Tag Archives: MSP

5 Reasons Why Businesses Do IT Staff Termination

IT staff termination
Cybersecurity, Manage Service, Security, Technology, , , ,

IT staff termination has notably increased in the last couple of years. According to Business News Daily, 37% of IT professionals were discharged, a continuing trend that began during the pandemic. This is not good for IT professionals or the companies that they work for.

For the IT staff professionals, they obviously wouldn’t want to get a termination. Besides losing money, they would also have a blemish on their professional record, which puts them back where they started when and if they were to find employment with another company. And for the employer, firing their tech guys also means back to the drawing board. They will have to look for someone new, spend money and time on training them, and possibly even experience reduced productivity from the remaining workforce.

It would be in the best interest of both parties if the IT staff termination rate went down. For this to happen, it is important to understand what causes terminations in the first place, and that will be our topic today.

5 Most Common IT Staff Termination Reasons

Performance Issues

Leading the list of IT staff termination reasons, poor performance would be a deal breaker. Incompetence in any form is a reason for getting fired. If someone gets failing marks after an IT staff performance evaluation, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if they get a notice of termination.

Breach of Company Policies

Another clear-cut reason to fire someone is if they violate company policies. The IT staff code of conduct covers a wide scope, from the proper use of company resources to following strict data security protocols. Any breach of these policies can warrant termination.

Lack of Adaptability

A competent IT professional should be able to keep up with rapidly changing technology. There must be continuous learning for IT professionals, and adapting to technological changes in IT. Their inability to do this will diminish their value to the company, and there will be no reason for them to stay on the payroll.

Communication Issues with IT Staff Leading to Termination

Many IT projects require collaboration between team members, as well as with clients or management. Because of this, many companies invest in improving communication skills for IT professionals through team-building workshops or training on IT staff communication strategies. This addition is a vital step toward minimizing potential communication issues. If, despite these efforts, the tech guys cannot step up in this area, they are likely to get fired.

Cultural Misfit

Although not as common as the other IT staff termination reasons, a cultural misfit is still a valid reason for a company to terminate their IT professional. It can be difficult for individuals to fulfill their role in the company if there is discord within the team. Here, your company would be better off finding the right IT talent for your company culture, and firing those that are not a good fit.

Choose Your IT Staff Carefully to Minimize Risk of Termination

There might be other IT staff termination reasons besides the ones above which are by far the most frequently cited. As a business owner, you must consider these reasons the next time you hire an IT professional. In addition, when hiring an IT provider, you must be sure that they pass all the criteria mentioned in the 7 Components of Auditing an IT Provider. You can download the list right here. 

Choosing the right provider will certainly reduce the need for eventual termination, and instead, it might lead to a long-lasting and fruitful professional partnership. If you need help finding the ideal IT team for your company, we can give you a hand. Call us today and we will schedule you for a free consultation!

IT Support Decision: In-House IT vs MSP

In-House IT
Cybersecurity, Manage Service, Security, , , , , ,

In the digital era that we are in now, there is no question why reliable IT support is a must for all businesses. Recently, if you want to stay productive, competitive, secure, or relevant in your industry, you need to have the proper technology in place. Ultimately, you also need capable In-House IT professionals to handle all these tech needs.

The big question for many business owners is whether to hire an in-house team or to partner with a managed services provider. Both options have pros and cons. To make the right choice, you need to analyze the many differences carefully. To make a thorough In-House IT Guy vs Managed Service Provider comparison, let’s answer some of the most crucial questions.

What Can They Do?

Your In-House IT Guy

An in-house employee tasked with handling the company’s IT concerns is capable of regular IT infrastructure maintenance, general software, and hardware troubleshooting, and dealing with regular technology concerns.

Managed Services Provider

A managed services provider can do everything that the IT guy can do, plus a much wider scope of services and solutions. An MSP employs several highly trained experts in various IT fields, so no matter what the issue, there’s bound to be at least one individual specially trained to address your problems.

How Much Do They Cost?

Your In-House IT Guy

The cost of hiring an IT guy is equivalent to having an additional employee on the company’s payroll. It appears to be the more cost-effective option until you encounter a problem that is beyond your IT guy’s expertise, and that requires you to hire a third party. Furthermore, you would also have to spend on training, benefits, and even equipment for every IT professional you have on your staff.

Managed Services Provider

MSP services usually come at a fixed monthly fee, the size of which would depend on the services that you need. It might be a higher cost than a single monthly salary, but it is inclusive of everything you would need. There will be no surprise expenses, which is much better in terms of budget management.

What Level of Expertise and Support Do They Offer?

Your In-House IT Guy

An In-House IT guy knows your systems like the back of his hand. This familiarity plus a strong understanding of your business, enables him to make sound decisions that will benefit your organization. On the other hand, their skills are limited compared to the combined skill set of an entire MSP team.

Managed Services Provider

MSPs employ many IT professionals trained in diverse fields, from network management and cybersecurity to disaster recovery and cloud services. They will deploy their appropriate specialist to your company depending on your specific needs, so you will always get the best service.

Can They Provide Scalability and Flexibility?

Your In-House IT Guy

Since they are just one individual, it would be difficult for them to adapt to sudden changes in the system, or to handle highly specialized projects. This can cause delays and a lack of efficiency in operations.

Managed Services Provider

Scalability is one of the biggest advantages of working with an MSP. The services they offer are always flexible and can be adjusted based on the changing IT needs of your business.

Final Thoughts

Based on the In-House IT Guy vs Managed Service Provider comparison above, for most businesses, working with an MSP presents significant advantages. However, keep in mind that not all MSPs are equally reliable. Before signing up with any provider, make sure they pass all the criteria listed in our 7 Components to Auditing an IT Provider. You can download the list here for your reference.

