Times have never been weirder. In a matter of weeks, the Coronavirus forced many Florida businesses to go remote. As drastic as it was, moving to remote teams was the right decision. At the peak of the first wave, tens of thousands of people were getting sick with COVID-19 daily. Even now, we’re averaging about 3,000 new cases per day.

Despite this, it came with more than its share of complications. Many businesses in Florida are new to this whole WFH thing. So, rather than struggle to figure it out on their own, they brought in the experts. For this reason, more companies than ever are hiring managed IT services firms.

Find yourself in this boat? There are many reliable options in Florida to choose from. In this article, we’ve uncovered the top reasons why Florida businesses are bringing in tech outsourcers.

Let’s jump into it

Around-the-Clock Availability

In this always-online world of ours, few things are more devastating than downtime. Now more than ever, sales are made over the internet. Employees may also choose to work at odd hours. So, if your server goes down at 11 pm and your tech guy is unreachable, you’re in trouble.

Managed IT services firms ensure that someone is always on call. When things go wrong, they respond instantly. Within minutes, you’ll be back online. That means you can continue selling, while competitors are out of commission until the morning comes.

Highly Specialized Staff

In startup environments, employees can wear many hats. The founder doubles as the sales director. Accounts receivable may also manage accounts payable, answer the phone, and greet clients. And the IT generalist handles all things tech, from coding websites to unjamming printers.

This approach saves precious cash, but it comes at a cost. By multitasking, employees often pull themselves away from higher-value tasks. To take their businesses to the next level, many Florida companies have brought in managed IT services firms.

These tech outsourcers take on time-consuming, but necessary tasks. From backing up servers daily to offering tech support, they take a load off the backs of in-house staff. This way, your programmers can focus on creating that new SaaS app instead of resetting passwords.

Cost Savings

Qualified tech talent is in short supply. As a result, even less-skilled positions command a higher salary than you’d think. In the Greater Miami area, it costs about $48,000 per year to employ an IT generalist.

Rather than pay almost $100,000 annually for a two-person team, many Florida firms are instead turning to tech outsourcers. On average, these businesses pay about $100 per user/month to hire a managed IT services firm. Under this arrangement, a Florida small business employing 15 staff can expect to pay about $1,500 per month. Over a year, that adds up to $18,000 per year – or less than half the cost of one IT generalist.

Pair that with the other advantages of managed IT services, and it’s no wonder these firms are busier than ever.

Improved Cybersecurity

Keeping corporate servers safe is a challenging task on its own. Throw thousands of new remote workers into the mix, though, and network security has never been a hotter issue. COVID-19 forced many unprepared businesses into the WFH world – some are still struggling to keep up.

Managed IT services firms can help remedy this situation. Since the start of the pandemic, these companies have been busy helping Florida businesses adjust to remote access issues. These include the increased risk posed by hackers. By keeping servers safe using the latest protocols, and advising newly remote workers on security issues, they’re guiding their clients through this tough time.

On-Call Techs Handle Jobs that Require a Physical Presence

Managed IT services firms can’t handle all issues remotely. For instance, technicians need to be on-site to update server hardware. Before COVID, consultants would come into workplaces to deliver training sessions. And, of course, those printers won’t unjam themselves.

By hiring the right managed IT services firm, Florida companies can access on-site services as well. By delivering their expertise in-person, outsourcers can institute processes that would strain in-house resources.

Adjusting to the New Normal

2020 has challenged us in so many ways. For many Florida businesses, this year has forced them to invent remote-work infrastructure on-the-fly. To cope with these demands, the smart companies brought in outside experts. If you’re still struggling on this front, know that managed IT services firms can help.