Your business, like all businesses, relies on a lot of moving parts to function. That’s the reality. What isn’t the reality is that you have no control over whether these moving parts will break down, and that you have to just sit and wait for it to happen, reacting when it does.
Commerce has been fully embraced by the Internet, with online stores slowly phasing out many brick-and-mortar establishments. While you may not be in too much danger, depending on what you offer, you may also have the opportunity to leverage this trend in your favor. Below, we’ve outlined a few factors to help you decide if e-commerce is the right fit for you.
Technology is critical to the success of your business. You rely on it for productivity, efficiency, and security. Your organization can’t run as intended without constant access to important data and systems. If a business can’t afford to maintain and implement adequate technology solutions, they will often pay untrained employees to do what they can, but this comes with too many risks to be effective.
IT support is one of the most important parts of any modern business simply because it’s just not feasible to run a business without any form of technology at its core. For example, most businesses rely on email and other forms of communication, whereas stores might require access to a point-of-sale software to sell their wares. Either way, it’s critical to the success of most businesses, and where there’s technology, there is bound to be someone who needs to manage and maintain it.
Network security is more than just a conscientious attempt by your staff to protect your organization’s digital assets. It’s making sure that your employees know how to handle dangerous situations, implementing preventative IT measures to eliminate potential issues entirely, and having the right technology experts on-hand to handle tough problems that can’t be solved by a few pieces of technology.
When you are looking for help with your IT maintenance, would you rather experience downtime and frustration, or would you rather not? While the right answer to this question is clear, many organizations still rely on antiquated break-fix IT support that holds them back from achieving greatness. What are the differences between traditional break-fix IT support and a managed service provider?
Let’s take a focused look at a certain issue, as well as how both break-fix IT and managed IT services approach it.
Break-Fix IT
A break-fix IT strategy focused on being more reactive than proactive. Basically, you only maintain your systems when they are already experiencing problems. This generally includes a technician arriving on-site to resolve the issue. Unfortunately, this method of maintaining your business’s technology isn’t sustainable, and you’ll soon realize that the downtime suffered from such a practice could be crippling in the long run.
Technology helps your business move at incredibly high speeds. Without it, you’ll be forced to slog through the mud when even a single part of your hardware infrastructure breaks down. If the hardware is required by your employees to perform their duties, you could wind up with not just a single employee being incapable of working, but multiple workers, all of whom are wasting time and money.
You have to take into account numerous factors when determining the true cost of break-fix IT services. The travel time to the office, the time spent by the technician on-site, how many employees aren’t capable of working, and the expense of purchasing new hardware. Furthermore, if they aren’t able to make the repairs with the parts they have on-hand, you’ll have to wait until the parts are ordered and delivered, further increasing just about all aspects of break-fix IT. The end result is your organization being unable to perform as intended for at least some duration of time, which also decreased profit and cash flow. Simply put, the more economical choice is managed IT services.
Managed IT Services
Just like break-fix IT, there’s a certain history to managed IT services. This development came about as a result of the shortcomings of break-fix IT--rather than waiting for problems to occur so they could be resolved, someone out there thought it would be better to prevent the problems from happening in the first place, therefore eliminating the need for them to be resolved. At its most optimal, managed IT proactively monitors your network to resolve minor issues before they can cause operational problems.
This leads to a predictable monthly rate to cover any issues that crop up remotely, which keeps your business from suffering due to downtime. Since most problems can be resolved remotely, it’s likely that you won’t even notice the problems in the first place, since they can be detected and resolved so quickly. Compared to the sporadic and volatile price range for break-fix IT, a monthly payment that covers your service level agreement is a much more appealing (and manageable) investment.
To learn more about managed IT services, reach out to PCSOFT at 02 98730080.
It’s inevitable that your organization will face some hard decisions, but no choice is as painful as pulling the plug on the one thing that you’ve dumped your heart and soul into; your business. There is a plethora of problems that could cause a business to consider shutting its doors, but often there is a solution. If technology-related costs and downtime are your main problems, managed IT services can help.
