Would you skip getting the oil changed in your car if you were worried about the price? Probably (and hopefully) not!
Why? Because you know that the cost of skipping an oil change will turn into much more expensive car repairs. Plus, you can call around, read reviews, and find out how much the necessary maintenance to your vehicle costs.
Think of your IT needs along the same lines as car maintenance. Because forgoing IT services for your business is like driving for as long as you can until your engine breaks down. Ugh… And just imagine being stranded on the side of the road in this Texas heat!
While questioning how much it costs to outsource managed IT services, you also need to consider the cost of forgoing it altogether.
Tips For Budget-Minded Business Owners To Hire The Right MSP
Don’t work your computer to death. Instead, find budget-friendly managed IT services that can keep your business in operating mode.
Ready to put your business’s IT needs in the capable hands of Brooks IT Services? Contact us today to get started!
The Cost Of Forgoing A Managed Service Provider
The average cost of managed IT services is around $125-$175 per user per month. Depending on the number of people you employ, the price can quickly add up.
But have you ever thought of the cost of forgoing an MSP?
Small Houston businesses aren’t likely to generate the same income as companies like Facebook, but their horror stories can sure teach us a lesson. For instance, in October of 2021, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram (all under the same umbrella) experienced an hours-long outage.
According to Fortune and Snopes, this resulted in an estimated loss in revenue of $163,565… per minute. The total loss is estimated to be in the ballpark of between $60 to $100 million. Ouch!
Okay, so surely Mark Zuckerberg can handle that kind of loss.
But could you?
If that type of outage could happen to a technology leader like Facebook, imagine how your business would fare.
Look at your MSP as an investment in your business, and consider what not having an MSP could cost you in the long run.
Proactive Measures Cost Less Than Reactive Measures
As a Houston business owner, you likely know a thing or two about floods. It’s not called Bayou City for nothing!
If you’re a homeowner in a flood plain, there’s a good chance you have flood insurance yourself. As you pay your premiums each year, it probably comes with an eye roll and daydreams about ways you’d rather spend your hard-earned money.
However, in the event of another flood, you’ll be happy to have a flood insurance policy. Think of IT along the lines of flood insurance, but the risk to your physical and intellectual property is literally always at risk of flooding – hackers, phishers, viruses, malware, ransomware, and more.
The reason for this is that preventing an IT crisis is tremendously easier and less expensive than fixing your system after a crisis. While your friends at BITS are well versed in disaster recovery and can help you come back from a cyber attack, we also want to save you stress and money.
Before you choose to go without an MSP in your corner, consider if saving a few bucks will be worth rebuilding your system, processes, data, and more from scratch. It could set your progress back years, or worse… The cost could put you out of business.
Protect your business and get ahead of the competition with proactive solutions from Brooks IT Services. Schedule a consultation today.
The Elements Of Pricing In The IT World
When it comes to outsourcing managed IT services, you need to know the options are flexible. As mentioned above, IT services usually range between $125-$175 per user per month.
However, you may be wondering what your options are if that is simply not in the budget. That’s where Brooks IT Services makes a difference. We understand small businesses, which is why we primarily work with small business owners. And we strive to ensure accessible IT services without compromising quality.
We will work with you to identify how our services can best serve you and your business. Another element is the need for ongoing training. If you and your employees can get on board to take the right precautions to avoid falling victim to phishing attempts, ongoing training may not be necessary. Of course, we’ll still keep you informed of the latest phishing attacks so you can be aware.
But one element of increased prices tends to fall in repeated errors and failure to recognize suspicious emails, texts, and phone calls. Furthermore, we talk a LOT about processes and passwords. Did you know the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack was the result of one person’s exposed password for a VPN account? Yep, it takes just one overlooked password to compromise your business’s security.
You can keep your costs low by implementing a password protocol. This would include:
- Using a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters
- Changing passwords every quarter – at the very least
- Not using any words or phrases that could be easy to guess
- Avoid using pet names, birthdays, addresses, phone numbers, etc.
- Don’t write passwords on a sticky note that could be seen by the water delivery person (or anyone)
If you and your employees follow our protocols, you can help prevent vulnerabilities in your system.
Prices Per Location Of Your MSP
Consider the cost of a sandwich in Times Square versus a sandwich shop in the suburbs of Houston. Without a doubt, the cost to rent a space in Times Square is going to be exponentially higher than anywhere in Houston.
Furthermore, any business with a high overhead transfers those costs to its customers through pricing. While a skyline view, marble floor, and mahogany desk are sure to impress some, is it really necessary? Not if you are a budget-minded person!
The great thing about managed IT services is that they can mostly be done remotely. And when you need in-person help, IT experts can go to you.
What does this have to do with cost?
It means that MSPs can keep their costs low by forgoing high overhead. Sure, we need to invest in our continued research and tools to bring you the best solutions. But we don’t need an office adorned with leather-bound books to convince people to take us seriously. At Brooks IT Services, our work speaks for itself.
So rather than hiring the most prestigious-looking MSP, keep your budget and needs at the forefront.
The Key To Finding Managed IT Services In Your Budget
It’s actually not that difficult to find managed IT services in your budget. But you do need to do a little research.
Reviews
Start out by checking out online reviews. Look for an MSP who has multiple positive reviews across different channels. This means Yelp, Google, Facebook, and tech-centric review websites. You can quickly narrow down a list of potential MSPs through their reviews.
References
When you meet with your potential MSP, ask for references. Any good MSP will be willing and able to provide you with a living, breathing, real-life client. You can ask whether they’ve had surprise fees, response times, and how their solutions have performed.
Outsource
The idea of an in-house IT expert sounds nice. But what happens when that person calls in sick? And doesn’t everyone deserve a vacation every once in a while?
The cost of employing a full-time IT expert or department will really put a dent in your budget. But here’s the thing – it’s not necessary. For less than the cost of a full-time employee, you can outsource an MSP and have a whole team of experts providing 24/7/365 support.
BITS Is The Managed IT Service Provider For Small Houston Businesses
Small business owners in Houston trust Brooks IT Services because we continuously deliver on our promises. Plus, we ensure your tech fits with both your business strategy and budget.
You’ve worked too long and hard to risk everything to save a little. Make the investment that will continue working for your business just as hard as you. Contact us today to get started.