10 Reasons Why Your Small Business Needs IT Services
Your business dream has just come true. That “spark” of an idea you had about starting your own business is becoming a reality right in front of your own eyes. As you launch your small business, there are a million things to worry about from your products to your services and your employees and business plan. Technology and your IT needs should not be one of them, especially if your field has little to do with the technology industry. However, we all know that every business needs technology to do a multitude of tasks such as: driving traffic to your site for consumers to find your services and products, operating payroll, keeping inventory, and a million other things. Here are just some of the ways that technology is a driving force that can be used to make your small business succeed.
#1 Security
First and foremost on the minds of every small business owner should be security for their digital systems. There are so many potential issues that could pop up including: viruses, malware, ransomware, malicious hacking, identity theft, phishing scams, and the list could literally go on forever. Unfortunately, small business owners (and even larger business owners) don’t always put network security at the top of their priorities. There is a mistaken belief that small businesses are somehow off the radar of cyber criminals. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, small businesses might be a more alluring victim to cyber crime due to the lack of security on many small business systems. According to a recent McAfee survey, 60% of all cybercrimes are directed at small businesses. The same survey showed huge gaps in cyber security for small businesses. Findings included less than 50% of small businesses had email or internet security.Having an IT Support company, or Managed IT, means that your systems have all the security your fledgling business needs. This could include: updated software patches, email encryption, up-to-date antivirus software, two-factor authentication for access logins, firewalls, and training for your employees to understand the potential vulnerabilities.
#2 Access To 24/7 Help
Not every business has a technology guru at their disposal to handle technology questions and problems. Everything from a slow system to a printer that won’t print, all the way to a potential data breach, can be handled quickly and professionally by your managed IT support company. Hiring a managed support company, even if your business is small, means you have access to expert technology specialists usually around the clock. This can become super handy when something goes wrong (and it always does) at the most inopportune times.
#3 Time to Focus On Your Business
Small business owners wear many hats from marketing their organization to leading/managing the small staff in the office. The many hats do not usually include proficiency at solving IT problems. When your company contracts with a managed IT company like ours, we make it possible for you to focus on what is most important to you… growing your business. We take some of the work (and worry) off your plate by handling all of your technology issues and troubleshooting your network issues, so you can pay attention to what is most important.
#4 Cutting Costs
Yeah, hiring a managed IT support company sounds expensive, but hiring a full time IT person or an actual IT department is equivalent (and in most cases more expensive) in cost. Additionally, that one person may not have the experience and depth of knowledge that a team of IT people can bring to the table for your small company. Shop around and compare what it will cost you to have a team of people on your side when you need them versus a full time IT department. I think you will find that managed IT brings quite a few benefits including cost cutting.
#5 Stay Up-To-Date
Staying up-to-date is critical for small business owners not only in terms of security features on their networks and devices, but also in terms of what technology tools could help the business grow and flourish in the future. Your managed IT team can help you scale up as your business grows as well as be on alert for emerging technologies and trends for your field.
#6 Tailored Services
One great thing (among many) about managed IT is that you can tailor what you need in terms of technology for your company. That means that cookie cutter IT packages are a thing of the past. Only pay for what you need, specific to your business needs - no more, no less.
#7 Backups & Disaster Recovery
No small business owner wants to think about a worst case scenario happening to their organization including a cyber attack, a breach of data, a natural disaster, or a power outage that causes major downtime. That’s where managed IT comes in. We will set up a regular backup schedule for your data as well as put into place a disaster recovery plan in case something catastrophic occurs. Our proactive plans can give you and your team some peace of mind knowing that you have support and a team of IT experts with you should a worst-case scenario occur. In the event of a disaster or emergency, your business won’t need to close which can be costly and hurt your reputation. Your business continuity can be saved with managed IT support.
#8 Trainings for Employees
Employees are the front line when it comes to alerting business leaders to potential cyber crimes. In fact, human error is ranked among the top reasons why a virus was allowed into a system or a data breach occurred. That’s why it is critical for employees to be trained on a regular basis so they know what to look for on your network that could put your data at risk as well as vulnerabilities that could exist in their emails. A managed IT support program could help train your employees for warning signs of a phishing scam, when and when NOT to open emails, how to access areas of the network and how two factor authentication works. That’s just the start of what we can help train your employees on in terms of security and reducing risks for your computer network.
#9 Predictable Budgeting
As a small company, you probably have a vigilant eye on your budget throughout the year. Managed IT can help you stay within budget by allowing you to only opt in on the services you need to help grow and protect your business. As your company begins to scale up, we can work with you on adjusting your budget as your needs expand or evolve. Scalability in terms of needs and budget balancing!
#10 Staying Ahead of Your Competitors
Something that every small business considers is how to compete with similar businesses whether it is better service, expanded products, or a different user experience. Having a website and ecommerce site that is easy to navigate, trustworthy, and responsive is critical to making your business stay ahead of your competitors. For example, most websites appear different on a desktop versus a phone device. Is your website design responsive and does it load as fast on both devices? You would be amazed how quickly consumers will shift gears and head to a competitor site if your tech is not competitive.
A Final Word On IT Services
Spectra Networks handles small and medium-sized businesses’ IT services. We love who we work with and often become close partners with the organizations we contract with. The reasons we mentioned above don’t even begin to touch upon the personal investment we make when you become one of our clients. Please take a look on our site for services that may be appropriate for your growing company. We would be happy to work with you.