IT is vital in every company, whether that’s in small businesses, expanding businesses or large businesses. It is especially important in this modern digital world where we are seeing companies having to adapt to new technology, IT systems and ways of doing things online.
Many businesses go years managing their own IT systems in-house. However, there often comes a point when business owners and employees start to question whether it’s time to hire an external IT provider.
In this blog, we’ve shared 5 tell-tale signs your business needs IT support. If you find yourself nodding along and agreeing to most of these, then perhaps it’s time to find yourself an IT support provider for your business.
5 signs your business needs an IT support provider:
1. The effectiveness of your workforce has decreased
Is your business running smoothly or is downtime caused by your IT having a significant impact on your team’s efficiency?
It’s very easy to underestimate the impact IT issues can have on staff productivity. Whether that’s an IT issue impacting your staff’s ability to log on to your system, problems with your internet provider, or issues with your emails hindering internal communication between the team, there’s no doubt that each IT problem hinders the day-to-day running of your business.
Whilst you might think that dealing with your IT internally may save money for your business, when IT problems impact your employees’ ability to work properly, getting fast, proactive and expert help with your IT support services is a no brainer.
2. Your staff are growing tired of the IT systems your business has
Whether you’re a business owner or work within a small business, having IT issues is extremely annoying!
Having employees moan about slow computer systems may be a monthly occurrence or even a daily one for your business. Maybe your IT system is even impacting your staff’s ability to get that perfect work life balance because they’re working extra hours to compensate for an IT system that seems to be running at a snail’s pace.
Businesses that use outdated technology that’s slow and gets in the way of employees working to their full potential, can lead to unhappy staff and therefore, not very happy customers!
If your business has outdated technology or slow IT that’s causing annoyance within your team, a local IT support provider will be able to advise you on the best solutions to help modernise your IT infrastructure.
3. Your business wants to be better prepared in case of security breaches
Security breaches impact many small UK businesses and can come in a variety of forms, such as cyber-attacks and data breaches.
Attacks by cyber criminals to businesses can lead to data loss, having information stolen and access to sensitive information. It’s paramount that businesses have the proper controls in place to help reduce the risk of a cyber-attack. The last thing your business wants is a security breach or even worse, to suffer numerous security breaches!
Having an IT support provider will help you be better prepared in case of any data breaches or cyber-attacks. For instance, our cyber security support service ensures businesses have up-to-date anti-virus software, email filtering and 2 factor authentication to keep your data safe.
4. You’re a growing business that needs a proper IT management and infrastructure in place
It’s an exciting time to be a small business that’s growing, but it’s key to think about your IT management and infrastructure. You shouldn’t be relying on memory sticks and hard drives to hold data, as this could definitely result in sensitive data being lost or compromised.
An IT services company can help determine the right cloud service for your business depending on size and requirement. With proactive IT support, they can make the transition to the cloud seamless and ensure your data is being regularly backed up to safeguard it in case of any calamities.
Using an external IT support specialist to utilise their cloud services to migrate you from outdated ways of working, means you’ll become a modern business that has a more secure IT infrastructure, giving you the capacity to grow.
Not sure what makes a good IT support service? Read up on our 7 signs of a good IT Support Solution to make sure you’re employing the right team for your business.
5. You need an external IT support company to take the pain of IT issues away
Every company suffers with a fair amount of IT problems, whether that’s fixing a wireless printer or having to deal with slow systems, software or technology.
But if trouble shooting IT problems becomes your domain, it can very easily interfere with the day-to-day running at work. Also, if IT isn’t your expertise, it probably ends up taking you twice the time to fix the problem than a quick call to an IT expert would.
Especially if you’re a growing business, taking the time now to invest in an IT support company, will mean you can focus on the important tasks and leave the IT stress to an expert!
If these 5 signs sound familiar to you… don’t stress!
The good news is that an IT support provider can help you with all of the above.
What can an IT support provider do for my business?
An IT support provider can help you and your team deal with any IT problems that arise by proactively resolving these issues in an efficient manner. A proactive, professional IT support team will be on hand to provide real-time support and act as an extension of your IT department whenever you need them.
Fundamentally, a technical support service will provide you with the expert knowledge to guide you and your business forward with your IT, so that you can focus on your business goals.
By outsourcing your IT services, you will find that:
1. Your staff’s efficiency will increase
2. Your staff will be happier! Happy staff = Happy clients
3. Your business will be equipped to deal with security breaches
4. Your company will have stronger IT management and infrastructure
5. You won’t have to deal with the stress of IT anymore
How Freestyle TS can provide support services for your business
At Freestyle TS, we provide local IT support services to small and medium sized businesses in an array of industries around Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire.
We have over 20 years’ experience in the industry and offer services such as IT support, cloud and virtual desktop support and cyber security. Our experienced team of technicians are on hand to provide personable and proactive support for your business and strive to be an extension of your company, leaving you more time to work on the important tasks!
