Small Business Guides

Knowing The Difference Between Managed IT Support vs Technical Support For Your Business

Increasingly, Information Technology is becoming an indispensable part of today’s business operations. IT solutions and applications are vital to improve productivity, increase efficiency, and drive revenue – and the overall success and growth of a business. Unfortunately, not all organizations have the experience and expertise to manage existing technologies. Recruiting, training, and retaining qualified IT professionals are among the topmost challenges of enterprises.

To meet their technology needs, businesses turn to IT outsourcing. With this business delivery model, businesses gain access to technical expertise, enjoy 24/7 availability of tech support, expect predictable and consumption-based pricing, and ensure efficient IT system. Considering these well-documented benefits of outsourcing, it’s not entirely surprising how it has become the second nature of IT departments, especially those with limited talent.

Over recent years, spending on IT outsourcing has risen tremendously. According to Statista, the global digital outsourcing sector was projected to be around 378.1 billion US dollars. And as businesses seek to leverage emerging digital technologies, such as AI, machine learning, and the cloud, this number is expected to grow continuously in the coming years.

If you are convinced that IT outsourcing is what your operations need, you need to decide whether to subscribe to Managed IT Support or Technical Support.

What are the differences between Managed IT Support and Technical Support?

Basically, both of these delivery models harness the benefits of outsourcing. They differ mainly on the coverage of services being offered.

Managed IT Support

In Managed IT Support, a dedicated team of IT professionals continuously helps a business run the day-to-day IT tasks, as well as, other specialized tasks a business requires.

Managed Support Providers (MSPs) are manned by experienced tech specialists. They ensure that your digital technology needs are served and that your IT goals are met. MSPs offer a range of services aimed to ensure the functionality and efficiency of your IT environment.

MSPs have unique service offerings or packages, but basically, the idea is to delegate the responsibility of maintaining an IT system to a service provider. An IT specialist from PreciseIT.tech explains that managed IT Support aims to unburden your in-house IT team, thereby, enabling them to focus on more strategic tasks and projects that will increase your bottom line.

Usually, the MSP takes over mundane tasks, such as 24/7 monitoring, systems upgrade, responding to technical glitches, and others. In some cases, the MSP assists in a specialized area, such as contact center systems, cybersecurity services, data storage solutions, back-up and disaster recovery, cloud managed services, and more. Some MSPs offer highly specialized and industry-specific IT services such as in the legal, manufacturing, financial, and healthcare sectors.

An experienced web developer from Miropoint underscores the importance of a healthy IT network, particularly in the area of cybersecurity. Even with a web solution’s innate security architecture, proactive cybersecurity measures are still essential to prevent potential breaches. With the help of a dedicated MSP, all of these loopholes can be secured.

Highly qualified engineers and specialists work closely with you to figure out the best IT solutions for your business. They offer remote support teams and dedicated account managers who are ready to respond to any of your IT questions, glitches, and concerns. For CEOs, managers and business owners, knowing that the IT aspects of your organization are fully met gives you peace of mind.

Technical Support

Technical support is another form of IT outsourcing and is more of a reactive approach towards meeting your IT needs. Unlike managed IT support where the contractor provides comprehensive IT coverage, technical support services are limited to resolving technical incidents or problems. These IT challenges can either be actual or perceived deficiencies and can result in operational issues if not addressed.

Just like managed support providers, IT support services are manned by highly trained and qualified IT professionals. Tech support is called up only when there are IT issues or when sudden IT needs crop up. Once a service call is made, Technical Support Representatives determine the trouble and resolve it as soon as possible, either remotely or on-site.

But unlike in MSPs wherein a dedicated team handles your IT environment, in technical support you don’t normally get the same professionals at each ticket. This means there will be an entirely new approach to a problem.

Some technical support providers offer specialized services, especially for large and intricate projects. In some instances, a company’s IT department is completely self-sufficient. However, in case they need to update, troubleshoot, or deploy new technologies, they call up specialized technical support to carry out these IT initiatives.

Businesses can avail of Technical Support hours to complete the project without spending too much on a full contract and without disrupting the IT department’s operations. Once the project has been completed, technical support can then be canceled.

Basically, technical support is intended for a business that requires a short-term engagement to complete specific tasks and projects. It may also be the best option for businesses that require engineering talent on an as-needed basis.

There you have it: the difference between Managed IT Services and Technical Support. It is essential for businesses to review their IT needs to know which between these two programs is most appropriate.