Managed IT Services – A Critical Need for Smaller Businesses
Being a small business doesn’t protect you from the same IT issues experienced by larger companies. Small businesses with no more than 250 employees may have more limited resources, but the potential gains with optimized IT operations can be more critical to their ability to succeed. With increasing competition between brick-and-mortar stores and online enterprises, not having sufficient and qualified IT services can put a small business in a precarious position to survive during these unprecedented and ever-changing times.
Small businesses have the same concerns over security and privacy as their larger counterparts. Like many aspects of a smaller business, improving your IT and digital operations requires tools and resources that may be in limited supply. There are significant challenges to integrating IT into daily operations.
A recent small business survey commissioned by Google and conducted by Deloitte reports that 80% of small businesses are not taking full advantage of digital tools that could significantly improve employee collaboration and increase revenue. Digital tools can range from cloud-based file sharing applications to CRM platforms. These tools give companies the ability to effectively communicate with customers, gain insight into customer preferences, and build lasting relationships. In “Connected Small Businesses in the United States,” a Deloitte analysis determined that small businesses with a more advanced digital presence see greater revenue growth and a higher per-employee rate of revenue return than their peers with a lower level of digital engagement.
“Very helpful Managed Services / IT company that is great for any small to medium business. Their staff is kind, knowledgeable and always prepared.”
Managed IT Services For Bristol, RI Organizations
The Deloitte study indicated that many small businesses “believe that digital engagement is associated with happier employees.” In fact, 69% of digitally advanced small businesses indicated that having access to digital tools improves employee satisfaction. Organizational benefits for increased integration of digital use include more collaboration among employees, which can improve innovation and productivity. Technology can be intimidating, especially as options and functionality are in a constant state of growth and change. However, many of those same small business owners are regular users of personal technology, so this isn’t a case of technology fear. If getting a small business’s digital presence in order is so important, why are 80% of them not doing it?
As any small business owner will tell you, the answer is both time and expertise. A proactive IT department that can build a successful technology operation may take significant time, expertise, and resources. For most small businesses, particularly those that are not technology companies, accessing the right personnel and keeping up with training is an expensive and daunting enterprise. A company’s digital needs aren’t necessarily proportionate between an employer of twenty and one with an employee base of 200. All small business owners need to allocate limited resources carefully. This is where managed IT services in Bristol can assist small businesses with IT experts that can handle day-to-day operations and maintain readiness in a variety of IT functions.
Managed IT Services Provide Expertise In Key Areas
Employee Collaboration, Communication, and Task Management
File sharing tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Lync can unclutter email inboxes and allow for the simultaneous gathering of edits and feedback. Employees can spend less time looking for important documents and files and more time addressing company needs. Interacting applications like Outlook Teams or Zoom give remote or workplace employees a way to meet, share screens, or chat individually while maintaining necessary social distancing. Project management applications like Trello give employees clearer task lists and supervisors better tracking of many projects at once. Your options shouldn’t be limited by how knowledgeable you are in the choices available. With managed IT services, finding the perfect solution, and protecting and training your employees can be accomplished with the ongoing involvement of our IT professionals.
Planning for the Unexpected
For any business that has a website or CRM programs, safeguarding your files and data is necessary. Multiple backup locations provide redundancy and peace of mind for business owners. Just like purchasing insurance, having knowledgeable IT services is pivotal to providing your customers with uninterrupted service. Knowing how frequently to require backups and how long to keep that data can be tailored to each business’s needs. Timely responsiveness in a time of crisis or change will project stability and security to your customers at a time when it is critical.
Security
There are armies of hackers who seek to disrupt businesses. Sometimes it’s for money, or just to prove they can penetrate a vulnerable business. Having IT services who understand their tactics and how to counter them will protect your company and its valuable data and systems. Our managed IT services not only bring our expertise to bear in the important area of cybersecurity, but we can also train your employees on recognizing threats to your technology infrastructure as they go about their daily tasks. Having the right IT services partner is vital to maintain constant vigilance on your technology network.
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