If your nonprofit is concerned about security, you’re not alone. According to Capterra, the top nonprofit security concerns are weak passwords, outdated software, past employees and insecure payment processors.
Managing network health and security is a time-consuming job. It makes sense that nonprofit leaders are opting for managed services to ensure their organization is secure, without compromising their job duties.
Here are a few reasons why nonprofits rely on a managed services subscription service:
1. No One Has Time to Deal With Network Maintenance, or Worse, Catastrophes
Your managed services provider will proactively monitor all your workstations and servers for potential problems, and, depending on the kind of issue they uncover, they may be able to prevent a critical issue from occurring.
While your organization focuses on fulfilling its mission, it is easy for essential IT tasks to fall to the wayside. With the help of a managed services provider, you can make sure those IT tasks are taken care of without bogging down your time.
2. Cyber Security Should be a Priority, But Not Your Only Job Duty
You and your fellow employees are the #1 threat to your network security, so it’s critical that you educate your team on how to keep your organization safe. Educating your staff on everyday best practices such as using safe browsing habits, updating your passwords occasionally, and thinking twice before you click on you suspicious emails go a long way toward preventing a cyber attack.
The real time-consuming activities boil down to your security software as Microsoft and other vendors roll out security patches each month. It’s important to make sure those updates are installed to keep networks reliable and secure, and after those updates are installed, an administrator needs to review the changes.
IT professionals target “looming problems” all the time during routine maintenance. These problems need to be caught and fixed at the right time, or they can lead to a catastrophic failure. When you have a managed service provider who is taking care of this process for you, it gives you the freedom to get back to your real job duties: making the world a better place.
3. A Managed Services Plan Isn’t As Expensive As You Think
With a managed services plan, most services are covered under a fixed monthly cost. You can expect maintenance, remote or onsite support cases, and disastrous situations to be covered in your monthly plan. It’s like paying for a Netflix subscription, but also getting bonus cable services and a phone line as part of your plan.
When you compare this to the expense of responding to and remediating a one-time disaster, it’s a walk in the park. In fact, according to CompTIA, over 400 businesses using managed services have reduced their security budgets by more than 25%.
The price tag on a managed services agreement can seem high at first, but so can a network catastrophe or an agreement with a shady provider.
4. Knowledgeable Providers Will Help You Get Access to Nonprofit Discounts
As a nonprofit, we know your priority is making money through fundraising rather than spending it on technology services. Here’s where a managed services provider’s expertise and resourcefulness can come in handy.
Did you know that Microsoft products are significantly discounted for nonprofits? Software such as Office 365, which includes email, the Office program suite, SharePoint, 1TB of OneDrive storage and more is just $2 per user per month for nonprofits.
Additionally, Microsoft gives you $5,000 a year to use towards the cloud computing Azure environment. In some cases, you might even pay $0 a year for Azure. Nevertheless, if you do use up that $5,000 yearly credit, you are still looking at only a small cost to pay for Azure’s powerful cloud computing environment.
A good managed services provider will help steer you toward cost-effective technology tools, which in turn will keep more of your organization’s money funneled toward your mission.
Other vendors, like Tech Soup, can help nonprofits get other Microsoft software (like Office or Windows) at deeply discounted rates, too.
5. You Deserve Peace of Mind
You’re passionate and good at what you do. You don’t need to be bogged down by complicated, time-consuming IT tasks or put on hold for hours when you need help. Your managed services provider is always just a few clicks or a phone call away.
If you have a question or run into a technical issue, your provider can use remote support services to help you in a jiff. And, with those remote monitoring tools and maintenance, you can take a deep breath knowing there is a dedicated, knowledgeable IT professional watching out for you and your organization.
Need Help?
Finding the right managed services provider can be a daunting task, but Gross Mendelsohn’s Technology Solutions Group is experienced in helping oodles of nonprofits find the right technology at the right price. If you have questions, or need help, contact me here or call me at 410.685.5512.
