Information technology is constantly growing and getting increasingly complex. The question is, what does this mean for your business?
Information technology is constantly growing and getting increasingly complex. The question is, what does this mean for your business?
In short, it means that you need a managed services provider that can deal with all that complexity to give you the technology solutions that benefit your company rather than detract from it. Here are some things to consider when you’re deciding who to call on for your I.T. needs.
One Computer Tech Guy Can’t Handle All the Specialties
There was a time when one tech guy could handle all your technology. Each aspect of your computer systems was relatively simple and straightforward. You just needed someone who knew how to use technology well enough to manage the basics of each thing.
Back then, one entry-level computer tech could do just about anything. On any given day they might work on cabling, work on a computer, work on a server, help develop an application, or build a website. They could do that because none of those services were very complex.
Those days are in the distant past. Now, each of those areas and more have become so specialized that no one person can understand and work with them all.
To be proficient in one, or at most two, of these aspects of I.T. takes all the time, experience, and commitment one person can give. In fact, if someone tells you they can manage all those tasks alone, they’re either lying to you or to themselves. They’ll convince you they have everything under control just to protect their jobs, ignoring what it will do to your company.
You Have to Ask the Tough Questions
As a business leader, chances are you already know that the only way to face your challenges and grow is to ask tough questions. Only when you know the answers can you deal appropriately with these matters. The same is true of your technology issues.
You have to ask tough questions like:
By avoiding these questions, you fail to find solutions to your current problems or to prepare for future opportunities. So, you need to find the confidence to ask the questions.
Meanwhile, your I.T. person is running around putting out fires and has neither the time nor the ability to help you find the answers.
An MSP with a broad base of expertise in all aspects of your technology considers maintaining and expanding that expertise to be a vital component of their job. They have a team with experts in each system and function of your I.T. systems, and they make time to answer your questions and provide workable solutions. They also have the resources to continue investing in developing their knowledge. Technicians will keep gaining new certifications, and the MSP will invest in continuous research to stay on top of changes in current technology as well as breakthroughs in methods and tools.
What Will It Take to Get Out of a Bad Spot?
If you don’t ask the right questions and don’t demand practical solutions, you eventually may find you’re I.T. in a crisis. You may suddenly learn that you need to revamp your entire computer system, you may be in trouble with compliance issues, and you may have to spend a lot of money to get back on track.
You can always call in a full-service MSP at that point, but isn’t it better to get ahead of the game and avoid the shock of unexpected problems and expenses?
When You Go Cheap, You Get Cheap Results
You can’t expect to get high-quality I.T. services when the only thing you think about is getting the cheapest. The truth is that when you pay for cheap services, you get cheap results.
Just consider what happened to one healthcare company that decided to go with the cheapest I.T. provider. Things seemed to be going fine for this healthcare company. Little did they know that their security software, monitoring, and procedures were inadequate for the sensitive data they were storing. Out of the blue, they had a security breach, and not a small one. They lost over seven years’ worth of data in that one breach. Suddenly, they were battling lawsuits and scrambling for solutions. That was when they realized the true cost and benefit of expert I.T. management.
What Will Be Your Company’s Defining Moment?
Every company has at least one defining moment. Your defining moment is that moment that typifies what you are and impacts what you will become from that point onward.Some defining moments are extremely negative. Will you be the company that is careless with your clients’ data? Will you be the company that chooses cheap over effective and efficient technology solutions? Will you stay stuck in the past and fail to carry your business through to the next phase?
Defining moments can also be very positive. Maybe your defining moment will be when you offer a new solution to your clients. Maybe it will be a time when you become known for how well you protect their data while other companies are failing to do so. Perhaps it will be when your company increases its revenues dramatically each year by taking full advantage of today’s advanced technology solutions.
So, the question remains… What will be your defining moment?
Are you banking on an I.T. solution built to simply get you through the short term, doing nothing more than fixing today’s problems? Or are you looking for partners that will help you build for the future, take control of your company’s destiny, and achieve amazing success?
Learn more about how the growing complexity of technology can impact, protect, and improve your business with knowledgeable I.T. experts by your side. You can call us at 844-44-JMARK, email us at [email protected], or use our Contact Us page to get in touch. JMARK is a managed services provider with locations in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, with teams of I.T. experts ready to serve all your most complex I.T. needs.