In our modern busy, technology-driven world, companies simply cannot afford their IT to fail even once. It could be a critical network outage or a security breach or something as simple as a simple issue that interrupts business operations but businesses must remain ahead of the curve to ensure they are operating at all times. It is at this point that Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are introduced.

In most companies, the selection of the appropriate MSP is the key to success in the long term. Most MSPs provide basic IT services during business hours but not all of them provide the round-the-clock, 24/7 IT services that can really be a lifesaver when things do go wrong. However, you may not know whether your MSP needs to be providing 24/7 support or not, or whether your business actually requires it. Now, we are going to explore seven of the most straightforward signs that your MSP needs to provide 24/7 IT services.

1. Your Company does not work regular work hours.

Needless to say, when companies operate in various time zones or industries that do not close at all, they will require IT support at any time of the day. When your business operates 24/7 or has employees in different locations with different working shifts, you simply can not afford to have your IT systems down during off-hours.

Imagine a global business or e-commerce company: At 2 a.m., when the IT support is not on call and the systems or web site malfunctions, you might miss on not only revenue, productivity, but even customer confidence. In this type of businesses 24/7 support is no longer a nice-to-have, but a need.

2. Your Company Is Growing and Expanding at a high pace.

Every minute matters when your business is in the growth mode. IT problems could drastically reduce your pace and the larger your business, the more complicated your information technology requirements are. Issues will always occur regardless of whether you are adding more staff to your team, establishing new offices, or adopting new technology.

This means that with 24/7 support, when something does go wrong after hours, the issue is addressed immediately without bringing operations to a standstill and wasting precious productivity. When your company is in the growth mode, finding yourself ahead of IT concerns and solving them as they arise can or break your success.

3. Your Industry needs around-the-clock operations.

There are other areas, such as healthcare, finance, and retail, where a system and data should always be available, and mistakes should be minimal. Even one minute of downtime can cause regulatory fines, sensitive customer information, or a big financial blow.

Indicatively, in the medical facility, any IT support failure can interfere with patient care, risking lives and leading to non-compliance with the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). Equally, trading systems and trading platforms in the financial arena have to be 24/7 operational. When your company is in one of these industry segments, you require a system that will put you back on your feet at any given time.

4. You Have Had Issues with IT outside the working hours.

It is easy to fail to realize how essential 24/7 IT support is when you have never had any significant problems outside of business hours. But when you have experienced a few incidences whereby something has gone wrong and you have been caught up outside of business hours, it is a good indication you need 24/7 support.

IT emergencies can just appear at a time when you least anticipate such an occurrence. In some cases, it could be a network outage, a ransomware attack, or even a mere software failure that stops productivity. Unless your MSP could help you in such dire situations, it might be the time to seek one that would provide the kind of support you actually require.

5. You Depend on Cloud and Online Services to perform their daily activities.

Collaboration and efficiency Cloud services are marvelous but come with new risks. The need to have a secure, operational system all the time is growing as more businesses switch to cloud-based system and data storage, software as a service (SaaS) platforms, and for remote team collaboration.

Suppose you are dealing with important data in the cloud and something wrong happens during the weekend. You would want to make sure that there is IT support to fix the problem within a relatively short time to prevent extended downtime. The 24/7 IT services provided by MSPs will help you to rest assured that even when problems or difficulties occur during working hours, your cloud service will be up and running without any inconvenience.

6. Threats to Cybersecurity do not abide by Business Hours.

One of the most important things in any business nowadays is cybersecurity. Hackers and cybercriminals do not have to be tied to a 9-to-5 working schedule, they are working 24/7 and at any given time, they will be scanning your network and systems to find holes.

A data breach, phishing attack, or ransomware infection can cause havoc to your business and reputation, and that is why your MSP must provide 24/7 security monitoring. Under constant surveillance, you can have someone on call to act on any impending threat real-time, reducing the chances of an attack resulting in a breach of your data or systems.

Without 24/7, you might be risking an intrusion that might have been prevented by responding faster.

7. You are facing a growing IT Complexity.

Your business increases and with it your IT requirements. And as you scale, your systems, network infrastructure, and software can become more complicated. This may translate to an increased number of devices, the number of people that use them, and the number of interrelated systems that need continuous upkeep and maintenance. The more complex your IT infrastructure is, the more you need IT support that should be 24/7.

Say you are handling a dozen or more servers, remote workforces, or just a vital enterprise application, any unchecked problems during off-hours can lead to larger scale problems in the future. An effective MSP will provide proactive care, maintenance, and problem-solving services so that nothing goes wrong anymore.

What Can 24/7 IT Support Do for You?

Now you may be asking yourself the question, What is 24/7 IT support and why do I invest in it? Let’s break it down:

Quick Response: 24/7 Support means that you can expect to get prompt attention to problems at any hour of the day. This minimizes the amount of time your business spends on technical snags, which could be a network failure, or a failed piece of hardware.

Active Management: Your MSP will proactively keep an eye on your systems and will identify any problems before they arise. This will help you save yourself huge tragedies by addressing issues before they arise.

Security Protection: 24/7 security surveillance ensures that any potential vulnerabilities or cyberattacks are addressed as soon as they occur, giving you the peace of mind to do so.

Customer Satisfaction: As long as your systems are running smoothly every day all day long, your customers will feel it. Your MSP 24/7 support enables you to deliver improved services to your clients whether it is preventing downtime on your web site, or responding promptly to a problem, or maintaining consistent service delivery.

Conclusion: Time to Make the Change?

Although most MSPs can provide simple services within office hours, it is apparent that companies require more than that to remain competitive. You must have 24/7 IT service whether your business never sleeps or your business has its operations distributed in different time zones.

When you see any of these seven signs in your business, then it is time to start thinking of MSPs that provide 24/7 services. Your IT infrastructure is the foundation of your business and investing in 12/7 IT backup services will go a long way in keeping your company safe and running smoothly and ready to handle anything that may come its way.