Category Archives: Manage Service

Advantages of managed IT Services

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Enterprise Client Activating Managed IT Services

Are you ready to partner with a IT Support Company?

Focusing on monetary profit in any business should be the priority of its owner or manager not becoming an IT expert. The more time dedicated to planning and carrying out new profitable strategies, the more monetary profit taken in. It’s not ideal for any business owner or manager to deal with computing problems on their own because, due to time loss, there will be less profit. Even if a business owner could miraculously learn all the technical and security caveats associated with their custom setup, it would take hours to manage and repair broken devices as needed. The following points highlight the advantages of outsourcing the management of computer maintenance and repair.

  • Cost Savings
  • Time Savings
  • Improved Security

Cost savings can show itself in various ways not merely by discounts that can be obtained by using managed IT service providers. For example, more harm than good could be done when attempting to apply repairs without a strong knowledge of the type of repair being done and the possible consequences. Generally, attempting to apply repairs or maintenance without a thorough understanding of what’s being done could result in damage which costs more than to have a professional repair it or better yet, to have a professional handle maintenance and repair before getting to that point. It’s not unheard of for business owners to find ways to manage their own technology with the end result of a disaster or very close to it. In general, it’s not recommended to self-manage an IT infrastructure without a thorough knowledge of the task at hand and possible consequences.

In any business, the saying, “time is money” applies. It means that any time spent working toward the goal of bringing in monetary profit is time well-spent but any time spent away from those same efforts is time lost and therefore, money lost. Everybody needs time away from doing business as a way of maintaining our well-being, but as it pertains to spending time on tasks that will not bring in monetary profit, that is generally considered time lost. Allocating maintenance and repair time to a service provider allows business owners and managers to do what’s most important focus on the income of monetary profit and personal well-being.

Performing IT-related jobs without sufficient qualification is not only a risk of wasted time and money, but it opens doors for compromising data security. Imagine this we think we’ve got a sound plan to backup and restore computer data on our own in case of a deletion, regardless of the cause. The day comes when the data archives are needed and they turn out to be unusable they don’t work or they are corrupted What a nightmare that situation would be! Although there are some chances that the archives might work if put into the hands of experienced professionals, it would cost more money to attempt to restore the data than it would be to have just outsourced the data backup, to begin with. Furthermore, data security extends into the realm of keeping computer criminals away and from hacking into computers there is more to computer security than just making sure data is efficiently backed up. Learning computer security takes years and there are some aspects of it that are continuously changing. In a sense, keeping up with computer security in some instances is like trying to hit a moving target while blindfolded attempting to protect computers from hackers in without the consultation of experienced professionals is a bad idea.

SystemsNet provides a wide array of services that remove the IT management burden from businesses. Please contact us for a consultation.

Hiring an External Team for Your Internal IT Help Desk

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A nurse speaking on the phone in the nurses station to an internal IT help desk

Having your own internal help desk is costly and not efficient compared to hiring a MSP

If your business doesn’t support a piece of software or offer online services, then there’s a good chance that you don’t have an IT help desk team. Hardware stores, insurance brokers, and dentists offices — as a few examples — usually wouldn’t include an IT help desk among their departments or full-time staff. Many manufacturing companies, 3PL suppliers, retail, and financial services don’t include IT. Real estate agencies also probably don’t have an IT help desk either.

So if your business doesn’t have one, it’s certainly no surprise. After all, why would you? If you never have customers calling in for help with computers and programs, then there’s no need for a customer-facing IT help desk. But… that doesn’t necessarily mean that your business -never- needs IT support or wouldn’t benefit from a little IT expertise from time to time. This is why many companies that have no outward facing IT still have a team on board to handle internal IT challenges.

Internal vs External IT Help Desks

Not all companies understand the difference between internal and external IT help desks. An external help desk would be a team of people who take calls and emails from customers. This is only necessary if your business results in a significant number of customers who need technical help, like a company that produces software and then has a help desk to help customers use that software.

