Amid dire IT staffing shortages, having a trusted managed services provider enables organizations to move strategic digital projects forward and shed risk

Windstream Enterprise (WE), a leading IT managed services provider, today revealed the results of a new research study conducted by Forrester Consulting which concludes that enterprise leaders and their organizations are more capable of achieving digital transformation initiatives when leveraging partnerships with an IT managed services partner.

As heavily as enterprises have invested in digital transformation, many are simultaneously coping with one of the most significant IT staffing shortages in history. Because of this, their internal teams often lack the bandwidth or the skillset to successfully fuel mission-critical strategic and digital objectives like IT agility, security and customer experience (CX). According to the survey of 614 U.S.-based IT, finance, operations and security leaders, more than half of organizations are missing the IT staff and experience needed to support their digital evolution.

The study found that the biggest barriers to digital transformation for their organizations are lack of data strategy, governance and quality (63%), lack of IT capacity (59%), and/or lack of technical expertise (56%). Almost two-thirds of leaders say their organizations’ digital transformation projects have stalled due to these obstacles.

Managed services not only remove these common obstacles; they relieve overtaxed staff from the burden of maintaining IT environments themselves. By forging deeper and more meaningful partnerships with IT managed service providers, the study concludes, companies put themselves in a stronger position to realize these goals and benefits.

“The consequences of a slowed digital transformation can be serious, resulting in increased security breaches, a decline in growth and revenue, loss of operational efficiency, the inability to meet customer expectations and more,” said Mike Flannery, president, Windstream Enterprise. “Fortunately, by partnering with a managed services provider, enterprises with lean IT staff gain access to a full bench of skilled resources with specialized expertise in areas like cybersecurity and network reliability—freeing up internal resources to focus on big-picture strategic projects that allow them to achieve better business outcomes and dutifully serve customers with the best experiences possible.”

According to the study, enterprises that have previously used an IT managed services partner have delivered more significant results in these areas than those that have attempted it on their own. The majority of respondents find managed infrastructure (78%), cloud infrastructure (66%), managed support (64%), and managed security (58%) services to be effective at accomplishing their business goals.

In addition to the study, Windstream offered one example of a customer using an IT managed services approach for successful digital outcomes. The customer, a large construction company with over 1,000 locations in North America, had 25 people dedicated to network operations yet lacked the necessary visibility and tools to transform data into information for well-informed decision making. After partnering with Windstream as their managed services provider, the construction company saw a 30% savings in their network configuration, increased network bandwidth, and improved visibility and reporting.

With managed services, organizations have more options for allocating their IT resources. Organizations can work with a managed services provider in a number of ways: to upgrade their existing infrastructure and technology platforms, handle all IT tasks or even function as their IT department, serving as an extension of their lean or non-existing in-house team. Alternatively, organizations can benefit from consulting and managed security solutions to protect their most important data assets and properly address the increasingly sophisticated cybersecurity environment.

To read the full study, please visit windstreamenterprise.com/forrester-itms-survey. To learn more about Windstream’s comprehensive IT Managed Services portfolio, please visit windstreamenterprise.com/it-managed-services/.

ABOUT WINDSTREAM

Windstream Enterprise drives business and government agency transformation across the U.S. through managed cloud communications, networking and security services. Windstream Enterprise is one of three brands managed by Windstream. The company’s quality-first approach connects customers to new opportunities and possibilities by delivering a full suite of advanced communications services. Windstream also offers fiber-based broadband to residential and small business customers in 18 states as well as customized wavelength and dark fiber solutions to carriers, content providers and hyperscalers in the U.S. and Canada. Windstream is a privately held company headquartered in Little Rock, Ark. Additional information about Windstream Enterprise is available at windstreamenterprise.com or windstream.com. Follow us on LinkedIn at @Windstream.

Category: Enterprise

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