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If you’re a business owner, there’s probably a good chance you spent time figuring out the IT needs of your business. It’s not as easy as searching online and picking the cheapest option or the company with the best reviews.
The cheap option may not provide the services you need to keep your business at the top of its game, and the best-reviewed business may be too expensive or offer services that are completely unnecessary for your business.
To put it simply, if you want to get the most out of your IT support services, you must do some research. If you haven’t spent a lot of time in the world of IT, it can be difficult to figure out where to even begin with your research.
If you’ve found yourself in this situation previously or are preparing to open a new business and are interested in your IT support options, we’ve got you covered. We’ve put together the four most common forms of IT support and explain the benefits and drawbacks of each so you can confidently decide on the best option for your business.
In this option, the IT services company works with your in-house IT department for a fixed and agreed-upon monthly rate. If you don’t currently have an IT department, then the managed services provider can become your IT team. They’ll install, support, and maintain all the users, devices and PCs connected to your network on a routine basis. They will even take care of your hardware and software needs for an extra cost. If you’re trying to plan for a monthly budget or want routine maintenance and IT support, this option will work wonders for your business.
The managed IT approach is undoubtedly the most cost-effective and smartest option for any business. With managed IT services, your business will be protected from IT-related problems, and they will keep your systems up and running. They can mitigate common “disasters” such as lost devices, hardware failures, fires, natural disasters and a host of other issues that can interrupt or outright destroy your IT infrastructure and the data it holds.
In this option, the IT service company will implement security services that are essential for your business. While you can purchase security services ad hoc, these services are best paired with a managed IT service plan.
Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, this anti-virus solution can detect and prevent malware from executing on your endpoints.
Email defense spam filtering uses cloud-based tools to provide a protective gateway that integrates with Exchange, Office 365 and Gmail.
A customizable internet blocker that allows you to deny your users access to a variety of websites that present security threats.
This service provides continuous monitoring and reporting of both domain and personal credentials on the dark web.
Our security awareness training program improves your security posture by educating your employees to spot threats and respond effectively.
Another option that would work well for your business is using a company that offers device as a service. DaaS provides the physical equipment and software used in the business which are workstations, laptops, servers, firewalls, switches, etc. Combined with a managed services plan, you’ll get everything that managed IT services offers with the addition of new hardware, software, and support.
This service ensures that your business is always up-to-date with the newest software and hardware. The greatest benefit of device as a service is that you’ll avoid the heavy cost of new hardware and software when you need it.
Break-fix means you pay an agreed-upon hourly rate for a technician to “fix” a problem when something “breaks.” It’s a simple and straightforward way to pay for IT services but often doesn’t work in your favor and can lead you to pay more for basic services.
The break fix method would only be recommended if you already have an IT team and you need additional support for a problem that your current IT team does not have the expertise to resolve.
Under the break-fix model, the IT company responds to issues to fix something that is broken. There is no ongoing monitoring or documentation of the environment. The break-fix model does not supply ongoing maintenance and monitoring, which computer networks need to stay secure, stable and reliable.
Choosing the right IT option for your business can take time and is certainly not something you want to rush into. Take your time and do your research to find the best option to fit your needs. If you’re unsure of where to even begin – or need some help navigating the sometimes confusing world of IT support – give us a call. We would be glad to help you find the IT support you need.
Forty-three percent of attacks are aimed at SMBs, but only 14% are prepared to defend themselves (Accenture).
The average cost of a data breach in the United States is $8.64 million, which is the highest in the world, while the most expensive sector for data breach costs is the healthcare industry, with an average of $7.13 million (IBM).
More than 33 billion records will be stolen by cybercriminals by 2023, an increase of 175% from 2018.
40% of businesses will incorporate the anywhere operations model to accommodate the physical and digital experiences of both customers and employees (Techvera).
The three sectors with the biggest spending on cybersecurity are banking, manufacturing, and the central/federal government, accounting for 30% of overall spending (IDC).
The cost of cybercrime is predicted to hit $10.5 trillion by 2025, according to the latest version of the Cisco/Cybersecurity Ventures “2022 Cybersecurity Almanac.”.
It takes an average of 287 days for security teams to identify and contain a data breach, according to the “Cost of a Data Breach 2021” report released by IBM and Ponemon Institute.
The internal team was energized. With the Level 1 work off its plate, the team turned its attention to the work that fueled company growth and gave them job satisfaction.
We did a proof of concept that met every requirement that our customer might have. In fact, we saw a substantial improvement.
We did everything that we needed to do, financially speaking. We got our invoices out to customers, we deposited checks, all the things we needed to do to keep our business running, and our customers had no idea about the tragedy. It didn’t impact them at all.
“We believe our success is due to the strength of our team, the breadth of our services, our flexibility in responding to clients, and our focus on strategic support.”
