The entire premise of managed IT services is that they can save your business money, but in what specific ways does working with us make your budget more predictable? It’s really quite simple, and it encompasses three primary pillars: an established level of service, proactive maintenance and management, and the reliability and access to expertise that might otherwise put a stopper on your business’ potential.
We always try to communicate the numerous benefits of managed IT services, but when your business is happy to have their own internal IT department, those benefits tend to look less appealing. For organizations that rely on the expertise of their internal IT staff, they may not think they have a need for—or simply can’t afford—an outside IT presence. This misconception may actually be harming their businesses. Today, we will introduce co-managed IT services, and how they can be leveraged to maximum benefit.
Cybersecurity is incredibly important for any organization that requires IT to remain operational (basically all of them), so it’s time to start thinking about your own strategies and how you can keep threats out of your network. One viable solution your business can implement is a Security Operations Center (SOC). What is a SOC, and how can you use it to keep threats off your network?
Data security isn’t the easiest thing in the world to plan for, especially if your organization doesn’t have any dedicated security professionals on-hand. While protecting your data with traditional methods, like passwords, firewalls, and antivirus, is important, what measures are you taking to make sure a thief isn’t just walking into your office and making off with your technology?
Network security is one aspect of your business that absolutely should not be underestimated. In fact, many companies fail to adequately monitor their networks, and it can lead to many complications down the road. Why is it so critical to monitor your network, and how can you make sure that your business is actually doing it?
As a business, you focus on providing a specific good or service to your area. This means spending a considerable amount of time trying to make your organization the go-to SMB for that particular service. All organizations specialize in a certain craft, but sometimes their skills may fall short of their needs in areas that lay outside this expertise. Outsourcing is a simple way for businesses to leverage skills that aren’t part of their expertise without taking the time to learn the skill themselves, and it’s an invaluable part of any business owner’s strategy.
Technology is great for improving certain parts of your business, but only if it is implemented correctly. The way you manage your technology will determine whether you are investing wisely or just throwing away money on solutions that simply don’t work. How can you make sure that your business isn’t held back by the way it manages its technology? It all starts by taking a look at what you currently do versus what successful companies are doing.
Eliminating unnecessary costs is a natural part of doing business. By “trimming the fat,” so to speak, organizations can optimize operations and profits. Automation technology is instrumental to this plight, but as these systems grow more advanced and capable, even professional employees are finding themselves at risk of losing their jobs to cheaper, more efficient automated systems.
How does your business handle technology problems that come with using servers, workstations and other solutions in the workplace? Do you solve problems as they come up, or do you take a proactive stance to keep your tech under control? Either way, the fact remains that break-fix IT is an inefficient and wasteful way of approaching your technology solutions, especially with managed service providers changing the way SMBs implement technology.
2016 is well underway, but how are you approaching your company’s IT? If you’re using the outdated break-fix model, then your calendar might as well read 2006, or even 1996. Essentially, every year brings new technologies, which means new challenges for your IT network. To handle this influx, you’re going to want an IT maintenance solution that keeps up with the times.
Cost drives business, this much cannot be denied. When the technology your business relies on fails, you have to get it repaired or replaced quickly in order to keep the resulting downtime from damaging your business. The traditional method of computer repair is much like when your car is in disrepair. When your technology isn’t working properly, your organization reacts to the problem by calling your friendly neighborhood computer repair guy.
Technology helps business owners around the world achieve greatness on a regular basis, and it’s become so attached to the office that the two are inseparable. The only issue with this is that you become completely reliant on it, making technology issues feel catastrophic. Instead of paying for an on-site visit from a technology support provider, wouldn’t it be more convenient to just pick up the phone and have someone fix the issue immediately?
Businesses that take advantage of outsourced IT are successfully able to cut costs on their IT budget, but did you know that there are several other benefits that can be taken advantage of by integrating outsourced IT? For instance, outsourcing IT gives you access to several skilled individuals, all with different skillsets, that your IT budget might not normally support.
A growing company tends to experience a lot of IT pains. This is because growth usually goes hand-in-hand with an expanding IT infrastructure, and your in-house IT staff might not be able to keep up with the increased workload. This is especially painful if your budget isn’t as flexible as you’d like. You decide that it’s in your best interest to outsource your IT, but where should you start looking?
We’ve been known to discuss the importance of proactive IT solutions and handling issues before they become problems. However, the difference between the two isn’t always as clear as it should be. The true value of our managed IT services can only be understood if the difference between the two can be distinguished.
It’s important to understand that you as a business owner wouldn’t be as successful as you are today if it weren’t for the talents of your professionally-trained team. You need to understand that the complexities and time constraints of running a business put a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, and you can’t take matters into your own hands as often as you’d like. The ideal situation is one where your team’s professions encompass all aspects of your business. This is especially true for IT.
