Can Manufacturers Benefit from Proactive Managed IT Services?
The manufacturing industry can be a very competitive space that has many different moving parts involved such as supply and demand. Therefore, manufacturing businesses need as many differentiators and competitive advantages on their side as that they can get.
A great way to differentiate your manufacturing company is to partner with a proactive Managed IT provider that can take care of all the technology needs so that you can focus on the core of your business to make it in quite a competitive landscape.
Working alongside a proactive managed IT service provider, you can expect enhanced security, improved productivity, better efficiencies, and predictable monthly costs since this is the entire focus and goal of their service - to set your business up for success.
There are many business advantages from working alongside a proactive managed IT service provider and here are a few of them that we would like to discuss.
Monthly Predictable Costs & Savings
Manufacturing businesses can sometimes overspend on their technology and not even realize it. The cost of technology and managing your IT infrastructure can vary significantly depending on factors such as your vertical, how big your company is, and sometimes this can be a common reason why some manufacturers avoid putting their technology in the hands of IT MSPs.
However, working with an IT provider can be more cost effective since it covers most of the training, labor, tools, and expertise that is necessary for your technology to be effective. Most of the costs associated with overspending include spending on many of these areas but without any real insights or long-term direction. When managing IT in-house, you may run into overspending if there is no planning, strategy, or proactive reporting in place. IT MSPs are seasoned professionals in managing and maintaining the entire IT infrastructure with the best tools and talent available in the industry, and that greatly helps with managing costs for your manufacturing business.
The Latest and Most Innovative Solutions
Essential IT projects come and go over the years and managing them all in-house can work successfully for a while. The necessary support and updates would most likely be covered, but eventually your business will need to evolve and move onto the most innovative solutions that are available to stay up to date with technology. This sometimes involves starting from the beginning to update hardware and software and going through a transition period. When working with an IT provider, your manufacturing business can expect to get access to the best available solutions that are offered in the industry which averts dealing with old and outdated technologies that can quickly become obsolete.
Risk Management & Enhanced Cybersecurity
All businesses rely heavily on digital solutions that can support their workforce whether locally or remotely. This opens the door to vulnerabilities and exposure to risks like cyber threats. Manufacturing companies store a massive amount of high-value data. If cloud solutions, devices and smart factories are not properly safeguarded, then the door to data loss, IP theft, and cyber threats like ransomware attacks can become a nightmare. Working with an IT MSP can put your mind at ease since they purposefully provide solutions that can keep your manufacturing business safe from such threats if it were to become an issue.
Less Downtime, Better Productivity
Downtime can be a major inconvenience for any business and a major expense if it goes on for too long. In certain manufacturing businesses, downtime can be as high as $15,000 for every lost hour of productivity. Just think about oil rigs and copper mining and the millions of dollars that would go down the drain if a major disaster were to occur.
Having reliable support around the clock is a very essential service that an IT MSP can provide, giving you peace of mind if anything bad were to happen. Productivity would be able to continue during a disaster avoiding countless hours of troubleshooting. Some providers will even offer you a guarantee in your service agreement in the event of a disaster so that you are up and running in any scenario.
Compliance & Standards Alignment
Most industries require a level of compliance or have specific standards that they need to meet, and manufacturing is no exception. With the ever-evolving regulations and compliance requirements manufacturing businesses must keep up to maintain their competitive advantage. Examples of manufacturing verticals held to strict compliance and quality standards include medical, automotive, food and beverage, and aerospace technologies. Thankfully, a proactive IT MSP can help your business to automate its compliance needs and help ensure that you maintain product quality, capture your data, and transmit it securely.
Can a Proactive IT MSP be your business partner?
Choosing to partner with an IT MSP over an in-house solution is a smart and convenient business move for your manufacturing business. During the entire year, the provider will deliver a comprehensive service model that will improve your overall communication, productivity, uptime, and performance.
Startups and seasoned manufacturing businesses can both benefit from the proactive IT MSP service model. For more established manufacturers that have been around longer, some of the benefits include getting rid of any old legacy equipment and replacing them with more innovative and newer technologies (which is a major and common pain point for a lot of manufacturing businesses).
For start ups and newer manufacturing companies, working with a proactive IT MSP means that they can launch from the ground up with streamlined processes, lowered costs, and a technologically advanced infrastructure. It also helps to mobilize capital from being tied up in an in-house IT solution and will then be able to better appropriate expenses to more critical or niche functions of the business.
One of the biggest advantages of working with a proactive provider is that problems and issues will be addressed or resolved before they happen (and not only because they happen). Your manufacturing business will be able to avoid dealing with the same issues repeatedly, when compared to other break-fix type IT service providers that only focus on fixing problems when they pop up.
As an IT MSP, PACE Technical always demonstrates the benefits of what working with a proactive monthly-based service model is like. In the long run, it is a no-brainer for the cost-effective benefits since businesses avoid continuous expenses when things need to be upgraded or fixed.
If you are ever interested in finding out more information from an IT MSP about their services for your manufacturing business, you can start by asking them the following:
- Does the service make your business more competitive in the industry?
- Does the provider give you a roadmap and can they quickly adopt to new and emerging technologies?
- Will the provider improve innovation and productivity to boost your bottom line?
- Are they keeping up with advancements in the manufacturing industry?
- Are they aware of any unique and emerging market trends?
- What is their reaction time like and are there any service guarantees?
- How can they be your business partner to help you grow and thrive?
- Will they be able to help you get your products to market faster with increased productivity and efficient processes?
Uncomplicate Your Technology
Proactive IT MSPs are an essential, value-adding partners to manufacturers in a fast-paced world with ever-evolving needs. They are vital for the success of manufacturing businesses by taking control of their technology and allowing them to focus on their core functions and responsibilities. For more information about IT Services for your manufacturing business, book a meeting with us here.