While IT solutions are an increasingly important factor to any business’ success, it isn’t always an easy matter to determine which solutions will be the most beneficial. One of the most important steps to identifying them is to understand how your current solutions function, and how they can be put to better use or otherwise improved.
An IT assessment is one of the most effective ways to do so.
How does your business handle IT maintenance? Chances are that your small business is in one of two situations: you either have a small internal IT department that can only accomplish a handful of tasks every month, or you have no IT department and rely on your employees to perform any maintenance. No matter how you look at it, this situation is not advantageous.
Thankfully, managed IT is something that can replace the age-old break-fix method to IT maintenance. Break-fix is the traditional model of technology maintenance in which businesses would seek out companies trained in how to resolve IT issues. Examples of such trouble could be a hardware failure, data loss, or even something as simple as an email flow problem.
Unfortunately, by the time the issue is resolved, downtime has cost your organization likely more than it did to fix the problem, hitting your business where it hurts twice. In fact, downtime is one of the major problems associated with any technology maintenance, and it’s a big enough pain point that any way an organization can reduce or eliminate downtime is important to consider. In order to optimize the use of a small business’ capital resources, downtime needs to be thwarted. A managed IT service provider accomplishes this by preventing issues through proactive maintenance.
This is something that, by nature, a break-fix IT company is incapable of fulfilling. After all, a break-fix provider profits from your technology breaking down often. Rather than just slap a temporary fix on your infrastructure, managed IT looks at the core reason why they have happened in the first place. Managed IT aims to understand and prevent issues to reduce downtime, and thus cost. When the business’ technology breaks, an MSP is actually losing money. This method ensures that when you have a managed service provider handling your IT services, it is fully committed to seeing your organization’s technology run effectively.
To this end, managed IT provides technicians who are more than capable of either helping your current IT department, or filling the gap that’s currently being manned by your employees. Doing so can open up a world of possibilities for your on-site technicians. They can finally get around to implementing new solutions designed to help your organization profit, rather than answering endless questions thrown at them on a daily basis. On the other hand, if they would prefer to play the support role, our technicians can help your organization implement new technology solutions to streamline operations.
In other words, managed IT can be whatever you want it to be--whether as a supplement to your in-house team; or as the primary service provider.
One of the main selling points of managed IT is that it’s much more affordable than break-fix IT. As previously stated, you’re not waiting for a big bill in the event of a technology issue. Instead, you’re making smaller, predictable payments once a month to keep issues from surfacing. This keeps these small issues from becoming major problems.
If you’ve had enough irritating technology troubles and want to learn more about how managed IT services can save you money and help your organization be more profitable, call the IT professionals at PCSOFT today at 02 98730080.
While being tech-savvy is much more commonplace than it used to be, asking a question about IT can still make one a bit nervous. This leads to many who are somewhat unlearned in technology feeling that they will be mocked for asking “dumb” questions. Well, fear not--we’ll explain some of the more common questions you might want to ask about 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.
Your organization needs its technology solutions in order to keep up with day-to-day operations, but at the same time, you’ll need to maintain them. Organizations that don’t have an IT department will sometimes turn to their employees to do the required maintenance, but this can put your infrastructure at risk.
To keep your IT out of danger due to inexperience or negligence, we want to share with you a way that you can keep your technology up-to-date and functional, without putting it at risk. It’s called managed IT services, and you’d be surprised what they can do for you. We’ll discuss some of the many benefits that your business can stand to take advantage of by forsaking break-fix IT in favor of managed IT.
Cost Savings
You’ll notice an immediate cost savings when using managed services as your core method of IT maintenance. Right off the bat, you’re saving money. Since you only pay a monthly service fee rather than large up-front costs, you’ll benefit immediately. You receive any sort of maintenance as per your service level agreement from your managed service provider, which is more effective than paying for unexpected maintenance from break-fix IT.
Plus, since you’re taking proactive measures to ensure that your organization’s technology is maintained, you’ll be less likely to experience crippling hardware failure. Break-fix IT providers basically depend on your technology not working properly for them to make money, so they have no real incentive to ensure that your technology is working properly in the long run. Managed IT providers, on the other hand, want to build a relationship with the client and prevent problems from happening in the first place, saving your organization money and boosting rapport in the process.
