The term Information Technology has been thrown around for years. Many business owners find it to be overwhelming or frightening due to their lack of understanding about what IT truly means. The common perception amongst many business leaders is that IT is a necessary evil to receive, process, and manage information. Whether you have an in-depth understanding of IT, or simply view it as "computers and stuff," every business owner wants their technology to be fast, reliable, and affordable.

In an effort to ensure the technology in your business is always accessible and working properly, you probably have a company you call when something breaks; have internal IT personnel, or possibly both. With over 23 years of experience, Guidant Partners can confidently tell you that the most cost effective way to manage the technology in your office is through Managed Services. Now Managed Services has quickly become another misunderstood term that is being defined in many ways. We define Managed Services as a collection of IT services designed to minimize the inherent risks associated with IT as well as avoid and mitigate the business impacts arising from IT failure. Simply put, Managed Services are what we use to ensure your "computers and stuff" are protected from failure and properly secured from data theft or disruption.

Why are Managed Services the most cost effective method for managing your IT? First, let's explore the office with one internal IT person. The average "IT guy" in a small business costs the owner $50,000-$60,000 a year after benefits, and that's excluding the cost to get continuous training. Having internal IT personnel is not only costly, but they can also become a liability. What happens when they go on vacation, or follow the industry trend of moving to a new company every 3-5 years? They take all your internal knowledge, passwords, and critical network information with them; leaving the business unprepared and in distress. And most single staffed companies don't even get the full value from their IT person because they spend so much time answering questions from other staff about their computers that they don't get to focus on their core responsibilities.

Then there are the businesses that use an external company to repair or replace equipment. These businesses have unpredictable IT budgets, and have to pay costly hourly rates. Also, using an external "fix it when it breaks" company is inefficient due to the fact that you're already experiencing downtime when you call and wait for them to show and resolve an issue, and the external company has no incentive to ensure that your systems don't crash again. They only make money when you're experiencing problems.  Managed Services proactively diagnose threats or failures, and allow problems to be resolved remotely before they create disruption to your business.

We at Guidant Partners understand that if your business is dependent on computers and phone systems to generate revenue, you can't afford to experience failure. So we took Managed Services to a new level. We've designed Flat Fee Managed Services  that provide our clients with unlimited telephone support, unlimited onsite network support, unlimited server support, preventative maintenance and system monitoring, data backup and disaster recovery planning, security services, and complete hardware and software solutions for an affordable flat monthly fee. We guarantee to provide all of your IT services for a fixed monthly fee, and if your equipment needs repair or replacement, we'll do it at no additional charge. So in order for us to be profitable, we have to make sure your systems are always maintained and optimized.

Technology is constantly evolving, and this means constant training and research is required to have efficient IT. We have a qualified staff of 25 that is devoted to developing and exercising industry best practices. Our technicians and engineers go through extensive training and continuously seek new certifications. Guidant Partners makes IT as simple for you as flipping on a light switch. We remove the responsibility of understanding and managing IT for a fixed monthly fee. If you're tired of the headache and cost of trying to be sufficient in IT, contact Guidant Partners to become more efficient with your IT dollars. Please call 615-327-9111 or email us at www.guidantpartners.com to make a business partner that's focused on your success.