Business IT Support. Does my business need it?

When your business first started out it is very likely that not much planning went into the setup of the IT equipment.  Often computers or other equipment that had been used for home purposes, or the purchase of a new computer or two were put to task running the relatively simple needs of the business. As the business grows the IT systems and requirements grow too.

At some point you may wonder if you need IT Support for your computers. You may have experienced a stressful IT disaster or there have been a few incidents which have caused downtime causing employees to be sat around unable to perform their job and customers have been let down.  There may not have been any issues but the needs of your business have grown and you are unsure of how to implement a network to enable effective file sharing between everyone.

IT Support is important whatever the size of your business. A skilled and experienced team who are passionate about IT is always an advantage to any business.

There will be faster fault resolution if your business is working with a company which takes the time to get to know your IT system and monitors the issues and faults which regularly occur.

IT Support for the small business

If you have a small business there may not be enough day to day tasks to justify employing someone. Even if you have a few computers and a network, enough to keep a part time person occupied, you would then be relying on the experience and knowledge of a single person. A wide range of skills are required to successfully manage a computer network, often spanning multiple disciplines.

Working with an IT support company means that you can have a team of highly skilled technical resources dedicated to keeping your systems running smoothly for a lot less cost than employing a single person and you get peace of mind that your computers and networks are being looked after in a professional manner.

IT Support for the medium or enterprise business

Larger businesses will often have IT resources employed to look after the day to day running of the network.  Working alongside an IT support company can still be extremely useful for a business which has an IT support team.

There could be a requirement to resolve short term capacity issues. This could be due to staff leave or sickness meaning the team has less capacity to resolve IT issues than normal.

Alternatively there could be a requirement to increase the capacity over a short period due to a new system installation, or a system upgrade.  Working with an IT Support company is a great alternative to sourcing IT contractors as your systems and the way you do business will be known to the IT Support Team.

IT Support for any size business

A scenario which is useful for any size business is when the technical knowledge in a specific technical area is required.  For example a technical support person might be extremely knowledgeable about the software you use and the hardware in use, however they may not know anything about how to set up an architecturally sound network.

Less Downtime

A high standard of record keeping is essential to the smooth running of any IT System. Being able to determine which settings are in place, for example to setup an email account can make the difference between getting someone up and running in a few minutes or a few days.

Records of previous faults are essential. This will enable patterns to be identified easily. This will then lead to fixes being put in place so the faults are less likely to occur, or suggestions for a plan of action to resolve the underlying issue. All of this means less downtime in the long run.

Less downtime to a business is essential. There is a much bigger cost when a computer system fails than just the cost of getting the computer or network back up and running. There is the cost of staff inefficiency. Hopefully there will be plans in place for when a system is down so that the business can still continue, such as recording information on paper for entry later, or working from another location. There is extra manpower involved in this which all costs your business money.

IT Support is not just about fixing problems when an issue occurs. A good IT support company always be keen to make the whole system more effective and reliable by ensure the IT architecture is sound.

Many IT Support providers offer free advice to customers. If you are looking to purchase new hardware, software, are looking to improve the efficiency of your system or install a new system it is essential to speak to someone who understands your business and your existing IT setup.

TeamK have worked with small, medium and enterprise businesses in Devon to resolve technical issues and improve IT systems. If you are interested in technology working for you, not against you, drop us an email today.