Today’s economic environment requires state and local government agencies to leverage IT resources if they intend to effectively control costs and streamline their services. Unfortunately, the government’s IT system faces many challenges. They include a lack of transparency due to the use of outdated technology solutions, insufficient staffing, and slow changes due to bureaucracy. To overcome these challenges, focus more on mission-specific work, and efficient delivery of services, government agencies are now hiring government-focused managed IT services.
What are Managed IT Services?
When a business or agency hires managed IT services, it tasks a third-party tech company to control and monitor the system on their behalf. These tech companies are called Managed Service Providers (MSP). They specialize in managing an entire or segment of a company’s IT environment. Typically, the client/customer procures the equipment, and the MSP sets up the infrastructure, monitors the system, and troubleshoots any issues.
How Managed IT Services Can Help Government Agencies
To fully understand how government agencies can profit from managed IT services, here are the top four benefits.
1) Protecting Sensitive Government Data
Data security and privacy are issues that every government agency has to worry about. Sensitive data, private documents, banking accounts and more require effective security systems, and an MSP can help fill an agency’s security gaps. They offer data encryption to safeguard your IT infrastructure, whether it is a high-ranking or base-level government office. Authorized personnel are provided accounts, having to pass through different clearance levels to grant them access to sensitive information. A MSP will provide your agency with advanced-level data security solutions to keep all your data safe.
2) Protection Against and Detection of Security Threats
Government agencies have always been one of the most targeted industries for cybercrime. Network security threats, such as malware and phishing, can bring government agencies to their knees. Therefore, threat protection and detection are critical when it comes to the deployment of technology in public service.
Usually, MSPs create and implement specific security protocols and frameworks to ensure the system is fully protected, and potential threats are stopped before damage is done. It’s also important to consider that MSPs are the experts in this kind of work, so they have the time and knowledge to stay up on the latest threats and safety protocols; something a regular IT department doesn’t always have time for.
3) Frees Government Agencies to Focus on Core Business
Government agencies handle a lot of work. When they hire a MSP, it frees their teams from IT-related chores so they can concentrate on their core responsibilities. That enhances efficiency and productivity because the provider takes full responsibility for anything IT related. For agencies with an internal IT support team, outsourcing IT frees up their teams to handle more demanding projects, such as system upgrades and computer malfunctions.
4) Enhanced Control Over Operational Costs
IT costs are a capital expense in most organizations, and delegating IT to an MSP is a big step towards saving. Government agencies that use their own IT workforce incur numerous costs, including hiring, training, certification, and of course, salary and benefits. They would also incur downtime costs, cost of replacement, and so much more. By partnering with MSPs, they get to save on all these costs and only worry about the subscription fee.
For government offices that already have an IT infrastructure in place, a third-party service provider is still worthwhile. The upside is that solutions to their IT needs are bundled up into a predictable monthly payment package. The fees are operational costs that they can easily manage and budget for.
Trust Great Lakes Computer Corporation to Offer Client-Focused Managed Services
At Great Lakes Computer Corporation, we are proud to provide quality managed services to government agencies, from local and state to federal offices. We are specialists in rendering top-tier IT functions. We will work together with you to ensure the solutions suit your tech needs, whether it is IT support or a full IT package. We leverage state-of-the-art technology to offer effective, managed IT services that can detect issues before they happen, providing a robust and smooth-running IT system.
