An external IT services company may be exactly what small and growing businesses need: Here’s why.
Partnering with an external IT services companies brings plenty of benefits, especially for small and mid-sized companies that are grappling with the data challenges of an evolving world: The problem is that many businesses don’t realize that. They are acquainted with web hosting and similar simple services, but they have trouble understanding the benefits of a more complex IT services and consulting firm. If you’re having trouble convincing someone in your company to use outside services, here are some of the top advantages.
1. Understanding the Needs of Your Business from an IT Perspective
Forming an IT plan can be hard when you don’t have much experience with the IT systems that you want: That seems like an easy concept, but many growing companies struggle with accepting it. They think that they can come up with the ideal IT plan alone, and that’s a dangerous prospect. Leaders may know the most about their company, but why not join forces with someone who knows more about IT? Data and consultant companies often have years of experience in helping growing business: They usually know what companies need better than the companies themselves, and can prevent leaders from making dangerous assumptions about what the business needs.
2. Greatly Decreased Time Until End of Rollout
Do you dread those planning and rollout processes that take the better part of a year and still have problems afterward? To greatly speed up the process, contract with an external IT and set a new, much better deadline. IT service companies are skilled at taking the most time-consuming steps and finding quick solutions, especially when it comes to building plans and checklists to keep everything flowing smoothly.
3. Knowledge of Threat Trends and Vulnerabilities
Ideally, all businesses should keep track of data attacks and discovered vulnerabilities in computer and mobile systems. But that’s asking a lot, especially for younger businesses that aren’t sure where to begin and don’t really have the resources to invest in a full IT team. One of the increasingly popular advantages of partnering with an outside IT specialist company is that it is their job to keep track of these threats. They know what companies around the world are dealing with. They know what newest vulnerabilities are being exploited. They also know what patches and steps are necessary to keep business data protected. Frequently, data attacks are caused by a lack of awareness. Part of the “IT services” offered by these external companies is that necessary awareness and the solutions that come with it.
4. Experience in Making Deals and Finding the Right Pricing Packages
Finding the right vendors can prove extremely challenging, especially for companies that think they know what they are doing, but really don’t. Consultants and services companies, on the other hand, deal with vendors by the bucketload. They know which vendors update their security regularly, and which don’t. They know which overcharge, and which are too new to trust, and which are probably going to fail or be absorbed by another brand within the next year. They have access to all the valuable data necessary to choose the right vendors: Shouldn’t you take advantage of it?
5. Understanding Long-Term Reliability
The viability of data systems is a tricky subject, one closely connected with the knowledge of many different platforms and general brand evolution. Should you adopt that new service now, or wait for a few updates first? Is this platform ideal for my industry, or should I start making plans to switch before it’s too late? Is that app going to stay useful, or be overtaken by better competitors in a couple years? That’s knowledge that companies can’t really learn without many, many years implementing and switching data solutions. IT firms, however, are well-prepared to offer good advice on these subjects.
6. Knowing the Right Metrics to Measure
Don’t pick up data at random to make important decisions. Partner with an IT firm and find out exactly what metrics you should be measuring to ensure security, stability, and speed. Too much data can be overwhelming, too little data can fuel ignorance, but the right types of data can empower smart decisions.
7. Compliance Audits
Newer companies tend to walk a compliance tightrope as they learn about regulations and state/federal requirements for their data. If you need help managing compliance requirements, seek a company that can perform an external audit of your processes and finds out what’s up to code – and what needs to be updated. This is far, far preferable to getting hit with massive fines if something happens and your company is complying with proper regulations.
8. Risk Management
Do you need data insurance? How much do you need? Will customers be able to sue you? Who will be liable if you partner with vendors and consultants? These are important risk issues, and IT specialists have the answers that you need. Don’t be afraid to ask the honest, important questions when meeting with external IT service companies – that’s what they are there for! They can also help you save money by recommending the risk management services you actually need.
9. Downtime and Disaster Solutions
When the worst happens, you need to be prepared. IT services companies can recommend the best backup and protection services – and may be able to offer some of their own as well. They can also help you find a server setup and hosting services that guarantee minimal downtime. If something does shut down your data, you can get advice on how to progress until business operations are up again.
10. Flexibility and Scalability
What happens when your company needs to switch to a different platform or a different set of devices? What if your customer base is growing rapidly – are your services going to be able to keep up without performance issues? This is one of the best times to consult an outside company with experience in transitioning services over to versions with the right scalability.
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