Why Every Scaling Small Business Needs IT Services
Smaller businesses often regard IT as a secondary concern during the lean, DIY startup years. As they begin to scale up, however, business owners quickly recognize the need for comprehensive IT services. Read on to learn why your scaling small business should invest in superior IT support.
Reduced Downtime
In today’s rapidly evolving world of technology, every business needs to have a proactive IT strategy that will allow them to react efficiently and quickly when problems arise.
Most small businesses start with an “internal guru” that takes care of internal IT needs while still trying to do their day-to-day jobs. As a growing company experiences an increased demand for internal IT, these on-site gurus are either unable to keep up with their day-to-day duties or forced to put internal IT on the back burner. Either way, business suffers needlessly. In turn, many decide to outsource their IT needs to a managed IT services provider.
With a managed IT services provider, a team of experts is always on standby to assist with IT emergencies, from security breaches and power failures to data loss and other disasters that could hurt your bottom line and cause customers to question your credibility.
Because they are familiar with your IT network, a reputable managed IT service provider will be able to work fast to minimize downtime and restore your system. Without this type of service, businesses risk losing data and damaging their reputation whenever an inevitable IT emergency occurs.
Cost Savings
Most IT budgets consist of software, hardware and network costs, along with cloud solutions costs, maintenance and labor, to name a few. These resources are all critical to keeping your network up and running when it’s needed most. Smaller businesses often choose to outsource these items individually, which can start to add up, especially as you begin to scale.
With a managed IT service provider, experts create a roadmap of service costs and needs, based on where your business is and where it plans to be in the future. This roadmap allows you to understand all costs associated with your entire network and plan accordingly each month. This helps ensure that you pay for only what you need now, while helping you stay mindful of what you will need as you scale up or (in certain instances) down if necessary.
Increased Productivity
Employees are usually the heart and soul of any small business with growth potential. In most smaller enterprises, they are also the most significant source of overhead. With this in mind, it only makes sense to make sure they have the resources they need to stay as productive as possible.
With most modern businesses, multiple employees use computers to do their jobs. If one of these computers fails or is infected with a virus, your team can’t work. If you have managed IT services on call, you can solve these types of problems fast. This also helps with employee morale, since workers know their issues will be taken care of in a timely manner so they can get back to work in no time.
A managed IT services provider can also help prevent downtime by getting out in front of potential issues before they occur. With managed IT, experts proactively look for issues before they arise. Most “internal gurus” will not have the tools and staff necessary to truly be proactive in managing and maintaining a network. One the other hand, a good managed IT firm will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in software and tools to build a proper infrastructure.
A Competitive Edge
Businesses that invest in IT are more likely to survive and thrive compared to companies that don’t. As they grow, however, it can be difficult for companies to scale their technology along with their business. IT solutions for computer hardware, software and more recent innovations (such as cloud storage and VoIP phone systems) are difficult to manage and keep up with. Managed IT services take the headache out of upgrading and servicing technology, so companies can focus on what they do best.
Improved Security
If you’ve recently read the headlines, you know that businesses of all sizes are under attack by malicious actors. Think your small business is immune? Think again.
Most malicious attacks come in the form of bots or automated malware that indiscriminately target vulnerable networks. At the same time, there are also malicious actors who could target your systems by using phishing tactics to fool employees.
Security is also a huge problem for many small businesses, largely because cybercriminals know that smaller companies don’t usually impose tough security measures. Whether it’s a single nefarious entity or an automated intrusion program going through a list; if your system gets targeted, it could lead to downtime, data loss and stolen intellectual property.
Unless you are working daily in the IT industry, it’s virtually impossible to keep up with all the latest preventative measures. Fortunately, if you have managed IT services, your system will be protected by the latest security features. What’s more, they’ll be able to recover your data and mitigate any problems if you do fall victim to malware or a hack.
If you’re looking to secure your systems and improve efficiencies, Fisher Technology can help. We provide comprehensive IT services for businesses of every size. We can protect your company from hackers and malware while streamlining your business operations with innovative workflow solutions and electronic document automation. Contact us to learn more.