Workstations that don’t work properly can get in the way of even the most diligent of workers. If the IT department is too busy to give them immediate assistance, where can your employees turn to? If your organization has a help desk solution, workers have a great way to get the assistance they need without having to wait.
It’s not unheard of for organizations to experience immense technological trouble that brings future potential problems into question. Surprises like these can spell trouble for businesses that are unprepared, especially considering the major damage it could cause to your budget. This forces you to ask yourself if you know what your current plan for IT covers, and what you want your provider to do to eliminate unexpected billing surprises.
Technology grows at an incredible rate, and businesses need to take advantage of new features to get ahead of their competition. But is simply adopting new technology enough to get ahead? After all, new technology solutions mean nothing if your end-users don’t know how to use them.
This reasoning is actually more simple than you might think; since your end-users are the ones that are actually using new solutions, you want them to understand how they work and why they help your business as a whole. So, the first step to using your new technology solutions is to understand how you can make it easier for your end-users to use them. Keep your end-users first, and great technology second.
You’d be surprised by how many companies implement new IT solutions, only to see a decrease in productivity: InfoWorld claims that this is due to two reasons: 1) Lack of training, and 2) A reluctance to change habits or behaviors. Therefore, when your organization implements new office productivity suite technology, or new operating systems like Windows 10, you need to work with your users to accept the changes, and to educate them on how best to use it to their advantage.
In most cases, end-users will only care about one thing: functionality. They don’t particularly care about the technical specifications of a solution, and you can’t expect them to. As long as it works, they’ll want to use it. If you want to get the most out of your new IT solutions, it makes sense to educate your end-users on the benefits they offer, and to provide the training necessary for them to be competent in using them. Doing so can cut down on resistance to your new solutions, and can make it easier to maximize productivity right off the bat.
InfoWorld states: “You might stagger the rollouts so the disruption is spread out. Rolling out a series of smaller changes takes more time, but it also lets users get more comfortable with the changes, reducing the disruption to their work. It might even let some users get deep into new capabilities and share their excitement with colleagues, who won't be so overwhelmed with changes that they can't focus on the benefits.”
Basically, you want to ensure that your new IT solution isn’t just a successful technical deployment; you want to guarantee that it works well with your end-users. This is the essence of a successful solution deployment, and one which businesses often forget about. When your end-users are the ones using your technology solutions on a daily basis, but aren’t sure how to use it or reap the many benefits that they provide, your business will suffer. If it’s not providing an immediate return on investment, then why are you wasting valuable time and resources implementing it?
If your business needs to get the most out of its new IT solutions, PCSOFT can provide the training and consultation required to maximize your return on investment.
It’s natural for a business owner to expect great things from their IT network. The problem is that technology is unpredictable, and these expectations can be shattered by faulty hardware, software hiccups, and other pains in the neck. Here are three ways that outsourcing your IT can not only meet your expectations, but exceed them as well.
IT Maintenance
Often times, IT administrators will have goals of improving the performance of their organization’s network and infrastructure, but routine IT maintenance continuously gets in the way. Without external intervention, it becomes difficult to break this endless cycle of maintenance. If your IT department is stretched too thin, their work suffers, fatigue sets in, and morale takes a nosedive.
The Solution
Co-managed IT services from PCSOFT are a great way to relieve undesirable pressure on your IT administrator. We can handle the routine maintenance that keeps them held captive throughout the workday, so they can continue innovating unhindered. We can accomplish all of this remotely and behind the scenes, allowing your staff to stay productive and do their jobs in an efficient manner. Let them be the rockstars you know they can be.
IT Budget
If money is tight within your organization, it can be difficult to implement new solutions. Those in charge of overseeing technology find their tasks practically impossible when there’s just no revenue available in the budget. After all, your technicians have hands-on skills with technology solutions, not managing money.
