Companies need their IT tools in tip-top shape to keep their operations running smoothly. Unfortunately, tech issues — ranging from jammed printers to full-scale cyberattacks — are inevitable. These can cause downtime that can cost your business thousands of dollars in lost productivity and potential sales.
As a proprietor of a construction firm, you may have difficulty knowing when your company’s IT system is falling behind. After all, you are a construction professional, not an IT expert. And with modern technology rapidly evolving, the technology you use today could easily become obsolete in a few years.
Today, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are increasingly reliant on technology. This is why you need a reliable managed IT services provider (MSP) at your side to maintain and optimize your IT systems for your business's needs. When searching for an MSP, consider the following six factors:
Read also: Ultimate guide to managed services
1. Expertise and industry recognition
Look for an MSP that has a team of IT professionals with up-to-date certifications and licenses under their belt.
Leveraging IT has enabled many companies to increase their efficiency and keep up with growing customer demands. However, over time, your IT resources may no longer be sufficient to meet your business's needs. For example, older office computers won't have the computing power needed to run newer and more powerful business applications.
Advancements in technology have changed the way accounting and financial firms conduct business. With the use of accounting software like Dynamics 365, for example, accountants no longer have to use paper ledgers, adding machines, and pencils. Accountants can even use mobile apps to process receipts, create expense claims, and reconcile records on the go.
As companies become increasingly reliant on IT, they must also be more strategic with their IT decisions. This means knowing which tech issues they should resolve first and when they should invest in new IT solutions, improvements, and upgrades. However, small- and medium-sized businesses like yours may have difficulty being more strategic since they cannot afford their own chief information officer.
“Professional services” is an umbrella term for economic activities that are defined by the sharing and/or lending of knowledge, expertise, and skills, as opposed to the manufacturing and selling of goods. Examples of professional services firms include medical practices, architecture firms, and advertising agencies, among others.
Consultants are subject matter experts that businesses turn to when their projects require specialists but no one among the staff can fulfill the role. IT consultants, in particular, focus on specific fields, such as business continuity planning, cloud services, and digital transformation strategies like virtualization.
Many companies in Charlotte, North Carolina, including yours, rely heavily on computers, smartphones, and other technologies to accomplish most tasks. So when IT issues arise, business operations are likely to get disrupted, which can result in lost sales and unhappy customers.
Back then, IT support was only sought after something went wrong or was not working as expected, and falling back to paper-based processes was easy. However, the increasing dependence on automated systems, digital databases, and other technologies make many businesses vulnerable to immense losses if they experience major IT issues such as downtime or cyberattacks.
