration needs, their hardware and software deployment, as well as many other purposes. When it boils down to it, if you can do it with a server, it can be done with a cloud-hosted virtual server, a shift that has granted today’s businesses with a huge amount of flexibility.
Developing Technologies
IT companies have long been trying to assemble innovations into a service offering that catches the eye of an organization of any size, and they show no signs of stopping. Since data is seen more as a valuable commodity than it ever has been, methods of its collection, processing, and analysis have become a key offering for IT companies to include. This is precisely why IT support companies have started to offer services like data warehousing and business intelligence, something that wasn’t practiced much not all that long ago.
Managed IT service providers have also aggressively begun to include managed security services in their offerings, providing many solutions that help protect the businesses that they serve from threats. From user training and solutions monitoring to SIEM (security information and event management) services, data forensics, and threat mitigation that leverages machine learning, the IT company of today can protect your company, and its organizational data, with extreme efficacy.
On top of all this, some IT providers, like CTN Solutions, also help businesses with VoIP and telephony, conferencing solutions, software and line-of-business applications, database management, email, and a whole lot more. Essentially, any technology solution a business might need stand up against competitors.
The End Result
As new technologies emerge, the tasks of the IT company may shift, but their purpose foundationally remains the same; deliver the solutions and support that a business needs to remain productive. Implementing what was just discussed above and much more, the managed IT service provider will prove to be just as (if not more) valuable of a resource to have in your corner in the coming year.
We’d be happy to support you in this capacity ourselves. Reach out to CTN Solutions at (610) 828- 5500 to discuss your business and its potential today.