Benefits of Outsourcing IT Support

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Outsourcing IT support is a step towards having a more organized business. Letting trained professionals handle your IT questions can make daily work easier and allow for more time for important projects, expansions, and other business-related tasks, as well as minimizing interruptions of daily activities. Here are 4 reasons to outsource your IT support to maximize your business’s productivity:

outsourcing IT support
  • Prevention, not intervention. In-office IT support is likely there after the problem has already occurred, restoring normal activity. Outsourcing makes it easier to spot problems before they put a halt to your productivity, and can make preventing latent problems easier.
  • Improved response times. Outsourced help centers can increase the speed of resolution. Turning a face-to-face encounter into a brief phone call for simple fixes. Instead of waiting for the IT professional to come by, employees or managers can call the support center and receive the same level of expertise in less time.
  • Saved money on staffing. Because IT support centers are most likely located out-of-state, and even out of the country, the cost of receiving help is less. Hiring full-time IT technicians with benefits and other costs can drain a business instead of aiding in its growth. The support is there when it is needed, and no more.
  • Higher levels of security. By outsourcing IT needs, security standards are greatly improved. If a team of IT professionals within a company has access to sensitive information, it may be misused. External assistance is brought in on a need-to-know basis, protecting the company from internal damage.

Contact us at Bluwater Technologies for more information.

Do You Need A Managed Service Company? Find Out, Today!

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Do you need a managed service company? You may be doing reasonably well running your business’s own systems. You know something about computers, and the network isn’t very elaborate.

managed service company

Still, there are good reasons why a managed service company can better suit your business.

  • Your focus should be on running the business. There are lots of things you can do, but it makes sense to devote your effort to the important management tasks and delegate other responsibilities.
  • Your systems will run more reliably. A managed service doesn’t just respond to problems; it prevents them. Keeping software up to date will make your systems more reliable. Monitoring the network will detect sporadic problems before they become serious.
  • Regular offsite backup will keep your data safe. Loss of data due to hardware failure, user errors, or physical disasters can destroy a business. Reliable, well-managed offsite backup will allow quick recovery.
  • Security measures will stop data theft. Keeping computers safe from intrusions and malware is a difficult task. It requires paying attention to a lot of issues, including firewall configuration, account and password management, email filtering, and anti-malware software. Managed service companies keep up on the latest threats and countermeasures so that you won’t suffer data breaches.
  • If something goes wrong, you want to fix it quickly. A managed services company will address any problems promptly, minimizing the impact on your business.
  • When you need to upgrade your systems and software, you want expert advice. Your managed service provider can tell you what the best current technology is, and how to avoid ineffective or obsolescent products.

For a reasonable cost, a managed IT service company lets you devote your time to running your business and keeps your computer operations efficient, up to date, and safe. Bluwater Technologies provides managed services tailored to your business.

Please contact us for details.

Four Major Benefits of an MSP

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When so many of your business operations depend on computers and digital communications, high-quality IT services are essential for your company’s success. Hiring a managed service provider (MSP) to oversee critical IT functions can help your company grow and thrive.

What are Some of the Key Benefits of an MSP?

The services an MSP provides are flexible and can change with your business’s evolving needs.

Sometimes, MSPs serve as a well-run, outsourced IT department, managing a wide variety of IT functions and precluding your need to hire in-house IT staff. On other occasions, MSPs manage a smaller set of IT tasks or are hired for specific projects. If you already have in-house IT personnel, the MSP may work as their partners and share responsibilities with them.

They enhance your abilities to handle complex IT issues.

MSPs bring their support and expertise to bear on a range of areas, including cyber security, cloud computing, communications (e.g. email and VoIP), vendor management, network maintenance and monitoring, and data backups and restoration. Their round-the-clock management and support give you reliability of service, improved productivity, compliance with regulations, and stronger security.

They can provide you with a more proactive approach to IT services.

Rather than merely reacting to IT emergencies, your MSP works to anticipate and act on problematic issues before they develop into disasters. MSPs can also help you with IT planning, guiding you in IT-related decisions that best serve your company’s short-term and long-term needs.

They save you on various expenses.

When working with MSPs, you pay only for the services that you need, and often you can sign up for deals that include a bundle of essential services. Furthermore, with the reliable support and management you receive from MSPs, you minimize costly downtime and reduce the chances of suffering devastating IT disasters. By taking over different IT functions, MSPs also free up more of your time, so that you can focus on growing your business.

Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information about our managed services. Working with an MSP will give you reliable, high-quality IT services tailored to your business needs.

Computer Tips: The Right Anti-Virus Software for your Business

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It’s no surprise how important it is for businesses to keep their information secure. Regardless of your business size, you need to take the proper security measures to make sure your data isn’t compromised. Some companies like to invest in more expensive software protection, while others (such as small businesses) invest in cheaper software. Keep in mind that every business is different, and the security suitable for one establishment may end up being excessive for you and your company. With that said, what are some computer tips when choosing the right anti-virus software for your business?

For today’s computer tips, here are a few things to keep in mind.

As I briefly mentioned before, cost is an important factor when choosing the right anti-virus software for your business. It’s important to want your company protected, but don’t overdo it if you’re on a budget. This is especially true for those who own a small or medium-sized business. Larger companies typically can invest in more advanced security, since they usually have more resources available.

However, also check and see how well-known the security product is. Is it frequently used among other businesses? Does the product have a lot of reviews? If so, is the feedback positive? Believe it or not, not every anti-virus program can be trusted. In fact, some may be harmful programs in disguise. Always make sure the product you’re downloading can be trusted.

For more information, feel free to contact us today at Bluwater Technologies. We look forward to hearing from you.

Computer Tip of the Day: Avoid Data Obsolescence

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Are your older files safe? We’re talking here not about viruses or disk failure, but just not having software that can read the data any more.

This can make you lose important information.

Sometimes this happens because the only application that opens the files won’t run under the latest operating system. If the company that created the application went out of business years ago or abandoned it, you could be stuck with no way to open the files.

In other cases, the latest version of an application doesn’t support old versions of the format any more. Microsoft Office is a prime example. The current release can’t open the oldest versions of the Word format. With some format versions that aren’t quite as old, its default is to refuse to open them, but you can change that setting. The reason it does this is that some old file versions have known security risks, and a spammer might trick you into downloading a file that exploits the issue.

To avoid file obsolescence, you should periodically look at files that are in old formats. If you still need them, you can open them and re-save them as the latest version.

Another safety measure is to “print” files as PDF. PDF is a well-known, stable format, and it’s not going to become obsolete for many years. Old versions are fully compatible with new ones. You can’t edit those files, but at least you’ll always be able to read them.

It’s difficult to keep track of all your files this way, but you should review files which contain critical information at least once every couple of years and check if they’re in danger of becoming unusable. If they are, you can migrate them to a newer format while it’s still possible.

Bluwater Technologies offers IT services to keep all your data under control. Please contact us for more information.