If you’re a franchise owner, one of your biggest challenges is growing your business without increasing costs. An IT-managed service provider can help you do that by partnering with you to provide services like network security and disaster recovery planning that are important for growth. Through these managed services, you can cut costs and improve your overall digital infrastructure, customer service, and employee productivity. Here’s a closer look at the benefits of working with an IT MSP.
Decrease Franchise Costs
If you’re a franchise owner, there are many ways that an MSP can help you keep your costs down. A managed service provider can save you money in the following areas:
- IT costs—An IT MSP can reduce the cost of IT by consolidating services and offering them at a much lower rate than what would be possible if each location had a technical team and budget.
- IT management—An MSP can also manage your entire IT infrastructure from one point of contact, making it less expensive than having individual teams across multiple offices handling support calls or troubleshooting issues independently. This is especially useful for more extensive franchises where it would be difficult to keep track of all the individual sites without a centralized structure.
- IT support—An MSP provides 24/7 monitoring and management so that any problems with computers, networks, or other devices can be addressed immediately.
IT Consulting
IT consulting is a service that can help your business improve its operations and long-term viability. One way it does so is by providing services tailored to your organization’s needs, whether you’re looking for a one-time service or an ongoing relationship. Some examples of IT consulting include:
- Business continuity and disaster recovery planning
- Network security
- Compliance with regulations (HIPAA, PCI DSS)
- Infrastructure management
With a managed IT managed service provider like ConnectWise, you can access their state-of-the-art MSP software platforms and tools. The ConnectWise expert team “help you handle everything from remote management and monitoring to professional services automation.”
Network Security
Network security is a critical part of business IT-managed services. Network security professionals can help you protect your data and comply with regulations, ensuring peace of mind in the digital world.
Regarding network security, two main areas need attention: protection from cyber threats and compliance with regulations. Your MSP can offer both services as part of their managed IT package.
Cyber threats can include malware and viruses. They also involve hacking attempts and social engineering tactics like phishing emails or phone calls intended to trick employees into revealing sensitive information about your operations or clients/customers. The right network security professionals can manage these threats and assist your team in protecting your company’s data.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning
Business continuity and disaster recovery planning are crucial aspects of any business, regardless of size. An MSP can help you ensure that your business can continue to operate after an event like a fire or flood, or a technical issue like a server failure, by providing services like:
- Data backup services. Your MSP can ensure your data is backed up regularly so that if something happens to your servers or data center, you’ll have an offsite copy available to get back online quickly.
- Cloud backup. If you use cloud-based apps for anything in your business (email service, file sharing service), ensure they’re backed up offsite by the MSP.
- Disaster recovery plan implementation and maintenance. This includes helping create and maintain procedures for how different parts of your company would operate when faced with various types of disasters—and making sure those plans are regularly tested so they’re ready when needed.
Improve Productivity
A reliable MSP can help you increase productivity, reduce costs and improve employee satisfaction. If your franchise is doing well already, an MSP can be a way to help it grow even further by helping you:
- Increase productivity by decreasing downtime and providing proactive support for your systems and applications
- Reduce costs by scaling resources across multiple locations
- Improve employee satisfaction with fewer manual processes, more automation of repetitive tasks, automated alerts, and easier access to information
The right IT management partner can make all the difference in reducing costs and improving your internal efficiencies. Visit ConnectWise to learn more about your options for IT MSPs and start enhancing your franchise today.