Core vs. Context: Why Managed Services Makes Sense

In our previous post, we discussed the resource commitments involved in supporting an ERP platform in-house. How are many small and midsized businesses (SMBs) dealing with this challenge?

To put it one way, they’re separating “core” from “context.”

If you’ve ever read Geoffrey Moore’s books (Crossing the Chasm, Inside the Tornado), you know he describes “core” business activities as those that are the source of a company’s competitive advantage (for example, designing products or providing value-added services). He defines “context” business activities as tasks that just have to get done, but don’t really differentiate the company (such as paving the parking lot or cleaning the restrooms).

We believe SMBs can minimize their focus on “context” and free up more time and resources for “core” by outsourcing their ERP maintenance and support functions to a managed services partner. By working with the right partner, you can reduce or even eliminate the workload and costs of maintaining your ERP platform.

Five Leading Benefits of Managed Services
If you’re running a major ERP system at your small or midsized business, the right managed services partner can help you:

  • Keep your ERP platform running. How can you keep an eye on your ERP system 24/7 while also running your business? Your managed services partner will monitor your hardware infrastructure and ERP system for potential problems, and can take corrective actions to prevent bottlenecks and crashes.
  • Streamline maintenance. You didn’t hire an IT team just to have them perform routine maintenance and install patches. When you hand off ERP system maintenance to a managed services partner, you allow IT to focus on more than just fighting fires – they can actually enhance your systems in ways that deliver more strategic value.
  • Formulate a long-term IT strategy. Planning, selecting, and implementing the technology that will support your business activities over the long term can be a daunting task. This is another area where a managed services partner can take a huge, time-consuming responsibility off your hands.
  • Budget more carefully. When everything goes as planned, it’s easy to stick to an IT budget – but when does anything go as planned? IT teams constantly face the challenges of replacing failed hardware and dealing with unexpected problems. When you have a managed services partner taking care of all your ERP system maintenance for a predictable monthly fee, IT budgeting gets much easier.
  • Get access to specialized hardware expertise. Looking for IBM iSeries, Power Server or Wintel / Virtualization expertise? A good managed services partner will have an entire team of experts who are certified in a full range of IBM server and virtualization technologies.

Learn More About Managed Services
The right managed services partner will be intimately familiar with all aspects of implementing, configuring, and maintaining your ERP platform. We would like a chance to prove that we can be that kind of partner for you. With 40 years of experience as a trusted technology brand – and a well-established managed services practice for the JD Edwards platform – we’re ready to show you what we can do. For a free Managed Services Consultation, please call Syntax at 1-877-968-2948 today.

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