3 Ways IT Support Will Improve the Efficiency of Your Small Business

two people sitting at a table shaking hands

As technology evolves at an exponential rate, it’s crucial that your small business continues to adapt accordingly. To ensure you’re powered by the fastest, most secure network possible, you must integrate the latest software, applications, and antivirus programs when necessary.

However, this can be a difficult process for entrepreneurs like yourself, whose time is occupied mostly by tasks relating directly to their businesses. Though you may not have time to focus on enhancing the performance of your network, it nonetheless plays an integral role in the success of your company.

Fortunately, IT support providers are available to take on the responsibility of implementing, monitoring, and maintaining all your technology needs. Below are three ways IT support services will improve the efficiency of your small business:

Cloud Hosting Solutions

By putting your data up in the cloud, your staff can easily access, store, and share files and documents in one secure location. This application may be customized to the specific needs of your business. Therefore, helps to streamline your processes and create a more efficient workplace.

In addition, the cloud is scalable, which means it can easily grow alongside your business. Above all, your staff can access files and documents from anywhere, anytime via mobile devices. This enhances collaboration across your company and makes it possible to work remotely.

Regular Updates & Upgrades

With the technology world advancing so quickly, it’s no surprise that small business owners need to continuously improve technology at their workplace. Because, after all, your ability to adjust to the ever-changing technology landscape will make all the difference between either the success or failure of your company.

By staying on top of the latest developments, your IT support provider will limit downtime. Ensuring your staff has all the resources they need to complete tasks as quickly as possible. Say goodbye to slow loading times and welcome an optimal level of efficiency.

24/7 End-to-End Network Support for Your Small Business                                      

From cable installation and cloud services to data backup and disaster recovery, trained technicians handle everything related to your network. This means you don’t have to worry about software updates or installing programs yourself. Your team will do it all for you.

This way, you can spend more time focusing on what matters most: keeping your business running smoothly. When you’re backed by a reputable IT support provider, you have peace of mind about the performance of your technology every step of the way.

Ready to improve the efficiency of your small business? Contact us today to learn more about IT support services!

Why IT Support For Small Businesses is Beneficial

a laptop computer sitting on top of a wooden desk

Owning a small business is a dream for many people. While being an entrepreneur can be very profitable and a great career path, being successful does require you to deal with a number of different challenges.  One challenge that a small business owner will need to have to deal with on a regular basis is building and managing an appropriate IT and network infrastructure.  There are several reasons why small businesses should consider outsourcing their IT services to a third-party provider.

Build and Establish Network

The first service that an IT company can provide is the establishment of a network. They will be able to develop a cloud-based network that is accessible to you from anywhere in the world. This will allow small businesses to stay connected and organized at all times.

Provide Network Security

Due to the continued increased risk of hacks and other data theft, making sure your network is properly secured is very important. A third-party IT service will be able to build a network to ensure that it is secure using the top firewall protections. They will also be able to verify that it has not been compromised and will be able to upgrade the security system when necessary.

Help Desk

Finally, having a third-party provider for IT services is helpful because it can act as a help desk. Computers and networks are very efficient and reliable today. However, there are situations in which they will break down and not work correctly. If this happens to your network or equipment, the IT service will be able to troubleshoot the problem. Then, have it fixed immediately. This can get you back up and running quickly and make you more efficient overall.

If you are in need of IT services, contact us to learn about the services and benefits that we can provide to your company.

What Can You Expect from Good IT Support?

a laptop computer sitting on top of a white table

Your business depends on a good network 24/7. Not only do employees have more and more varied schedules (especially if you have employees scattered across the country or around the globe), but your website is a 24/7 store. Any outage or data corruption isn’t just costing you money, it’s eating into your revenue. But good IT support prevents most problems before they start instead of fixing something after it breaks.

What Should You Expect from Good IT Support?

