IT support for small business is what I do. I work as an IT expert and consultant, providing a full range of services covering everything from network security audits to fitting large server rooms with AC and Cat 5/6 network cabling. If I’ve learned anything during my years in the IT sector it is this: every company needs some level of IT support for business.
Small and medium-sized businesses can find themselves in the position of having to decide whether to handle all things IT in-house. Keeping IT entirely in-house may seem like the most effective way to do things, but seldom is it so. The only companies that can really get by without bringing in contracted IT support for small business are those that are actually in the IT business themselves.
Here are three reasons every company needs outside IT support
1. IT Problems Do Not Follow the Clock
I have answered my share of telephone calls from clients needing IT support after hours. The reality is that IT problems do not follow the clock. Small businesses cannot always expect systems to go down during normal office hours instead of on the weekend. And sometimes it seems like IT systems purposely wait until after hours to cause problems.
Handling IT completely in-house means hiring the staff to provide cover 24 hours a day. If staff volume is inadequate, that means requiring existing staff to work extra hours. Neither option is ideal.
2. Sometimes Remote Support Is Necessary
Having provided IT support for business for some time now, I have come to understand the need for remote support in the modern era. Businesses are no longer single-site locations where everything is in a neat, tidy package in the back office. Workers need support while in the field with their laptops. Executives need IT support during out-of-town meetings. At the end of the day, remote support is best provided by an outside IT specialist with the time, experience, and resources to provide it. Handling it in-house is more trouble than it’s worth.
3. Time Is Money
The third and most important reason every company needs IT support for business can be encapsulated in the well-known business axiom that says ‘time is money’. Whenever an IT problem rears its ugly head, someone has to deal with it. If that someone means an in-house staff of IT workers, those workers are pulled off their other projects in order to handle the emergency at hand. That equates to lost productivity.
The problem with this scenario is that the lost productivity costs money. Moreover, an IT issue that is severe enough may interfere with a company’s normal operations, thus costing even more. An outside IT specialist like me is available around-the-clock so that in-house staff do not have to be pulled away from normal duties.
Yes, every company needs IT support for business. If you’re handling all your IT needs in-house, I encourage you to rethink your strategy.
By Bob Lewis-Basson.
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