How Can Managed Services Remove IT Roadblocks for SMBs?

When businesses adopt digital technologies, they can focus on improving business processes and improve customer experience.

According to the latest data, Washington has around 555,285 small businesses employing 1.3 million people. Small businesses lag in digital transformation due to procurement functions and the high costs involved. Here are some top roadblocks for SMBs in digital transformation.

• Limited skill and expertise

• Limited staff and time

• Small budgets

• Competing IT priorities

According to experts, managed IT services in Washington DC can help remove these roadblocks for SMBs. Here are different ways in which managed service providers can help small businesses.

Take Responsibility for All IT Requirements

Washington is one of the states in the US that does not have personal or corporate income taxes. A large part of state revenue comes from excise taxes, general use and sales tax, and gross receipts tax (occupation and business taxes).

Managed services take responsibility for all IT requirements of SMBs and allow their staff to core on revenue generation activities. In other words, they allow small businesses to do more with less. The managed IT services Washington DC monitors their IT infrastructure health, assess their business network, and perform remote maintenance activities, including integrations and upgrades.

Depending on the service contract, the managed service provider can also fulfill small technical needs like filtering emails and managing IT infrastructure needs.

Increased Productivity and Uptime

Some businesses heavily depend on human resources for most business activities. According to the latest data, Washington has around 51,742 businesses involved in retail trade and 14,574 businesses carrying out wholesale trade. When you hire a managed service provider, they work to make the systems and processes simpler.

The MSP can combat problems that arise due to technology through their expertise and constant monitoring. The service provider can detect, plan, and prevent IT systems problems before affecting business continuity and productivity. The MSP is like a dedicated technology partner who can prevent troubles through software changes, upgrades, and growth issues that lead to improved uptime and productivity.

Reduced Risks

Every business, irrespective of size, has to meet the regulatory compliance audits laid down for the industry. Some of the essential regulatory compliances are HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996), PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002), and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

These regulatory compliances are applicable for businesses providing services in a specific domain. For example, healthcare service providers, pharmacies, and nursing homes need to meet HIPAA compliance. As per the latest data, around 48,104 businesses are operating in the healthcare sector. These businesses need to ensure they meet the regulatory requirements.

Spyware, hacking, data theft, malware, data loss are severe hazards to businesses. The regulatory compliances require businesses to employ safety measures to protect customer data and confidentiality. Managed service providers provide 24x7 securities and provide back and restore tools that can restore operations in cyber-attacks or natural hazards.

To sum up, the business landscape has become competitive, and SMBs need to stay technically updated to survive in the market and give tough competition to big players. Managed service providers give SMBs the much-needed technology support and platform to boost business growth without the high costs.