Managed IT services best practices to follow

Managed IT services offer lower operational costs, better resiliency, around-the-clock visibility and maintenance and enterprise-quality capabilities at a fraction of the cost. So, it's no wonder that so many small and medium-sized businesses are intrigued by the benefits of managed services and are actively searching for vendors in the New York metro area.

When vetting NYC IT managed service providers, take a hard look at your prospective vendors' offerings, workflows and capabilities and cross-reference them with industry best practices. The last thing you want is to sign a contract with a service provider that cuts corners or lacks the ability to delivery on all of their promises.

Future-proof IT infrastructure

In any industry, it's important to always look ahead to the future and be ready for whatever comes down the pike. But in IT, especially, short-sightedness can be devastating. Consider that just 10 years ago, only 30 percent of organizations used the cloud in any capacity. As of last year, cloud adoption rates have rocketed to 96 percent, with 84 percent of enterprises deploying multiple cloud environments. Today, it's difficult to conceive of a world without the cloud, but not too long ago, that was the case. Who knows what disruptive technology lurks over the horizon?

Managed IT service providers that don't account for future developments may be unable to continue meeting their customers' needs. It doesn't have to be earth-shattering tech releases that impede business growth and progress, either. Poor network infrastructure and a subpar data center footprint could limit service scalability, meaning customers cannot trust that they will be able to meet escalating resource demands as their businesses expand.

Ironclad security measures

Cybersecurity continues to be a major concern for organizations everywhere, but many businesses lack the personnel and resources to protect their most valuable systems and data. According to ISACA, cybersecurity teams are currently understaffed at 69 percent of organizations. That skills gap presents a massive security risk that cybercriminals can exploit to penetrate company networks undetected and exfiltrate sensitive information.

Many organizations choose to outsource some or all of their cybersecurity needs, but it's important to also hold your non-security-related vendors to a similarly high standard. Third-party service providers can expose customers to additional cybersecurity threats if they don't adhere to industry best practices.

Also keep in mind that many data privacy rules like the General Data Protection Regulation extend their compliance requirements to vendors, so their failure to follow those guidelines could blow back on your organization.

Check your managed security provider's cybersecurity and compliance accreditations to see how they stack up against the competition. A vendor that isn't HIPAA or HITECH compliant would obviously be a poor choice for a healthcare company, but it also potentially reflects a more pervasive lack of diligence regarding security protocols.

Managed IT services are a boon to any business that lacks the internal resources to achieve best-in-class IT capabilities. To get the best service quality possible, vet your vendors carefully. Once you do, you'll find that TEKConn stands head and shoulders above the competition, offering top-of-the-line IT managed services to the New York metro region.