The Top Benefits of Small Business IT Support Services
Many small businesses mistakenly assume that they don’t need IT support. On the contrary, IT-related downtime may affect a small business the most, with up to $10,000 lost per hour. While a larger company may be able to absorb this loss, a small business may be forced to go out of business if they face more than 10 hours of downtime. If these system outages and breakdowns also resulted in data loss or a breach of customer information, the situation could be catastrophic.
If you’re a small business wondering about the benefits of IT support in Melbourne, read on to find out:
Decrease downtime
As mentioned above, downtime, no matter how short a time can result in a significant amount of losses. Now, with most business being conducted online, even half an hour of IT related downtime could lead to loss of revenue, frustrated customers and employees and loss of productivity, not to mention doing long-term damage to a company’s brand. While some forms of downtime are unavoidable (such as social media breakdowns, banking system failures and breakdowns in your third party provider’s systems), a small business IT support service can keep your systems from failing. In case of a breakdown, having a good team of experts on board to solve the problem can help you get back to business in no time, preventing further losses.
Save money
Wouldn’t hiring an IT support team result in spending more money, not less? Not when you consider how much money they save you! By keeping all your systems up-to-date, constantly monitoring all networks for threats and preventing said threats from damaging your network infrastructure, they actually help you save more money than you pay them. Moreover, outsourcing your IT services to an external provider as opposed to adding an IT professional to your payroll also saves you money.
More varied expertise
Imagine adding an IT professional to your payroll, and running into a problem that is out of the expertise of said individual. It could be disastrous for your company if they’re unable to solve the issue due to a lack of knowledge of the problem! On the other hand, a dedicated IT services provider will have a team of IT professionals with varied knowledge and expertise who can help solve the problem faster.
Greater security
By upgrading your systems and installing the right firewalls and security software, your IT service provider will help prevent data breaches and viruses. Loss of customer data can damage your brand reputation, resulting in revenue loss. Many small businesses are not aware of the right ways to protect confidential customer data, and an IT support team can help you make your networks tamper-proof.
After-hours help desk
The IT professional on your team will clock out and go home once his or her shift is over. What happens when you have an important presentation to present the next day and you are working overtime trying to get it all done in time and your computer crashes? Dedicated IT support providers work in rotating shifts so that there is always someone available to solve your predicament, even if it is after-hours. IN cases of emergency, a small business IT support team is always the best option.