Tag

This post by guest blogger Erica Bell was originally published on Tech Republic.

Takeaway: Because the first year of a new business tends to be the “make it or break it” moment, small businesses can benefit from hiring an IT consulting firm for a number of reasons.

Running a small business often means time and budget are tight. You probably don’t want to spend hours filtering through online resources to find the best methods or solutions. Because the first year of a new business tends to be the “make it or break it” moment, sitting down with someone who understands IT can help you avoid startup pitfalls and technical glitches that can hinder your company’s growth. Small businesses can benefit from hiring an IT consulting firm for a number of reasons.

Buying help

When you hire an IT consultant, you can gain insight into which servers, programs and other hardware can meet your needs and your budget according to your business plans. Without spending time on IT purchasing decisions, you’ll be able to focus more on the core of your work.

• IT consultants with experience know the best methods that will help you meet your goals.
• IT consultants can advise you on purchasing decisions so you don’t overspend or get a product that won’t accomplish what you had in mind.
• Better, faster and cheaper solutions with proven success will save you time and money.
• IT service providers stay up to date on the latest in tech and understand which products are not worth the cost.

Access to a team

Hiring a single IT employee may seem to be the best idea, but hiring a consulting firm provides more support and information than one individual can. You also won’t have to worry about benefits, salary or training that come from the employment of an in-house IT specialist.

• You’ll have access to a team of specialists that can provide support on the latest and greatest in IT without additional training on your end.
• When hiring an IT consulting firm, you get a flexibility that doesn’t come with an individual. On-demand support is a bonus when unplanned events occur.
• Through a partnership with a well-established IT consultant, businesses can have the benefits of priority (and sometimes discounted) access to various technology vendors.

Increased productivity

If you hire an IT consultant, you and your employees can spend less time worrying about the office network and more time getting the job done.

• Effectively planned and executed technology can ensure your company faces less downtime and fewer glitches.
• Gain peace of mind knowing that whatever problems you face, you have an IT support system that can provide insight and solutions.
• Because you won’t be the one focused on making sure everything tech at your business is running smoothly, even if a hiccup does occur, you can continue focusing on what’s most valuable: growing your business.

As a company expands, bringing in an IT team may be the best route. Or, you may want to stick with the methods you’ve been using. Small businesses can benefit from hiring an IT consultant, but it’s truly up to you to determine if this is the route you want to take.

Erica Bell is a small business writer who focuses on topics such as technology and social media trends. She is a web content writer for Business.com.

Many small and medium-sized businesses have an in-house IT expert that manages all their technology for them. But what happens if your expert up and quits?

It could prove more than a minor inconvenience. It could be a major ordeal. As a business owner, it’s important to know how and where your network information is stored. If you’re wondering where to start, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you have written documentation about your network? Do you know what software licenses you own? How about hardware? What are the critical administrator passwords to your devices and systems? Do you use cloud vendors for online storage or email? Depending on a single IT person to keep this information under his full control is foolhardy and could lead to serious consequences for your business. You should have access to this information and know where it’s kept.

• Do you know where your backup files are stored? Do you even know if they’re being stored properly? I know you’re busy with your day to day business and probably think you don’t have time to worry about this. But what happens if your IT expert splits? You could be in a lot of trouble. Bad things do happen to good computers, and users make errors.

• Do you have a disaster recovery plan? Databases fry, servers crash, and hackers happen. If you don’t have a working plan for restoring your data, your business could be at serious risk. Even if you data is being backed up, how often is it being restored and tested?

• Do you know where your software is stored? Organizing and storing your software in a secure place can save you time and money should something happen to your network.

• Do you know what routine maintenance your network requires? It may sound overwhelming to keep up on the state of your servers and workstations, but you should have a general idea of network needs. After all, if your in-house expert leaves, who will take over?

 
If you answered “no” to any of these questions, it’s time to get the answers. The welfare of your business is too important to depend on one in-house IT expert, no matter how good that person is. Make a point to learn your network essentials today. If you need help sorting it all out, email or call us now at 502-694-9446.