For many small businesses, the need to outsource their IT can come quite far down on the priorities list. It is often seen as a cost and something that can be ‘saved’.
This is all well and good until something goes wrong… and wrong it can go!
Just imagine you lost all the files for a section of your business because they were stored on the laptop of an employee who got fired and took their laptop with them. Worse still, imagine that you did not realise that employee had access to all your company systems and was able to use your data to their advantage (or the advantage of your competitors…).
If we imagine another scenario where one of your computers was hacked or got a virus because you used a basic off the shelf virus protection that was not updated for a long time. Who knows what could be done with the data that was accessed or other information (such as bank account or credit card data).
If we have your attention now, then we certainly think you will want to read on as outsourcing your I.T is probably a lot cheaper than you think! Here are our four top signs that it may be time to think about out-sourcing.
- You realise that IT is critical to your business and you need someone to make sure it is managed professionally.
- You find yourself drawn into ‘fixing the printer’ on a regular basis.
- You or your team regularly experience downtime because of old, outdated IT infrastructure of systems.
- You have a free antivirus, no firewall to protect your machine, and cannot remember the last time you did a software update.
All these things are signs that you really need to investigate outsourcing your IT. Even if it is as simple as making sure you have the right virus protection and a backup of all your files, then it is time to pick up the phone.
In addition to this, if you are constantly spending time fixing those niggling issues that prevent your team from working efficiently, it would be well worth you looking into a remote IT support package. You may be surprised at how much time you would save to focus on your core business!