The Solution
The managed IT approach that PCSOFT practices is designed to help businesses just like yours free up money in their budgets. IT expenses aren’t normally categorized as an operating expense, but thanks to our managed IT services, they can be. This means that your business can save even more money, since you no longer have to qualify your IT maintenance as a capital expense. As a result, your business will have more leeway when it comes to your IT budget, allowing your technicians to more effectively meet your business’s needs.
Security Breaches
A security breach, like a virus infection or any other hacking attack, can stop your IT in its tracks. Security breaches are notorious for happening at the worst possible time, like when you’re in the middle of making progress on a crucial IT initiative. Anyone who has fallen victim to a data breach understands that they can be both dangerous for users and costly for businesses.
The Solution
PCSOFT can provide your business with security solutions that are designed to protect your data from any and all threats. Even if you have an internal IT department, you could benefit from the extra oversight and expertise. With our remote monitoring and maintenance solution, we can keep an eye out for any inconsistencies in your company’s network. This is the easiest way to catch issues like viruses or malware before they become major problems.
If your organization could benefit from extra pairs of eyes and hands on your IT, we can help. To learn more, give us a call at 02 98730080.
Outsourcing your IT management is a particularly great way to handle your business’s technology, simply due to the fact that it eliminates the need for your business to deal with all of the frustrations that come with it. There are many benefits and possibilities that your business can take advantage of, allowing your business to fully leverage and manage its technology.
The Benefits
The most notable benefit that businesses can take advantage of by outsourcing their IT management is to save time and frustration related to technology management. Professional technicians, like those at PCSOFT, have experience working with and maintaining technology solutions of all kinds, and we have a thorough understanding of how to implement budget-friendly technology that can improve your business’ operations. You’ll be able to set your mind at ease, knowing that your technology is being handled by qualified professionals who excel at their craft.
Another great benefit that outsourced IT providers is a significant reduction of overall costs in the long run. New technology solutions and services can be costly if paid for up-front, but by outsourcing your IT to a managed service provider, you turn these IT costs into monthly expenses that are easy to fit into any budget. This means that you can turn capital expenses into operating expenses, allowing for further savings and greater budgeting flexibility.
The Possibilities
Outsourced IT has the power to transform just about any part of an IT infrastructure into a service offering, which help to remove the pain of technology management from your in-house team. Furthermore, all of these services allow for immediate cost savings. If your business is in charge of managing its own technology, chances are that you’re, at the very least, strapped for time and resources. Outsourcing services like server hosting, data backup and disaster recovery, email hosting, and cloud services, allows your business to remain competitive and flexible.
The limitations your business may have faced before with break-fix IT can be completely left behind. Technology that’s constantly breaking down on you does nothing but signal that there’s an easier way of doing things. If your systems are constantly failing, it could lead to immense costs that break your budget. PCSOFT’s outsourced IT solutions are designed to prevent issues from becoming bigger problems, and to improve the longevity of your technology through extensive monitoring and maintenance.
If your business is ready to improve operations, departing from the traditional break-fix IT model is a great first step. PCSOFT can help your business do so with outsourced proactive IT solutions. Our services are designed to improve operations and increase your business’s bottom line. To learn more, contact PCSOFT at 02 98730080.
We are capable of managing your business’s entire IT infrastructure, including workstations, servers, cloud infrastructures, network security, data backup and disaster recovery, and so much more. You can be sure that most enterprises utilize these technologies to get the upper hand on their competition, but the typical SMB has a unique obstacle to overcome; they don’t ordinarily have a budget that allows for the hiring of multiple talented IT professionals, or they can’t afford to implement these solutions because they’re too expensive. Managed service providers want to bring these solutions to small businesses at a reasonable price, eliminating the expensive overhead costs of implementing powerful new solutions.
There are several benefits your business can achieve from taking advantage of managed service offerings, but the two that are extremely important are: 1) Proficient, hands-off technology management, and 2) Cost-effective technology solutions.