Have you ever been stuck in a technology rut while working on a major project? If this is an everyday occurrence for you, your gut might be telling you that there’s a better way to handle your business’s IT. Most of the time, there’s usually a better way to handle these issues, and it’s with the latest and greatest technology. Your IT provider needs to be familiar with the most recent developments, good or bad, to deliver you the best quality services available.
Having the right technology vendor can go a long way. How can you be sure that your business has partnered with the proper technology vendor? If you’re unfamiliar with the ways that a tech vendor operates, they might even try to rip you off and weasel more money out of you. One way you can know for sure you’ve made the right decision is by having your IT provider do the dirty work.
Nobody likes it when something is overly complicated, and IT is no different. Keeping your operations simple can reduce the cost of doing business, minimize the error margin, and bring more people into the loop. Your IT infrastructure is the heart that pumps the life blood of your organization, and if you keep it simple, you'll find that most common business issues can be resolved much more quickly and efficiently.
We're just about to roll into a weekend, which to a lot of employees (and hopefully some business owners) means a little bit of relaxation and freedom from the day-to-day grind of business - not that it's all THAT bad, but it's nice to step away for a while, right?
We know what it's like running a business. Sometimes you simply can't unplug, step away, and be free. There's just too much to worry about, and not enough time in the day. Business owners often sacrifice that little bit of freedom the weekend brings (when you should be spending time with family, recharging your batteries, and preparing for yet another Monday). We have a few ways to help you free up more time.
Some things are controversial and have multiple sides to them, just as multiple people have different types of personalities, or methods of solving problems. This is also the case with every IT department. IT departments have a lot of expectations to meet - they need to maintain IT infrastructure as well as implement new money-making solutions. It's as if your company is a road with two lanes - one for the slow, and one for the fast.
Server issues can turn into major problems for any business. This is why it's imperative that server issues are resolved as soon as they're discovered. Even a common problem like memory failure can..umm..do..something...oh yeah! An issue like memory failure can hurt operations by causing downtime.
In high school, there were always the rebellious kids who never wanted to do what their teachers said. They would vandalize the bathroom stalls, walk around the halls without permission, skip classes, and make the school an overall unpleasant environment. The teachers eventually decided that enough was enough, and they banned certain privileges that the students had. Bathroom breaks became timed. Hall monitors stalked the halls looking for troublemakers. Our liberty was stolen by these hooligans.
As the top men's and women's collegiate basketball teams in the United States begin the 2014 NCAA tournament, there is a competition going on that doesn't get quite as much press. That is the competition for local market share. When that competition is stiff, as it always is in the NCAA tournament, you have to find ways to set your business apart. There are a lot of similarities between running an efficient business and the make-up of a championship basketball team.
It's embarrassing to get technology terms mixed up with other terms that have nothing to do with technology. If you've found yourself confused by the latest tech terms, then don't feel bad. According to a recent survey of 2,392 adults by Vouchercloud.net, mix ups like this are a fairly common occurrence.
One indisputable fact about doing business is that everything goes better if you plan ahead. Having procedures in place preparing you for anything is a great move that will save you time spent dealing with problems. The value of preparedness can especially be seen when it comes to performing maintenances on your computer network.
Printers are one of the hottest technologies currently on the market. Of course, this applies to 3D printers, not paper printers. Paper printers are actually on their way out thanks to more businesses going green. One of the best ways that you can downsize your paper-hungry printers is by taking advantage of a print server solution.
Because technology plays such a crucial role in everything you do, you would benefit from a single service that covers all of your tech needs. Trying to keep track of every vendor for every piece of equipment can make using technology complicated--which is the opposite what technology is supposed to do.
When your technology goes down, it's a painful experience for your business because operations grind to a halt. When you have to deal with an expensive computer repair bill from your IT company, then it's basically like they're adding injury to insult, or kicking you while you're down.
Every business has to start somewhere. Starting a new business can be the most exhilarating (and often terrifying) endeavor a person can undertake. Technology can play a extremely important role to get your business venture off the ground quickly.
Technology is showing up in unexpected places these days, like kitchen appliances being connected to smartphones and wearable tech enveloping people's bodies. These fun technology trends make life easier, and it is advantageous to get in early on these trends. Technology is also showing up in new and unexpected places in the business sector. Are you up on these tech trends?
If you know how to use technology, it can be a powerful tool that can take your business to the next level. Knowing how to operate and maintain your company's network requires a very technical knowledge, a knowledge that you may not have. Instead of trying to take a crash course in networking, it will be more advantageous if you outsourced your IT.
A masochist enjoys doing things the hard way. Masochists make lousy managers because their enjoyment for punishment will make it so that nothing gets done on time. Nobody, not even a masochist, enjoys it when IT problems take forever to fix. With remote IT support, the punishments of technology problems are removed and IT becomes easy for everyone!
