Reactive vs Proactive IT Solutions

The most operationally mature Managed Service Providers (MSPs) take a Proactive approach to IT – it’s better for them and better for you.

Introduction

Many businesses take a reactive, break-fix approach to their IT support, essentially waiting until something breaks and then putting effort into fixing it. The more appropriate strategy for most companies is to take a proactive stance, monitoring their systems for signs of trouble and addressing them before they become a problem.

If you are working with a managed service provider (MSP), you are likely enjoying the benefits of a proactive strategy. Much like automobile mechanics, it’s always better to maintain good health of the environment rather than be caught off-guard by a major breakdown that could have been avoided.

Reactive IT: The True Cost of Break-Fix Mentality

The problem with break-fix is that once the problem is identified, it’s generally already done a great deal of damage. Furthermore, once the failure has occurred, usually significant time and effort is required before the issue is resolved: a support ticket is opened, you wait for your IT department to respond, they diagnose the problem, develop a strategy, execute as quickly as possible given short notice.

In the meantime, you’ll need to figure out workarounds, deploy a replacement device, figure out how to reconstruct the data you lost, and hopefully in a few days, everything will go back to normal again.

Whether it’s hours or days before your systems are up and running again, the potential cost to the organization is indeterminately high. This is downtime that would have been largely avoidable had you been working with a managed service provider, or had your IT department taken a proactive approach in the first place.

You’ve lost income. You may have even lost customers. You’ve just received a bill for an expensive IT expenditure that you didn’t anticipate, and you now have a disgruntled workforce on your hands. The disastrous chain of events is like a domino effect, the ultimate cost difficult to determine as it continues to radiate outwards like ripples on a pond’s surface.

Whichever way you look at it, the reactive approach to IT doesn’t have a bright side to it. Maybe it’s time for a change.

Proactive IT: How Managed Services Reduce Risk and Boost Efficiency

While you may not have the resources to support a full-fledged IT department consisting of multiple full-time resources, a managed service provider (MSP) can fill that need at a cost you can budget for. In a proactive IT environment, your systems are monitored 24/7, ensuring that your data and infrastructure is secure and running as it should. If a problem comes to light, they are generally able to identify and fix it before anybody even notices.

Other benefits to using a proactive IT approach include:

• Your systems are optimized and regularly updated so issues are resolved quickly
• Outdated or end-of-lifecycle equipment is identified and replaced before it fails
• When your systems are working propery, your workforce is more productive
• Backups are performed regularly and automatically
• Security updates are performed remotely, preventing costly data breaches
• All of your data is secure and replicated in the cloud, so there is no risk of loss
• Problems are solved before they cause damage, reducing or eliminating downtime
• Your MSP is never on vacation—there is always an IT professional available to help
• Performance-driven IT helps you stay on top of current trends
• Complete disaster recovery plan in place ensures your business continuity 

Managed Service Providers: Adding Value with a Proactive Approach to IT Management

Working with an MSP like Interlaced also means you can accurately predict your monthly IT spend. Plans are scalable according to your needs, meaning that you can enjoy the same benefits and service as the large enterprise.

The Interlaced MSP model is very proactive. Our Help Desk acts as the first line of defense. Interlaced ToolKit, our powerful software stack, allows us to troubleshoot 99% of “things that could go wrong” remotely. This drastically reduces IT costs because we rarely have to send resources onsite, which is a major cost center. Furthermore, alerts are established across the environment, so if something happens we are the first to know about it and can often resolve any potential issues before you are even aware of it.

Peace of mind is probably the greatest advantage to a proactive approach. Knowing that we will be able to avert disaster before it happens and keep you protected from potentially devastating situations should make you sleep better at night.

As IT infrastructure continues to evolve and gain complexity, and as malicious threats become increasingly sophisticated, it is more important than ever to ensure you are taking a proactive approach to IT.

If you’re wondering what you can do proactively to make your systems more secure and efficient, jump on a call with an Interlaced. We’d love to tell you more about how the way we can add value to your organization.