Rightsizing IT: Managed Cloud Services for Smaller SMBs – Part 1
Smaller businesses, like yours, use technology differently than larger organizations. You rely more on commercially available solutions than custom-built or highly-customized solutions. You are held the same security standards as larger companies, but lack the expertise and budget of bigger businesses. Rightsizing your IT – carefully matching your IT services to your needs, priorities, and budgets – key to ensuring your services are productive, secure, and affordable.
As a sole practitioner, solopreneur, or very small business (VSB) with fewer than 20 employees, you face an additional challenge. Most IT firms prefer clients with over 20, or even over 30, employees. The business model for most IT service firms, including Managed Service Providers (MSPs), requires clients that can provide an economy of scale. In short, most MSPs see you as an unprofitable client.
By rightsizing your IT with managed cloud services, you can find and benefit from affordable, secure, and productive IT solutions and the services your business needs and deserves.
How You Are Unique
Smaller businesses rely heavily on commercial software and public IT services. Given the investment required, you are less likely to use customer-built and highly-customized solutions. Software packages, software-as-a-service, and public cloud services (Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace) best meet your needs.
Sole Practitioner
As a Sole Practitioner, you are the business. When it comes to IT, you likely …
- Run your business on a laptop, smartphone and maybe a second computer.
- Work from a home office, coworking space, or wherever you can when you are on-the-go. You are mobile.
- Rely ubiquitously on your technology. Your IT focuses on your productivity in all your day-to-day activities.
- Worry that security and other IT costs are, or will grow, beyond your budget.
- Fear IT problems as disruptions, or downtime, immediately impact your business.
- Rely on others, formally or informally, for IT advice and assistance.
Solopreneur
As a Solopreneur, you are the business, for now, as you plan for growth. When it comes to IT, you are similar in need to sole practitioners with some added concerns. You likely …
- Expect to grow your business adding staff, freelancers, or contractors over time.
- Want your IT solutions and services to scale with your business, without overtaking your budgets. You must manage fixed costs.
In addition, you may have investors and other stakeholders with opinions, or requirements, for how you should manage your business and which technologies to use.
VSB Owner or Leader
As an VSB owner or leader, you have a team that relies on you to provide a productive and effective working environment. You likely …
- Understand how critical effective collaboration is to your success.
- Have team members with varied levels of tech skills; your staff needs help and support at times.
- Work with customers that share expectations or requirements about information security.
- Have access to IT resources. These may be informal or professional, internal or contracted.
- Face budget constraints on your IT spending.
Given your IT needs, business priorities, security requirements, budgetary constraints, and the challenge of engaging qualified IT professionals, you and your business face significant challenges.
Rightsizing IT is the Solution
Rightsizing IT, matching your IT solutions and services to your prioritized needs and budget, with managed cloud services ensures your business can operate productively and securely without destroying your budget.
In our next blog post, we share how to assess and right-size your IT, and how to find and leverage the right IT resources.
How Does Cumulus Global Help?
At Cumulus Global, our priority is ensuring that you have productive, secure, and affordable Managed Cloud Mervices, Cloud Forward IT Service and Support, and Security CPR® Managed Security services. We focus on how your IT services can best help your business thrive and grow without overspending.
Schedule a meeting with a Cloud Advisor to discuss your challenges, needs, and priorities. We will help you assess, plan, and execute the right IT services for your business and your budget.
About the Author
Bill is a Senior Cloud Advisor responsible for helping small and midsize organizations with cloud forward solutions that meet their business needs, priorities, and budgets. Bill works with executives, leaders, and team members to understand workflows, identify strategic goals and tactical requirements, and design solutions and implementation phases. Having helped over 200 organizations successfully adopt cloud solutions, his expertise and working style ensure a comfortable experience effective change management.
