American small and medium-sized businesses spend nearly $700 billion a year on technology. Utilizing the power of technology is essential when trying to gain a competitive edge. The more software programs and apps you have in place, the higher the need for professional information technology support will become.
The biggest mistake you can make as a modern business owner is assuming you can maintain and repair the technology currently in place. While you may be able to handle some of the technology problems, handling serious and potentially harmful tech issues will be nearly impossible. Instead of letting your business suffer as a result of your stubbornness, you need to develop an IT sourcing strategy. You may need assistance from a seasoned expert if you don’t know how to institute policies. Many businesses in USA or UK take IT support a priority. For example, if your business is located in UK’s Birmingham, you could contact IT support in Birmingham for more guidance if you never set these policies up before.
Read below to find out more about the signs you will notice when it is time to hire professionals to help with IT support.
1. A Decline in Billable Hours
Billing clients for your time is the only way you will generate a steady source of income. When first starting your business, maximizing your number of billable hours should be one of your main concerns. If you are noticing a decline in billable hours due to time being wasted on technology troubleshooting and repairs, seeking out the help of IT professionals is crucial.
Some business owners think that doing this work on their own will help them save money. In reality, you will lose money due to the number of hours you have to invest in repairing and maintaining tech tools. This is why working with an experienced IT support company is so important.
2. You Are Constantly Losing Battles With Computer Viruses
Transmitting and storing sensitive information is something most modern business owners are quite familiar with. Keeping your network safe and functional is a lot harder than it may seem. Being hit with a virus can lead to your network crashing and in a lot of sensitive information being compromised.
If it seems like your network is always down or slow due to viruses and malware, now is the time to take action. The longer you wait to get professional help with this problem, the more damage you will ultimately suffer due to your network and your company’s reputation. An IT professional can remove a virus and put safeguards in place to keep hackers at bay in the future.
3. Employees are Complaining About Slow Computing Speeds
The cornerstone of any successful business is keeping productivity levels high. Are you starting to get complaints from your team regarding the overall speed of your network? Instead of ignoring these issues, you need to meet them head-on to ensure your team has the tools it needs to perform at the highest level.
If your network is currently running at slow speeds, working with an IT specialist to figure out why is vital. An IT company will be able to run tests and diagnose these problems in a timely manner. Once these problems are diagnosed, you can get the comprehensive solutions needed to address this problem for good.
4. Outdated Technology is Never a Good Thing
Do you still have a large server room in your workspace? If you answered yes, considering the benefits of switching to a cloud-based server is imperative.
Using outdated onsite servers will not only cost you lots of money, but it can also compromise the security of the sensitive information on the network. With the help and guidance of an IT professional, getting a new cloud-based system in place will be a breeze.
Take Your Business Into the 21st Century
Updating and improving the technology you have in place is essential when trying to have continued success. Hiring an IT professional to help with these changes is a must.