A recent survey found that as much as 80 percent of companies utilize at least one emerging technology for finance and operations. The vast majority of entrepreneurs (81 percent) are regularly making use of technology within their business.
With all these different forms of technologies that businesses like yours rely on to grow their business and maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace, you need IT help to ensure your systems continually run well. Today’s technology is quite vast and complex. Making things work in an ever-changing business network environment requires a high level of skill that only IT specialists can provide.
That is why so many business owners and entrepreneurs seek IT help to expertly manage their IT infrastructure. Businesses that do not outsource IT services can become vulnerable to technical mishaps, resulting in operational inefficiencies that may be quite costly. For example, the average cost of IT downtime is significant. Each minute costs an average of $9,000, according to the Ponemon Institute. This translates into a downtime cost per hour of more than $500,000.
These inefficiency costs could range from 20 percent to 30 percent of your revenue each year. It also shows up in employees taking longer to complete their job duties, and that’s just another way that inefficiency costs drain your business’s revenue.
But the thought of spending money on IT services may concern you, especially in an uncertain economic environment. Maybe you’d rather opt for an in-house IT team to resolve IT issues. Although an in-house team could be well-versed with your systems, they tend to cost much more than outsourced IT services and they will probably have a limited skill set. Conversely, an outsourced IT support team will be significantly less expensive and possess more expertise, and offer greater flexibility while providing you with 24/7 support.
IT professionals have the skills to improve the processes and hardware you’re already using to increase overall productivity.
At this point, you may be wondering: how do you know when your growing company needs outsourced IT support?
Here, we will highlight seven signs that indicate you need to outsource a managed IT services team. You’ll have clear insights into what types of technical issues surpass the collective knowledge of your staff and when you’ll benefit from professional IT help.
1) Your Technology is Outdated
There is a good chance you haven’t recently updated your information systems. If it’s so long ago that you can’t recollect when it was last done, then you’re probably working with outdated technology.
Obsolete IT infrastructure puts your business at a serious disadvantage compared to your competitors, who have digitized their business processes. You should be focused on selecting the best quality software for your company that will enable your enterprise to grow and gain market share.
But embarking on a comprehensive search for the right software for your company can be difficult and time-consuming. That is why it is better left to IT consulting services to do this for you. This move will save you lots of time and money.
2) You’re Growing Your Business
If your company is in a growth phase – you’re in the midst of expanding your product line, for example, -- you will likely need to update your technology. The amount of time, resources, and manpower that expansion requires leaves little bandwidth for updating your information technology infrastructure.
In order to avoid technical glitches and to create a more robust IT infrastructure to accommodate your company’s growth, this is the perfect opportunity to hire a professional IT team to help ensure a smooth transition process. Your IT specialists will be able to offer innovative ideas and useful guidance that will allow you to maximize your new position in the marketplace.
3) You Need to Optimize Your Systems
Are you about to update your company’s systems but aren’t sure how to go about it? This is where you’ll greatly benefit from professional IT consultants. They are knowledgeable about the latest trends in your industry.
Your IT crew will be able to identify problems you weren’t even aware of that could potentially negatively impact your operation. It is worth the small investment to have proven IT experts who will ensure all your systems operate optimally.
4) Your IT Problems are Hindering Your Business
Digital solutions are designed to heighten efficiency and expedite processes in areas such as product marketing, email marketing campaigns, and customer relations. If you find you are bogged down with technology glitches, then it’s time to consider getting IT help.
Repeated delays and hold-ups, especially as it relates to product development and customer service, are not sustainable if you want to be a growing, thriving business. These technical glitches could also compromise your relationships with your partners and shareholders.
Hiring an IT team by your side will eliminate all of these problems so you can redirect your efforts toward growing your business.
5) You’re Uncertain of Data Security
Cyberattacks and data security breaches are making headlines now and in recent months, as businesses are constantly struggling to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals. Companies are seeing their cyber defenses penetrated in record numbers as they lose sensitive data and important files. These cyberattacks are crippling many businesses financially and forcing some to even close down.
As a business owner or entrepreneur, you are in need of exceptional quality managed IT services to help ensure your sensitive data remains safe. It has never been more important than now to seek the services of an IT services company to protect your business from the most sophisticated and dangerous cyberattacks.
If you aren’t sure about the quality of the security measures at your business, this should be a sign that you need professional IT help.
6) Your Meetings are Hindered by Trial & Error Technology
Do you find that as you’re preparing for and during meetings fumbling around with the Wi-Fi in the conference room or struggling to get Zoom or GoToMeeting to connect? Does it seem sometimes you’re spending more time experimenting with the technical aspects of running a meeting rather than accomplishing the goals of the meeting?
Too often, connectivity can falter during critical moments in a meeting, and it hampers the free flow of ideas that can lead to the creation of viable initiatives designed to grow your company.
Your business is much better off investing in an outsourced IT service. Then you can enjoy meetings that are executed flawlessly, foster optimal sharing of ideas, and that can lead to a more robust bottom line.
7) You Don’t Have a Clear Backup & Recovery Plan in Place
In the U.S. alone, more than 140,000 hard drive failures occur on a weekly basis. Over
60 percent occur due to mechanical failures. Sixty percent of businesses that lose their data will end up closing within a half year of the disaster.
Due to the rapid improvements being made in HDD (hard disk drives) and SSD (solid-state drives) technologies, more business data is being stored in a single device. Along with that comes the real risk of losing data because of theft, ransomware, accidental deletion, or a hard disk crash.
Business owners dread the loss of data and the long-term damage it can do to their company. Restoring your business back to normal operations after a cyberattack becomes a major challenge. Data loss can result in a substantial loss of revenue. This has the additional fallout in the form of loss of trust by customers toward your business.
By acquiring IT help, you have the peace of mind of knowing that the chances of a major data breach are greatly diminished. You’ll also have the benefit of your IT team adeptly handling the data recovery after a cyberattack. This will significantly minimize downtime so your business can operate seamlessly and not disrupt the core divisions of your company.
Your IT support service will assist your business in the following ways:
- Choose the correct type of data backup – On-Premises, Cloud, or Hybrid.
- Identify what should be backed up.
- Create an effective disaster recovery
Sign Up With a Professional IT Services Partner Today
Your managed IT services partner can proactively prevent problems with world-class support when you need it. You’ll find that the investment you make in acquiring IT help will pay huge dividends for your business.
It’s helpful to be aware of the most important areas to discuss with your technology partner so your business gains maximum value from this business partnership. When you collaborate with the right IT services provider to create a custom IT plan of action, your business benefits with maximum efficiency and heightened productivity.
Watch this video to learn what areas to discuss with your technology partner:
Connect with Adept Networks to Provide Your Business with the Best IT Help & Services
At Adept Networks, we’ll manage all your IT services for a flat-rate fee so you can focus your efforts on your business, not your technology problems.
Our comprehensive assessment services and strategic planning will simplify your technology so you can focus on what you do best. We custom design, build, and maintain tech solutions for your business so you can concentrate on growing your company. Our support includes tools that maintain your IT systems and also protect them, allowing your company to run hassle-free.
You can rest easy when you put your IT support needs in our capable hands.