The first thing you should expect is a mindset shift. Good IT support is proactive instead of reactive; its goal is to keep your tech running smoothly instead of making money when something goes wrong. Here’s how they do it:

Regular Security Testing and Monitoring

IT support companies have a resource that their individual clients don’t: a wide pool of network systems that need monitoring. That means IT companies have access to and can afford enterprise-level security software that monitors every network separately 24/7. It tracks downloads, software patches, cookies, and everything that goes in and out of your network connection. Most of the software you can buy on an individual company basis won’t be as effective. They also have employees ready to respond to each alert and indication of a potential problem.

Proactive Maintenance

Managed IT support is structurally better than traditional companies. Most companies get paid when they solve a problem. That means they have little incentive to build strong protections, catch problems ahead of time, or offer preventative advice.

This doesn’t mean IT professionals can’t be trusted; it means the incentive structure was in the way of a good business relationship, but managed IT support services have an incentive to prevent problems before they’re a problem. They get paid the same monthly subscription price even if they have to pour hours into fixing a problem, so they have as much incentive to keep your network strong and in good condition as you do.

Go to Bluwater Technologies to get started on a better IT plan.

Build a Consistent Forecast with Managed IT Support

a laptop computer sitting on top of a table

It can be hard to know where a small business is going to go over the course of a year. But if you have limited funds, or you have investors who want a reliable plan on how their money is going to be used and how their investments will turn into profit, then you need to minimize surprises. One of the best ways to do that is to keep your expenses consistent, and you can do that with managed IT support.

Monthly fees are better on the books than irregular, high-priced fixes.

Every company needs some version of IT support. Whether it’s a dedicated employee that you have on staff, a company you can turn to when your network goes out, or a subscription-based support plan, it’s a vital protection for both companies that have online stores and companies and that just online systems to support a physical store. But of all the available models, managed IT support subscriptions are the best for your long-term finances because you can predict the costs accurately.

Each month has the same fee for the same degree of network success. On-staff experts are expensive. This is because both security and network experts come with hefty price tags. They are a human resource that costs more than just the salary price to employ. Thus, paying for individual outages adds up.

Why should you pay a monthly fee if your network seems fine now?

Good service providers do more than maintain the status quo. They monitor your network for burgeoning outages so your website never crashes. They implement updates to help you manage the technological side of employee turnover. Additionally, they fix problems that crop up without extra fees. Downtime isn’t just an expense, it’s lost revenue.

Contact Bluwater Technologies for more ways an IT support service can help keep your expenses predictable and your business growth consistent.

Warning Flags – Does Your Organization Need Better IT Support?

three red flags with the words stop on them

As the field of technology continues to grow exponentially, the tools and services it offers to organizations to help grow their own business are increasing exponentially as well.  More and more, organizations are finding creative ways to use technology to reach more customers, expand their production capabilities and provide better service to their own clientele. So when the company they rely on for IT support is not performing as well as expected, there are often significant repercussions to their own bottom line.  In this post, we will discuss 3 warning flags that often signal it’s time to find a new IT support team.

Poor Communication Channels

You have a problem or a question so you attempt to contact your IT support company by phone or email.  You either experience lengthy waits while on hold, or they do allow you to leave a message, but they never respond back to you.  Email isn’t any better.  They either send an automated email acknowledging you right away and promise to get in touch with you, or they do eventually respond to your request, but their response time was very slow.

More Inactive than Proactive

You find yourself contacting your IT support company with information about your latest security concerns, or perhaps a new technology trend that sounds as if it could be useful for your company, rather than the other way around.  In other words, your organization seems more on top of the latest technology threats and trends than the company you rely on for your IT support.

Increasing Downtime

Perhaps initially you were satisfied with the level of downtime your company experienced, but lately, it seems you are experiencing more and more IT issues, which is affecting your ability to do business.  Perhaps your IT support company has taken on too many clients or they are experiencing personnel issues.  In any case, a support company that doesn’t respond promptly to their own issues, probably can’t respond quickly to your organization’s IT issues either.

Here at Bluwater Technologies, we understand the importance of providing prompt, proactive, and effective IT support to our clients in order to provide the essential underlying support required to grow their businesses.  Please contact us today to learn more about our commitment to supporting excellence.