5 Ways Managed IT Services can Help During the Pandemic
Second or partial lockdowns are disrupting businesses again in many parts of the world, including Montreal. Companies may be forced to resume, or continue, remote working for longer than they may have expected.
Maintaining an effective IT infrastructure can be a real challenge for SMBs during this uncertain period, with employees scattered across multiple cities and countries. You can’t just email your in-house IT technician to fix a problem and get back on track within a couple of minutes anymore.
But there is a solution: managed IT services.
Below, we’ll explore five ways managed IT services can help your business during the pandemic, whether your team is working from the office or remotely.
Access an expert help desk offering personalized support
Sometimes, things go wrong. You or a member of your team may encounter a technical issue you simply cannot fix.
This might even be something small but requires a higher level of IT expertise to put right. For example, your desktop computer might start playing up and leave you unable to access critical files. That could interfere with your ability to deliver work on time and, ultimately, chase valuable clients away.
This is where expert help desk support comes into play.
One of the main benefits of the best help desk services is that they’re proactive. The provider will monitor your infrastructure constantly to identify any potential issues and start working to resolve them as soon as possible. You may not even need to contact the support team if they can fix the problem fast enough.
If your business is still operating from an office instead of remotely, proactive monitoring can be a huge advantage.
But even if your team is working from home, the best help desk support can still keep your business at its best with quick, professional assistance in any situation.
Take advantage of cloud computing for remote working
Cloud computing has become increasingly popular, with well over 70 percent of Canadian businesses moving to the cloud.
Working with an MSP (Managed Service Provider) to set up cloud computing for your small- or medium-sized business offers a number of benefits, whether your employees are in-house or not.
First and foremost, cloud computing empowers you with the flexibility to access all the tools you need at any place, at any time, provided you have an internet connection. This eliminates the frustration of installing software onto computers and any potential upgrades that may be required.
You know you can perform essential tasks using cloud-based platforms, and your employees’ processes will remain the same no matter where they are.
Secondly, cloud computing scales with you as your business continues to grow. You can increase the size of your online storage, the number of users requiring access, and more.
Another key benefit of cloud computing is paying for what you consume — every dollar counts.
Save money on downtime
IT issues can cost your SMB a lot of money. Downtime has cost more than one third of small and medium businesses customers, while 17 percent have lost revenue too.
But working with an MSP ensures your company will always have access to IT experts and solutions. That might mean a help desk walking you through a quick fix on your computer, keeping your inbox free of spam, preventing data loss, or one of the many other essential services.
Quality managed IT solutions help your business operate at its best round the clock. That translates to less risk of downtime, lost revenue, and disgruntled customers. Your company will have all it needs to keep clients satisfied and, hopefully, willing to refer others to you.
Get professional guidance on your IT choices
The pandemic has changed many things about running a business. But you still have goals to accomplish and decisions to make. And neither of those is easy at the best of times, let alone when you’re in uncharted territory.
Your hardware and software choices have a significant impact on your business’s processes. Equip your team with the wrong tools and they might just not have everything they need to fulfil their potential.
Fortunately, managed IT service providers can offer tailored recommendations and advice.
An experienced, reputable MSP will take the time to learn your business and identify the best solutions to aid your success. This ensures you’ll receive tailored guidance from experts, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach that could be a bad match for your unique requirements.
Secure cloud storage and backup for disaster recovery
Cloud storage is a fantastic solution for keeping essential documents/files secure 24/7. Whether your business is still based in the office or your team is remote, cloud storage eliminates the expenses and risks of local storage.
For example, if your employees are required to copy critical files to a USB drive and there’s no online back-up, any issues with that piece of hardware could be disastrous. Hours of hard work might vanish if that drive becomes damaged or goes missing. And that may lead to lost revenue, lost clients, and long-term reputational problems.
But cloud storage keeps your precious files secure online, so they’re always available — but only to the right people.
You can retain tight control over who can view and change files with ease. The server will be monitored and maintained for reliable performance.
In the event of a major problem with your infrastructure, cloud storage enables you to access all of your data without delay. So, if a virus leaves you unable to get into your computer and files, you know you can keep working from any other secure computer.
These five advantages demonstrate why managed IT services are so important for SMBs during the pandemic — and, frankly, at any other time.
GenX Solutions has more than 35 years’ experience delivering superior IT services to small- and medium-sized businesses across Canada with guaranteed response time across Canada and the US.
Want to know how our managed IT solutions can help your company right now? Contact our team to learn more!