Nearly every business relies on technology to support their day-to-day operations but not everyone has access to proper business IT support. This can lead to many technology-related headaches for business owners and employees, decreasing productivity for you and your clients.
These headaches can quickly turn into dangerous threats to your company’s cybersecurity. Without the proper protections in place, not only could poor IT practices affect your workplace efficiency, but your business and client data could be at risk.
So how do you know when it’s time to stop doing it all yourself and get a professional to assess your IT systems? In this article we take a look at five signs you need business IT support and how a managed services provider (MSP) can help ensure you stay online.
1. You’re Troubleshooting Tech Issues Every Day
If you’re spending more time Googling “Microsoft Outlook help” than working, this may your first sign that it’s time to bring in some additional IT support to your business. While there are some good resources online, trying to fix critical issues yourself can lead to cybersecurity breaches, broken software and much more.
Don’t waste your valuable time researching and attempting to fix these issues, get a professional in to give you the support you need! An IT provider can diagnose computer issues and provide advice on how to increase efficiency in the workplace, and work with you to get your IT setup right for whatever your business needs.
2. You’re Not Backing Up Your Important Data
With cybersecurity incidents on the rise it’s more important than ever to ensure you backup your businesses important files. But how do you decide where to start? What type of storage you need? Do you need a business server or a cloud-based solution?
That’s where a managed services provider comes in. An MSP can determine the right solution for your business and implement it properly, along with software like Microsoft 365 so you can automatically backup your data and access it from the office, at home, or on the go.
3. You’ve Experienced A Data Breach Or Had Recent Issues With Viruses
Clicked on the wrong email or downloaded the wrong file? For companies without business IT support this can quickly become a nightmare, as they’re unable to identify the problem or how to fix it.
Having IT support that can provide in-person help could be invaluable to your business, and protect you and your clients from experiencing data breaches and interruptions to services. You’ll also have someone to help prevent cybersecurity issues from becoming significant problems in the first place. An IT provider can setup your antivirus software and additional protections properly and keep your software updated to ensure all of your important data stays secure.
4. You’re Frequently Experiencing Network Outages
There’s nothing more frustrating than experiencing network issues when you’re trying to get key projects organised or meet with important clients in a video conference. If this is consistently happening during your business hours it may be down to your network setup, something a managed services provider can help with straight away.
From working out the best positioning for your wi-fi router to setting up ethernet connections for each of your devices, an MSP can work with you to determine the needs for your business network and even put in solutions that prevent network outages from becoming an issue for your business. If your business requires a flexible workplace for your staff, an IT provider can also setup an appropriate cloud-solution like Microsoft SharePoint to ensure your staff can access files securely online without interruption.
5. You Want To Upgrade Your IT Hardware But Don't Know Where To Start
Finally, you should definitely consult with an IT provider
before upgrading your technology. While it can be tempting to solve your
frustrations by spending big, you may end up with redundant systems that do not
fix your technology headaches, but make them worse.
Why spend $4,000 on the latest desktop when you only use the computer for
Microsoft Office? Why buy an expensive business server when a cloud-based
solution will perform the same function at a fraction of the cost? Questions
like these can quickly be answered by your business IT support provider and
help you avoid financial pitfalls that decrease your company’s efficiency.
Choosing The Right IT Partner For Your Business
Ready to find a Managed Services Provider to support your business?
There are a number of items to consider when making your choice, but perhaps the most important factor is finding an MSP that becomes an extension of your team, not just another provider. Having local, responsive IT support that can provide the assistance you need could be invaluable to your business, stopping threats before they become issues and keeping your tech online.
At Concord IT we pride ourselves on our ability to provide harmonious IT systems that not only work without interruption, but allow you and your business to thrive. If you’re interested in accessing IT support for your business get in touch with us today and let’s get started.