Outsourced IT Eases Your Workload
At first glance, outsourcing your IT might appear counter-productive, since your IT won’t be in-house. However, consider the benefits that having an entirely outsourced IT department offers. Since their sole responsibility is the maintenance and management of your technology, your team won’t have to take precious moments out of their days to resolve problems. Furthermore, you can guarantee that the required maintenance is performed at regular intervals, rather than relying on your team to make sure your machines are updated and maintained.
By giving this responsibility to PCSOFT, your team can save countless hours that might be spent ironing out technology issues. Our skilled professionals are more than qualified to ensure your technology functions as intended. Since your team won’t have to worry about technology issues, they can work as hard as they need to without the crutch of working around unexpected tech problems. They can instead use their time on new, more profitable initiatives.
Outsourced IT is More Cost-Effective
The latest technology solutions can come with expensive up-front costs, especially for an SMB. The enterprise generally doesn’t have a problem with these expenses, due to their IT budget being significantly larger than a small business. Therefore, the SMB finds itself in a conundrum where it needs new technology, but its budget will be put in jeopardy if it acts on these needs. For example, an unpredictable hardware failure could force you into replacing it with new hardware that will probably break your budget. This is a problem that your business shouldn’t need to worry about.
Therefore, it’s our duty as a managed service provider to offer affordable services that are in-line with your business’s specific needs. PCSOFT can help your business take advantage of monthly rates, reducing the pain of purchasing new technology. Basically, you can turn the maintenance, management, and procurement of your business technology from a capital expense into an operational expense, freeing up your budget for more profitable initiatives.
For more information about our managed IT services, give PCSOFT a call at 02 98730080.
What Are the Consequences of Software Piracy?
Believe it or not, software piracy happens way more often than you might think in the professional environment. This is primarily due to the high up-front costs associated with purchasing mission-critical software. Due to software being a digital product, it can easily be stolen, replicated, or altered, all for hackers to make some money off of someone else’s work. These same hackers might offer their pirated versions of software for discounted prices, and they often try to spread threats through networks with the infected software.
In other words, you don’t have to consciously be aware of the fact that you’re purchasing pirated or stolen copies of the software. While you might know better than to purchase software through an unknown party, do your employees know how dangerous this can be? A study performed by research firm IDC, the National University of Singapore, and Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit, states, “pirated software infected with malware was projected to cost enterprises $126.9 billion worldwide in 2014, $22 billion in North America alone.” This means that your employees, thinking only to increase their own productivity, could unintentionally put your budget at risk.
What Happens with Expired Software Licenses?
Some software licenses are extremely sensitive to expiration dates, and immediately become unusable when their time is up. While this might not seem like a big deal, what if this happens in the middle of the workday? Losing access to software like this could be the difference between missing an important deadline on a project and finishing it in a timely manner. In order to ensure maximum productivity and efficiency in the office, you need to ensure that you’re always conscious of when your software licenses must be renewed.
One way you can avoid this is by organizing all of your software licenses so that they need to be renewed either on or around the same date. This makes it much easier to remember to do so, considering you’re only remembering one date rather than several.
Whose Reputation is at Stake?
Naturally, it’s not just your business that has to worry about pirated software. If anything, it’s most detrimental to the software manufacturers. They’re not making money off of pirated copies, and users who are contracting viruses or malware infections might blame the manufacturer for their poor products. Besides this fact, using compromised or stolen software, even unintentionally, has dire consequences. According to CyberTrend, “Many employees in big companies believe that if they steal a program behind a firewall, they may never be found. But many developers have tracking systems that identify who their visitors are and what they’re viewing.” Thus, even if you’re unaware that a program is counterfeit or stolen, you can expect to be held liable for using it.
Reviewing and upgrading your software licenses is something that absolutely has to be done in order to optimize your workplace efficiency; yet, some businesses find it more difficult to accomplish this goal than it should be. Outsourcing this responsibility to PCSOFT can greatly increase your chances of avoiding a software licensing dilemma. Our professional IT technicians can procure software solutions for your organization, and remotely monitor and maintain them to ensure they’re working as intended. Give us a call at 02 98730080 to learn more.