But an internal help desk is an entirely different story. Even if the products/services you provide aren’t very technical and don’t require IT support, there are still dozens of computers and technological processes going on inside the business itself. And employees don’t always know how to handle their own IT.

An Internal IT help desk isn’t for the customers. It’s for the employees. This kind of service gives your team members someone to call if their computer breaks, if they can’t access their email, or if the business wifi appears to have dropped. And to have someone with solutions on-hand in case of a malware attack. These are not things customers need to worry about, but your employees do.

Outsourcing Your Internal IT Help Desk

Now comes the question of cost and convenience. Most small to medium businesses don’t actually have the resources available to add an entirely new team to the mix. Or the space to give them a separate office area. Even if your business uses enough technology in a day to need an internal IT help desk, you may not be in the right position to hire one onto your core staff.

In fact, in many cases, it would not actually be beneficial for a business to hire their own full-time IT staff. Why? Because they don’t have enough IT problems to justify full-time work. The beauty of a help desk is that they are there when you need them and, presumably, working on other things when you don’t.

This is why outsourced IT has become such a rising trend in the current business community. Both for managed services and on-call help desk support. If you need an internal IT help desk to solve email and software problems but don’t have the demand or infrastructure to hire internally, you don’t have to!

Outsourcing your internal IT help desk is a great way to both provide your team with the IT support they need and minimize the burden on your company for adding this new layer of support.

If you have been struggling to keep up with internal IT demands, there’s no need to go on this way. With outsourcing innovations, you can easily hire the time and expertise an IT help desk when you need the support without worrying about keeping your technicians busy when everything is working perfectly. Or paying for a new full-time department. For more insights into the possibilities of outsourced IT services, contact us today!

How Can The Right Managed Service Provider (MSP) Protect Your Business?

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Woman in office cubicle using a Managed Service Provider (MSP) for business protection

Having a team of support staff watching your back will prevent problems down the road.

The number of cyber security threats and attacks continues to rise. Last year, one ransomware attack impacted 150 countries. This ransomware attack impacted a variety of businesses, major companies, and hospitals and medical facilities. Over 100,000 computers were impacted before the problem could be addressed.

The recent attacks should highlight the major need for business and organizations across all industries to learn more about security issues. The attacks should also encourage business leaders and organization leaders to search for the assistance of IT and security experts to protect their data and prevent threats and cyber attacks.

These type of threats and attacks are constantly rising as hackers are becoming more advanced. Ransomware attacks involve a type of treacherous software that will block access to someone’s data until a certain amount of money is paid. Ransomware attacks are not uncommon because hackers are finding these attacks as ways to make a large sum of money from a small investment.

Your Business and Security

Businesses that do not have the proper equipment or the proper IT resources are some of the most vulnerable people in these attacks. Many businesses have outdated equipment and systems that leave the door wide open for ransomware attacks and threats. These workplaces generally lack the measures that will protect their system and equipment from the attacks.

Some businesses also have challenges when it comes to staff retention and lack of training. When there are constant staff turnover and a lack of experience or training, this can result in major errors that can result in falling for scams and not being aware of when a threat is actually taking place. Lack of experience can also result in leaders failing to use complex passwords or failing to update passwords.

Many businesses also lack the skills and experience of someone who is certified to create a security program for the organization. Times have certainly changed and hackers are becoming savvier than ever before, and some organizations are not prepared to deal with the savviness. When hackers see an easy opportunity to wreak havoc, they immediately see dollar signs because of the ability to access private and personal information.

If you continue to hold off on using the proper security and safety measures, you can find your business in a world of trouble. Thankfully, there are Managed Service Providers(MSPs) that have years worth of experience in cybersecurity and developing systems that will keep your data safe. Teaming up with experts will give you the peace of mind you need for your business.

Creating Passwords

Passwords can always present a security risk, especially when people use passwords that are not complex. We encourage you to use phrases or sayings that you can remember but will be difficult for someone else to guess. Your password should consist of at least 10 characters. It will take a longer time for a hacker to guess what your password is if it consists of longer characters.

