Over the last 25 years, computers have changed the way we work, plan and communicate. The advent of the internet has offered a level of globalization that would have been impossible without it. This has been immensely beneficial to businesses, but there are also problems associated with information technology that many companies are failing to take seriously. Regardless of the size of your business, you should have a dedicated IT professional at the ready. This allows you to deal with problems and outsourcing IT services might just be the answer you are looking for.
Outsourcing IT Services Decreases Downtime
No one wants to think about the moment when their computer system goes down. But it happens all the time, all over the world. No system is immune to downtime. In October of 2016 much of America’s internet went dark due to a denial of service attack. The target of the attack Dyn controls the majority of domain names in the country. Denial of Service attacks are commonplace, but the Dyn attack was the largest in history.
While cyber attacks on systems often make the news, there are also mundane reasons that a network might go down. Entire websites are dedicated to tracking outages and server issues for large companies; from Amazon to Netflix. So, now that you know downtime is an inevitability, your best offense is a good defense. When it does happen, and it happens to everyone, the key to dealing with the issue is to have your computers back online as quickly as possible.
By outsourcing IT services, you’ll ensure someone is always monitoring your systems. Decreasing downtime and catching any issues early. This avoids creating an overarching issue in the system that could take days to rectify.
Outsourcing IT Services Increases Productivity
Many businesses work hard to ensure their team is productive during the day. From blocking website access to monitoring computer usage during the day to keeping tabs on the minutes that tick by on breaks. But there is a time culprit that you may not have thought about; ill-maintained computer systems.
Reboots, updates, and downtime all lead to less productivity during the work day, according to research. During the time it takes for your system to reboot itself, your staff is virtually useless, unable to move between tasks. Outsource IT services can cut down on the downtime experienced, and ensure each system is healthy and operational before your staff steps through the door each day. Not only will it make your team more efficient, but it will also boost morale across the board.
Outsourcing IT Services Allows for Remote Maintenance
When you have a large, or even small network, of computers and hardware, maintenance is a necessity to ensure that everything is up-to-date and running properly. When the maintenance schedule falls behind you will encounter more reboots, more upgrade notifications, and more downtime.
Now, it might seem simple enough to employ someone within your company to maintain your systems, but there is a big problem with that solution. They work when the rest of your team works, so when they need to perform maintenance, your system will need to come offline to do so. This creates a myriad of issues for the team that needs to perform tasks during the day.
Outsourced IT services can maintain your systems remotely, at a time that is most convenient for you. If your business closes for the day at 6 pm, a member of the outsourced IT services team will step right in and get down to updating and maintaining your system. This not only makes it easier to ensure your systems are up-to-date, but it will ensure you don’t lose a second of your employees’ time to routine system maintenance.
Outsourcing IT Services Ensures Pro-Active Upgrades
Ailing computer systems are a major cause of inefficiency in companies and businesses across the world. According to recent reports, eight out of every ten small and mid-size businesses have experienced unplanned downtime and system issues. The cost of those periods of downtime can range anywhere from $10,000 to $250,000, depending on the event and the circumstances surrounding it.
End-of-life software is another major issue in today’s businesses. Using outdated software can affect productivity, but more importantly, it can seriously compromise your security. Windows XP, for example, is no longer supported by Microsoft, and thus, no further updates are being offered. Cyber criminals target companies using such software. As they are easier to exploit than businesses using newer operating systems that are regularly updated.
Outsourced IT services by Gartman Technical Services can work with you business to identify problems within the system. And pro-actively update and help you replace ailing technology. Leasing and purchasing programs are available to ensure your team is working on the best equipment available. Not only will this ensure your team is happy and efficient, but it will keep your data safe, too.
Security Planning
Whether you are outsourcing IT services or planning to build a personal team of IT professionals, security planning should be at the forefront of your mind. Remember when you were young and still in school? You probably heard the adage that failing to plan is planning to fail. Well, the adage holds true in the world of IT, too.
Many small and mid-size business think they can’t possibly be a target of hackers because they are not a big enough company, but hackers don’t discriminate like that. Small and mid-size businesses are often more at risk of being hacked than large multi-national companies because they lack the security to prevent such attacks, and the contingency plan if their security goes awry.
Outsourcing IT services will ensure that a security plan is put into place, along with a contingency plan if something fails along the way. This will raise productivity and help you avoid costly breaches. A security plan, a contingency plan, and a backup plan are the best ways to keep your business safe.
While these are five big reasons to consider outsourced IT services, they aren’t the only ones. To learn more about what Gartman Technical Services has to offer, schedule a consultation today.