Seamless connectivity is a modern business communication essential. Managing a network infrastructure that meets workplace demands and consumer expectations, however, can be daunting, especially for businesses supporting the needs of multiple locations.
With today's constant evolution of communication technologies, most mid- to enterprise-level organizations are seeing dramatic increases in the resources needed to ensure network security, communication efficiency, and system reliability. In response, IT decision-makers are shifting away from monitoring, diagnosing, and repairing their networks in-house in favor of managed connectivity.
To take back control of your operations, it's essential to know what managed connectivity is and how experienced service providers help their clients make the best use of their resources. With that understanding, it's easy to see why investing in an experienced managed service provider (MSP) is an attractive option for just about any company impacted by the challenges of managing its infrastructure internally.
Managed Connectivity 101: Outsourced Services Explained
Today's business owners invest in multiple digital communication and collaboration solutions to ensure optimal connectivity. Although decision-makers were initially pleased with the results of adding video platforms, AI-enhanced SMS, and various workplace optimization technologies, most find their support staff overwhelmed with the complexity of their communication infrastructures.
Even with skilled IT teams on staff, companies find it increasingly necessary to hire third-party technicians to fill knowledge gaps and solve complex internet security issues. The result is always the same: costs are getting out of control.
Investing in managed connectivity reduces (or eliminates) the need to hire additional support, ensures 24/7 proactive monitoring, simplifies carrier management, and enhances the connectivity between business locations. In essence, it's a third-party managed service that ensures the optimization and resiliency of your networking environments so you can focus on core operations.
Exploring the Benefits of Partnering with Business Connectivity Experts
The concept of simplifying business operations by hiring third-party contractors for essential services is nothing new. It's often more beneficial for a company to leave payroll management, human resources, or talent acquisition to companies specializing in those areas.
Not only is outsourcing more cost effective than managing specialized tasks in-house, but it also ensures that the responsibility of remaining up to date with evolving regulatory requirements and best practices rests with the service provider.
Some decision-makers are hesitant to outsource business connectivity based on assumptions that handling issues in-house ensures they're making the best use of their resources. However, many underestimate the overall cost of onboarding IT professionals and providing continuous training.
They also underestimate the potentially detrimental contributions of human error and oversight to service interruptions and network vulnerabilities. Once they realize what managed connectivity entails, many find the benefits compelling enough to reconsider.
A Single Point of Contact Across All Carrier Contracts and Monitored Devices
Many organizations supporting the connectivity needs of 200-plus employees use 371 software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. Within a single department, companies subscribe to an average of 87 SaaS products. Over time, many businesses continue to pay for services they've replaced as their needs evolve because they don't have a clear view of their tech inventory—there's little to no transparency.
With managed connectivity, business owners and their account administrators have a single point of contact for all their carrier contracts, monitored devices, and invoices. In addition to providing a comprehensive overview of their services, an experienced MSP can also have a positive impact on dispute resolution, expense management optimization, and strategic planning.
Proactive Network Monitoring and AI-Enhanced Cybersecurity
For organizations with a global reach, the networking infrastructure should be flexible enough to accommodate the diverse communication protocols specific to each service area. With fully managed connectivity, business owners have advanced automated technology monitoring their network proactively—every hour of every day—in real-time.
Top-tier MSPs also have enhanced security systems that identify and deter malware, suspicious activity, and other cybersecurity threats across all services, devices, and providers. That advanced tech is supported by certified, expert-level IT professionals prepared to alert their clients to possible security threats (and performance anomalies) while working diligently behind the scenes to resolve potential risks before the situation escalates.
Service Level Flexibility Scaled According to Business Needs
Some industries require an entirely different set of service levels and security standards than others. Most organizations relying on multiple communication carriers are best served by MSPs offering scalable, customizable service options. Without flexibility, a company investing in managed connectivity could end up paying for service levels that aren't needed in every location within its network.
Top-tier MSPs offering network monitoring and management services allow end-users to select from several scalable service levels for event notifications, hardware health assessments, security monitoring, and more. For organizations expanding into remote locations, the option of investing in white-glove service remediation and proactive on-site field services eliminates the need to assign labor-intensive issues to staff or hire local technicians.
Access to Multiple Connectivity Solutions From a Single Provider
Organizations with a global reach don't have the luxury of choosing a single type of communication technology to ensure connectivity and system security across their locations. There can be considerable differences in the technology certain regions can support in addition to the numerous variations in regulatory standards governing data security and privacy.
MSPs specializing in connectivity can accommodate the unique needs of each location on a business network with multiple service options, including private and public wide area networks (WAN), multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), wireless global broadband, and software-defined area networks (SD-WAN). Top-tier service providers also leverage favorable relationships with local internet service providers (ISPs) and legacy phone service providers (PSTNs) to their client's financial advantage.
Discover How Managed Connectivity Can Optimize Your Network Infrastructure
Managed connectivity ensures the stability and sustainability of your business communication network. It provides around-the-clock system monitoring that minimizes risks caused by knowledge gaps, human error, and oversight. Whether you have several locations in the same state or several hundred across the globe, you'll have a single point of contact for your carrier contracts, monitored devices, and invoices.
When you're ready to discover how managed connectivity can help your organization navigate today's modern networking environment and ensure the optimization, security, and resiliency of your infrastructure, contact us at BCM One.
