What Does SME Mean?
SME is the abbreviation for “Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.” These businesses are defined by criteria such as the number of employees, annual income, or asset size and typically have fewer resources compared to large companies. SMEs are an essential part of the economy and are known for their innovative ideas, flexible business structures, and contributions to local economies. The criteria for defining SMEs may vary from country to country.
Managed Services for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Low Cost, High Value
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must balance numerous priorities and daily demands. Acquiring and retaining customers. Avoiding inefficiencies. Delivering excellent customer service. Managing costs. Hiring employees. Complying with government regulations. Keeping up with industry trends.
Technology can help SMEs simplify processes, enhance employee productivity, and maintain a competitive advantage. However, technology also brings its challenges, especially as mobile devices become more widespread and computing needs change rapidly.
This is where managed services come into play. Defined as dedicated IT support provided for a specified period at a low and predictable cost under a service level agreement, managed services are the most secure option in today’s technological environment, especially when compared to reactive or break-fix IT services.
Stability and Expertise
Predictable IT costs. Managed services transform variable IT costs in reactive or break-fix support modes into fixed costs with proactive support. This allows business owners to budget effectively and pay what they can afford on a specific schedule, rather than facing unexpected bills when technology issues arise.
Up-to-date training. Hiring and training IT personnel, along with ongoing training and certification costs, can strain the budgets of small business owners. If you don’t have extensive knowledge of the IT world, how can you tell if an IT employee is truly qualified? Don’t let inadequately trained technology “experts” convince you they can solve all your problems.
Real-world experience. While certifications are important, experience is equally vital. Leading managed service providers encounter very few problems they haven’t seen before, whereas an in-house IT employee typically focuses on a narrow set of issues. You would want an experienced doctor to address your physical discomforts, wouldn’t you? The same principle applies to an IT support team.
Reduced Risk, Balanced Competitive Field
A safe bet. Since market trends, government regulations, financial conditions, and technologies change rapidly, every business investment carries a certain level of risk. Working with a trusted managed service provider gives you a significant advantage by assuming and managing much of this risk with specific industry knowledge and years of experience.
A real competitive advantage. Most small and medium-sized businesses cannot keep up with the robust internal support services of large companies. However, working with a managed service provider offers small companies access to enterprise-level solutions by providing the type of expertise and access that large companies enjoy. Advantages such as managed cost structures and economies of scale can give your business a significant edge.
Compliance. Is your firewall capable of withstanding attacks? Do you regularly audit your workstations and servers? Has your company implemented PCI security standards and worked to maintain them? SMEs have more options for trade, such as credit and debit cards, e-commerce, and wire transfers. However, this expanded transaction area requires greater care. Using a managed service provider minimizes the risks associated with protecting customer data and other sensitive information. Misuse of this information can cause serious harm to your business.
Break-Fix: High Cost, Low Value
“Hey Margaret!” Many small businesses handle IT problems like this: relying on a non-IT employee to manage day-to-day IT issues. Margaret didn’t ask for this role; it just developed around her. However, the impact of Margaret being asked to solve urgent issues often goes uncalculated, and her lack of formal IT knowledge may lead to more expensive repair bills in the future.
“I have a guy.” Small businesses that recognize the flaws in the “Hey Margaret!” support strategy try to solve the problem by hiring an experienced tech support professional part-time at a fixed hourly rate. However, the “I have a guy” guy might need to juggle 10–15 part-time clients to make a decent living and may not always be available when the business owner desperately needs them. In this scenario, the company gets a more technically competent solution but remains at the mercy of an independent operator who requires time and attention.
“Call Geek Squad!” When the “I have a guy” guy is only seen when a problem occurs, panic ensues if their calls go unanswered. The business owner must turn to the yellow pages and usually settle for the first company that can respond to the urgent need. These tech experts can assist with broken hard drives and other desktop issues but often lack the skills to support complex networks or understand the unique needs of a business.
“Just hire an IT person already!” When the lack of immediate availability becomes a problem (or if “I have a guy” and “Geek Squad” fail to solve an issue), the business owner finally decides to hire an internal resource to respond to user complaints. The new hire is immediately faced with a long list of unresolved issues. Unfortunately for both the internal IT resource and the company, the list never shortens, and internal IT support remains perpetually in “reactive” mode, responding to the most critical issue and rarely getting ahead.
Managed Services: Low Cost, High Value
A proactive approach = solutions before crises. Monitoring and maintenance software can identify issues before they impact employee productivity. Everyone feels more at ease knowing that solutions are implemented before situations escalate into “white-hot” emergencies.
Optimal resource allocation as a standard practice. Recognized issues are first addressed with the most cost-effective, highly qualified resources, while larger problems are seamlessly escalated to more skilled resources for quick resolution.
Rapid response regardless of priority. With multiple levels of onsite and remote IT support, issues can be addressed simultaneously rather than sequentially. The proactive approach ensures the highest level of responsiveness by resolving issues while they are still hidden and before end-users even notice them. Immediate impact: increased efficiency. Long-term impact: a more tech-savvy workforce capable of making better use of the company’s technology investments.
None of the challenges SMEs face—relentless competition, technological complexity, or the need to do more with less—will disappear anytime soon. As such, the value of a high-quality, low-cost solution to these challenges will only grow. CMIT Solutions has customized a variety of managed services over the years that can enhance your business in terms of efficiency and productivity.
Proactive IT support provides comprehensive support for technology, eliminating its complexity and delivering services at a fixed price — with no surprises.
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