We can help you eliminate all this unnecessary spending. Call us today!

Moving to the Cloud Promotes Business Growth

moving to the cloud
Cybersecurity, Data Backup, Security, Technology, , , , ,

The number of companies moving to cloud operations is rising each year. This is not a surprise because cloud solutions are now a vital instrument for the growth and development of businesses in today’s digital world. If you have been looking for a way to scale your business and haven’t tried cloud technology, there is no better time to take the plunge than now.

How Moving to the Cloud Affects Business Growth

A multitude of businesses all over the world will attest that cloud computing has helped them grow. But how did it help? What areas of your business can benefit the most if you move your operations to the cloud? Here are the most notable positive changes that you might expect.

Scalability

This feature ranks as one of the best advantages of moving to the cloud, which people look forward to the most. Before the cloud, business expansions were almost always massive and tedious operations that required heavy investment in terms of infrastructure and hardware. But with the extensive selection of cloud resources available, growing your business has never been easier!

Should you need to downgrade for any reason, it is just as easy on the cloud. You can cancel your subscription to services you don’t need so that you can operate on a smaller scale without having to incur unnecessary losses.

Financial Savings

It is interesting how many people assume that cloud services are expensive when the opposite is true. The prices vary, as this depends on the provider. But they will only charge you for the services or resources that you use. How can you be more cost-efficient than that?

Also, moving to the cloud means you no longer need to purchase expensive on-site equipment, which can also be costly to maintain. So, businesses really can save an incredible amount by shifting their operations to the cloud.

Efficiency

A distinctive feature of cloud applications is that they are accessible from anywhere if you have the internet. So, employees don’t need to go to the office to work. They can just do their jobs from home or any other location. There is also the benefit of using automation tools, which you can set up to lessen the demand for and reliance on manual labor.

Security when Moving to the Cloud

Whether you are just starting or are well on your way to conquering your industry, there is no need to worry about security in cloud-based solutions. Impressive security features abound on the cloud, including high-tech encryption, advanced threat detection, and multi-factor authentication, which protect your data and ultimately speed up business growth.

Innovation

The cloud gives easy access to all the latest innovations in technology as soon as they come out, which is vital for growing your business. Everything, from the latest versions of applications and operating systems to the latest hardware releases in the market, will be right at your fingertips if you are on the cloud.

There you have it—the top reasons cloud technology is crucial to business growth. Through cloud computing, growing your business can be faster, simpler, more cost-efficient, and perfectly aligned with your organization’s goals.

If you would like more information, you can download this infographic of ours called “The Benefits of Moving to the Cloud.” Here, you will see everything that you will miss out on if you pass on this opportunity! Do also contact us today where we will have thorough and very enlightening discussions with your businesses today.

How Will a Managed Service Provider Help Your Business?

Manage Service, , ,
Male IT professional working with a company's IT infrastructure and data security using a computer.

What is a Managed Service Provider (MSP)?

A Managed Service Provider (MSP) is a person who is specially trained in remotely managing a company’s IT infrastructure. They provide specific network and security solutions that assist with data loss, security breaches, and remote firewall administration. The key takeaway from their role is that they play an invaluable part in strategic IT planning and preventing destructive computer networking decisions that could have a negative impact on a business.

In this article, we will focus more on the role of this service provider, which bears an important responsibility. Indeed, at the present time, the productivity of a company depends very much on its IT infrastructure, which makes the MSP a central player in the success and development of the company.

Managed services or IT service outsourcing?

While some companies can afford to have a dedicated IT department, not all organizations can. And that’s not always the most relevant solution, either. The Managed Service Provider takes on the role of the enterprise IT department. Thus, he or she must carry out the management and maintenance of the IT department.

The mission of the MSP (Managed Service Provider) includes administrative oversight, intended to detect problems before they arise. Indeed, to ensure the sustainability of the infrastructure, it must constantly maintain the level of service necessary for the needs of the business. This, therefore, involves application updates, regular hardware checks, and software changes when relevant.

A remote service provider that saves significant time

The MSP, therefore, works externally and mainly remotely, through cloud computing. The managed service provider has a team made up of experienced people, but also very sophisticated tools. It is therefore able to operate remotely and benefits from regular automated reports which allow it to detect potential problems. He or she can thus solve them before they generate damage. It is therefore rare for MSP technicians to travel to the site, although this can happen in the event of a hardware failure.

Using sophisticated tools, the managed service provider performs software updates automatically before the expiration date. As a result, it avoids wasted time related to bugs and failures caused by software that is not up to date. It also allows you to benefit from the latest versions and thus limits security vulnerabilities in the system.

An offer adapted to the needs of the company

As the managed service provider is not an employee of the company, he or she is able to make an offer modeled on the real needs of the structure. Often, its offer depends on the number of workstations or users of the infrastructure to be managed. The contract can therefore be scalable according to the needs of the business. This operation, therefore, offers flexibility that is much more advantageous for the company than having its own IT department. Especially since it limits the administrative procedures and internal staff management.

Conclusion

This is a win/win formula, as the MSP usually does not have to intervene for outages, but if they do, it is included in their package. As a result, the more quality watch it performs, the better its profitability will be, because interventions will be less common. For the company, this approach provides the assurance of quality monitoring to ensure the proper functioning of the system.

The definition of managed services and the role of the MSP are no longer a mystery to you. In relation to outsourcing, managed services offer a more in-depth approach, and free you from all worries related to IT infrastructure. This allows you to focus on your core business without risking failures that could impact the development of your business. Contact us to learn more!