Less Wasted Time
Small businesses have a tough time acquiring an internal IT department due to budget restraints, but if you do have one, it’s probably swamped with work. This means that the work is either not getting done, or it’s being done poorly due to time constraints. You can’t cut corners in IT, as it could lead to dangerous downtime or missing important updates, putting your data at risk. In fact, one of the most important skipped maintenance procedures is the administration of patches and security updates--something that absolutely shouldn’t be missed.
Managed IT services, regardless of whether or not you have an internal IT department, can provide value in the fact that they provide your organization with more experts for more work. Whether you want to catch up on missed work, implement new solutions, or stay up to date, managed IT providers give your business the flexibility to accomplish your technology-related goals in a time-efficient manner.
Peace of Mind
Untrained employees working with complex machinery must be nerve-wracking--or, at least, it should be. User error is difficult enough to prevent, so it’s reasonable to suggest that only those trained in the proper best practices should be managing technology solutions.
This is perhaps one of the biggest benefits of managed IT services; you don’t have to have untrained users maintaining your technology solutions. You can rest easy at night knowing that your hardware and software initiatives are being helmed by Smeaton Grange, Parramatta, and Sydney’s finest experts. We firmly believe that an IT project should only be done once, and that’s because it should be done right the first time.
How does your business manage its technology? We know how it should be managed--with PCSOFT. To get started, give us a call at 02 98730080.
When you take your broken-down technology to a break-fix IT technician, they’ll usually fix the problem, but you’ll be stuck with a hefty, per-hour rate that could easily ruin your IT budget. Unfortunately, small and medium-sized businesses often have little choice in the matter, as they can’t afford in-house technicians. Thankfully, there’s a third option for your IT solutions, and it’s called managed IT services.
While traditional break-fix IT services may have seemed helpful in the past, a time has come for its replacement to offer a more viable, efficient, and flexible alternative. Here are three reasons why SMBs would want to take advantage of managed IT services.
Reduced Costs
Break-fix technology is expensive by nature, primarily because you’re purchasing convenience. Think of it in this manner; you go to a restaurant to be served by waiters and waitresses when you don’t feel like cooking your own dinner. Plus, the cooks probably won’t be willing to part with their trade secrets so that you can cook your own meals. Break-fix IT works in a similar manner. They don’t want you to take preventative measures to keep problems from happening in the future, since they profit off of your misfortune.
Managed IT uses monthly payments that are easy to budget and are designed to save your business money in the long run. Most important of all, though, is that managed IT takes a preventative stance that tries to stop issues from becoming major problems in the first place. This saves you money on hardware and software replacements, as you’re wasting fewer budget dollars on downtime.
Improved Security and Efficiency
Efficiency is one of the most important traits that anyone could want out of IT maintenance. Network monitoring and maintenance is a necessity for businesses that want to guarantee the security of their systems. Patches also need to be issued in a timely manner to prevent vulnerabilities in widely-used software solutions from buckling under pressure of hacking attacks. Of course, all of this is much easier said than done. The SMB has a limited schedule and workforce, which inevitably leads to cutting corners in order to “stay ahead.”
Managed IT services can also remedy this issue. Our technicians have the ability to remotely monitor and maintain your infrastructure so that you can resolve issues efficiently without an on-site visit. In fact, most problems with your infrastructure can be resolved remotely, so you can limit our on-site visits to only the most necessary of operations.
End-to-End Support
While some businesses have an internal IT department, they may be too busy to implement new and innovative IT solutions. On the other hand, they may be too busy innovating to provide quality technology support to your users. Either way, your team is swamped with work, and managed IT offers an easier solution to this issue that’s a better alternative to putting too many demands on such a crucial asset (your IT department).
Managed IT wants to help your internal IT department manage and delegate tasks in an effective manner. If your internal team needs assistance, our technicians are only a phone call away. If you want us to innovate in your stead, we can do that too. Regardless of your IT needs, we can improve your business’s operations.
To learn more, reach out to us at 02 98730080.
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.