FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Jan. 8, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Of all the obstacles they face, Information Technology professionals suffer most from time and budget shortages, according to a new survey by JDL Technologies. To address these challenges, 36 percent of respondents currently use a Managed Services Provider (MSP), and that number will rise to 40 percent in 2014.
The MSP Alliance website defines Managed Services as "the proactive management of an Information Technology asset or object, by a third party typically known as a Managed Services Provider, on behalf of a customer. The operative distinction that sets apart a Managed Services provider is the proactive delivery of service, as compared to reactive IT services, which have been around for decades."
JDL Technologies survey respondents cited three primary advantages of using a Managed Services Provider:
- Almost three-quarters (73 percent) cited a reduction in the need to hire additional information technology staff as the top benefit.
- More than two-thirds (68 percent) indicated that using a Managed Services Provider enables their information technology staffs to do more, which is important in an environment characterized by time and budget shortages.
- And 61 percent indicated that using a Managed Services Provider gives them access to greater technical expertise than they have in-house.
Asked to identify the most important factor in selecting a Managed Services Provider, price and reputation topped the list, each cited by 86 percent of respondents. The emphasis on price is not surprising, given that only one-quarter of respondents' Information Technology budgets will be larger in 2014 than in 2013, according to the survey. The other top factors named were reliability and service level agreements (SLAs) and customer references. These and other survey results will be available soon in an e-book on the JDL Technologies website.
The survey of Information Technology professionals in the U.S. was conducted by Spiceworks on behalf of JDL Technologies at the end of 2013 to provide insights into what drives Managed Services use and the selection of Managed Services Providers. The majority of respondents (74 percent), who ranged from CIOs to Information Technology Directors and Managers to Network and Systems Administrators, represent SMBs with 20 to 499 employees.
About JDL Technologies
JDL Technologies solutions encompass an extensive range of networking, virtualization and cloud services such as data backup and business continuity, security, email, telephony and more. Leveraging the power of our state-of-the-art JDL TechWatch managed services operations center, 300 years of combined technical experience and more than 115 industry and professional certifications including the Managed Services Trustmark, JDL Technologies is uniquely qualified to help organizations optimize their information technology.
JDL Technologies is a wholly owned subsidiary of Communications Systems, Inc., a publicly traded company (Nasdaq:JCS). For more information, visit jdltech.com.