Two-Factor Authentication

If you are looking for an extra level of authentication for your systems, you should consider two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication will require any user to have more than one type of credential in order to gain access to a specific account. Two-factor authentication may add an extra step when it is time to log into a system, but it offers another layer of protection. This will make it harder for hackers to obtain access to your data.

You do not need to be an expert at security when it comes to protecting your business or organization, but it is important to have someone on your side who can provide you with the support you need. You will not have the protection you need by simply creating a program and hoping it works. You need to have the right security experts on your side to help protect your systems from the bold and savvy hackers.

Contact us today for more information on Managed Service Providers and the steps you can take to protect your business.

3 Reasons Why Managed IT Beats Casual IT Services Every Time

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Managed IT services

A team of technicians at your disposal is better than a single tech.

Choosing the right IT services for your business is a lot like hiring a new employee. A service that knows their way around a file server and phone system is great, but that isn’t enough. You need a service that is there when you need them and is so good at their job that they see problems coming before you do. Unfortunately, not every IT service is up to the task.

In the IT support industry, there are two types of agency or service: Managed IT and Casual/Break-Fix IT. And knowing the difference can define the success or failure of your business’ technology at a critical moment. Most people think of IT in casual terms: When something breaks, you call for help. But this plan has some critical flaws, like the time between the ‘break’ and the ‘fix’. Leaving your business out of service until the fix is implemented.

Managed IT, on the other hand, is all about constantly working with IT professionals to support, protect, and optimize your business technology. While casual IT may be the tradition, when you look closely the Managed IT approach is superior in every way. Here’s why:

1) Cost-Effective: Getting Your Money’s Worth

The primary difference between Managed IT and Casual IT is attentiveness. Take two IT service plans and compare them side-by-side. Both managed and casual IT services ask for a monthly fee for access to the technicians and the services they provide. But what is provided will be very different.

In a managed IT plan, skilled technicians are assigned to your case and work on it constantly throughout the month and year. They may monitor your networks for trouble spots, keep an eye on your website performance, and will also be available to solve any problems that arise along the way.

A casual IT service, on the other hand, is more like access to a tech-support call center. Rather than monitoring your networks and websites, you are paying for the privilege to call for help. From there, you talk to someone who is probably a stranger who will spend a few minutes solving your problem then leave you to pick up any mess created by the technical errors they resolve.

In other words, you pay for a month of service from both companies, but only managed IT plans actually give you an entire month of dedicated IT support.

2) Prevention is Always Better Than Break-Fix

The next undeniable benefit is technical problem prevention. When a managed IT team is assigned to manage your business IT needs, they don’t just wait for a disaster to fix. Managed IT technicians are proactive. They not only keep track of your systems, they also implement preventative fixes or give you a heads-up about potential trouble-spots on your horizon.

A managed IT technician might let you know that your server storage space is filling up, that there is better industry software available, or that your website needs an update to handle your increased number of daily online customers. Then they will implement these fixes *before* you run out of storage, your software becomes outdated, or your website crashes due to high traffic.

A casual IT service, on the other hand, doesn’t keep track of potential problems or implement preventative steps. They wait until your website drops and you call in a panic to fix it. And while they’re fixing it? Your website is down, your servers stop working, or your employees are unable to log into your business software until a fix is implemented.

3) Building a Partnership with Your IT Providers

Finally, perhaps the best thing about managed IT services is your opportunity to develop a real business partner. When technicians are assigned to your case and monitor your systems constantly to prevent disaster, they get to know your business.

Casual IT services are more likely to forget all about your system specs between calls, and you may even find yourself talking to a completely different technician every time. With managed IT, you get the service of professionals who learn your business’ unique computer system inside and out and can implement fixes without a ‘getting to know you’ phase for every single issue.

You’re not just asking for IT help from a technician, you’re partnering with professionals who will learn the needs of your business and, often, take care of those needs without even having to be asked.

If you’ve had bad IT experiences in the past, or want to avoid experiences you’ve heard about from others, it’s time to consider managed IT over casual IT services. For a free 60 minute consultation on the IT support needs of your business, contact us today! We’re ready to become our managed IT partners.