December 2, 2022
Even when you realize how impactful Managed IT Services can be to your organization, some other key stakeholders may need some convincing. The members of your board may have varying knowledge of Managed IT or IT in general, and it's up to you to show them how this investment will pay off.
Why Invest in Managed IT Services?
You probably know this already, but investing in managed IT services will help you avoid IT-related recruiting challenges that are likely to get worse before they get better. Demand for top talent far exceeds supply, and the industry is growing faster than schools can train the next generation of workers. Managed IT can also help you gain enterprise-level cybersecurity and reduce stress throughout your existing team.
However, pitching it to your board may involve more than explaining why this service is extremely helpful for your HR department and your IT team. If you’re looking for help pitching this service to decision-makers, here’s what works.
6 Tips for Pitching Outsourced IT Support to Your Board
Your board is tasked with making decisions to benefit the long-term health and prosperity of the entire organization. So you’ll probably have better results if you include certain information in your preparation, discussion, and presentation.
1. Include What Services Are (and Aren’t) Provided
It’s not always clear what’s included in managed IT services. If you’re already considering a certain provider, they can also provide you with a breakdown of their services so you can include this information in your presentation. Be sure to elaborate on what's included in the maintenance and monitoring services, security services, and support services from your provider.
2. Detail How Managed IT Services Will Affect Your Budget
In addition to making things easier for your staff, many boards are surprised to learn about managed IT’s many financial benefits. Collect all of the current business expenses that would be offset by Managed IT Services. For example, if your board is curious about whether it's better to hire an internal IT employee or invest in managed services, consider the expense of recruiting, hiring, insuring, training, managing, and promoting that employee in your calculations.
Beyond staff expenses, there are some things your business currently purchases that would be covered by managed IT services. Things like software and employee security training and security solutions — which include antivirus and spam filtering software — would no longer be an added expense when you have Managed IT.
3. Demonstrate the Ongoing Value of Managed IT Services
A potential provider can also be of some help here. For example, because of the data, analytics and reporting portion of Marco's Managed IT Services, our clients are also provided with a client business review every six months. These reviews include details about who’s submitting tickets, who’s using the services, and how often the services are being used. Therefore, it’s easy for us to understand and communicate the exact value we bring.
However, this information also can provide incredible insights into what is and isn't working within your organization. A high volume of tickets in a certain area indicates an area of deep frustration within your business. It can let you know when equipment needs replacing or updating or if employees are in need of additional training.
Basically, a top managed IT provider can keep a pulse on your organization and enable its leadership to make proactive decisions…exactly the kinds of things a board wants to hear.
4. Prepare To Talk About Lifecycle Management
Speaking of proactive decisions, lifecycle management is a component of managed IT services that goes well beyond just keeping the lights on. It looks at your organization's technology needs over the course of multiple years.
Providers like Marco can help you determine and plan what will need updating in six months, two years, or even five years. This lets you budget properly and stay ahead of any technology hurdles.
5. Provide Documentation and Analytics
One thing that's important going into your conversation with the board is that these individuals are not the consumers or the end-users of the solution you're proposing. That means well-documented data and analytics will be most helpful to their decision-making process.
While your organization won't have its own managed IT analytics at this time — because you haven't started the service yet — a reputable provider should be able to outfit you with documents and example reports so you can better illustrate the potential and ongoing benefits managed IT services will bring your organization.
6. Rest Your Case With IT Security Services
Recent statistics indicate that cybercriminals have no intention of slowing their attacks, and most businesses are still woefully unprepared. It can be very difficult for internal teams to prioritize things like patching and upgrading software, let alone keeping up with the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape. A managed IT provider, on the other hand, has the bandwidth and the resources to provide enterprise-scale cybersecurity for organizations of all sizes.
However, the provider that you choose can make a big difference here. Your board won’t have to take your word for it if you’re recommending a provider that has a SOC II report. That report means a third party has verified that this provider has demonstrated that they’re following best practices, and can therefore be trusted to safeguard your data.
We Can Help Make the Case for Business IT Support Services
Finally, because you are more familiar with the members of your board and you may be able to anticipate their questions, share those concerns with your potential managed IT provider. It can often be difficult to explain the benefits of this service to a non-technical board member.
The key here is to focus on the value the solution brings to your organization and provide the board members with relevant collateral that explains what the service includes, how the ongoing reporting works and what can be expected. To learn more about pitching managed IT to your board, contact a Marco rep.
