When you pay employees, it is expected that those costs will be offset by productivity. This, in turn, results in a profitable business. Similarly, managed IT services should enhance your business and enable expansion and improved productivity. With the right managed IT package, you could eliminate costly downtime and prevent data breaches.
Some of the most beneficial aspects of managed IT include 24/7 network monitoring, proactive cyber security, infrastructure maintenance and easy access to an IT helpdesk. When you break down what these services bring to your business, it will become clear that you are making a worthwhile investment.
24/7 Network Monitoring
Your network is often the first line of defense against cybercriminals intent on accessing or stealing sensitive information. Most small to medium-sized businesses cannot afford to hire full time IT personnel. With 24/7 network management and monitoring, any issues are proactively addressed.
Real time monitoring improves your network reliability. Downtime is all but eliminated, ensuring that your business always remains productive. This service alone can prevent businesses from losing money due to network failures or security breaches.
Proactive Maintenance
Preventing IT problems before they happen is made possible with proactive maintenance. There are a range of issues that can cause hardware and software to fail. Out-of-date programs and equipment often become sluggish, corrupt or have reached end-of-life and require upgrades or replacement.
Patching, reconfiguring or regularly upgrading software will prevent downtime. It is also important to change out hardware components that are obsolete. Proactive maintenance is a constant need, often involving complex fixes. With cloud hosted services, your managed IT service provider can keep systems running fast and efficiently and free you from time consuming upgrades on your end.
IT Helpdesk
With access to an IT helpdesk, you will no longer need to rely on employees with limited troubleshooting knowledge. There is also the issue of access control, which includes user authentication and password resets. A dedicated team can resolve these problems and more, either remotely or onsite.
IT helpdesk specialists can diagnose and resolve most issues quickly and effectively. You will also have a paper trail that details access requests and any recurring problems. This information can inform future training and upgrade choices.
Enhanced Cyber Security
If you handle any sort of sensitive or valuable information, cyber security is always a concern. In many cases, businesses are obligated to comply with regulations and laws that protect data. Failure to do so could leave you in legal peril in addition to losing the trust of customers and damaging productivity.
Cybercriminals usually access sensitive data remotely by breaching business networks. On average, these criminals stage attacks every 20 seconds. If you believe that your business is too small to become a target, think again. With cyber security specialists constantly monitoring access to your network and making improvements to systems, your crucial data is safer from attack.
Employee Training
You will likely hire employees from all walks of life. Some of your staff will possess a reasonable understanding and proficiency in the use of IT software, hardware and data handling. However, others may require additional training that you may not have the ability to provide.
Managed IT may include several services that help educate employees on acceptable data handling processes. A well-informed staff can help to prevent access to information that is valuable to cybercriminals. ClubDrive offers these resources to help our clients educate their employees on secure IT practices.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of managed IT and how we can offer specific assistance to your company, call ClubDrive for an education consultation today.