IT Benefits and Threats – A Quick Guide to Being Prepared

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Technology is changing at a rapid pace and technology threats are coming fast and furious.

 

How well is your company doing to keep up with these changes and challenges – especially the threats that you don’t even know about yet?  Some threats to your IT well-being are simply failures to identify the warning signs.  Other threats are more severe.  You may already have malware inside your IT system and you may not even know it.

 

For example:

  • Is one of your servers sending messages about an imminent hard drive failure to a log file that no one reads?
  • Has one or more of your computers been infected with a virus that is waiting for the right time to unleash the damage?
  • Is a hacker logging every key pressed on an employee’s keyboard including passwords for your operations and/or accounting system?

 

Even if you are a small business, your IT network is the lifeblood of your business. It’s not recommended to put your network in the hands of an employee who has had to learn how to add users or change passwords. The safety and security of your network is at risk.

 

Even if you have an IT team maintaining your systems, when is the last time they did a training session?  Six months ago? 2 years ago? Can’t remember?

 

Because the technology and the risks are changing constantly, IT people need regular training on security, networking, server operations, desktop operations, software, etc.   Very few IT people have the capability of absorbing and mastering all of the different specialties.   Just like you don’t expect a foot doctor to perform brain surgery, you don’t hire a desktop person to secure your network.

 

There is a Better Way

 

Consider using a Managed Services Partner (MSP). There are many benefits:

  • You get the entire MSP team and all their combined knowledge and experience in their areas of expertise. They know how to maximize your team’s productivity and protect your IT system from the latest technology threats.
  • Many MSP agreements are fixed price agreements (read the fine print as to what is included). You can budget for a fixed price each month and know that your technology is being managed and that threats are being prevented or detected before they cripple your company’s network.

 

  • You want no downtime. Downtime costs you money. Your MSP doesn’t want you to have downtime either because it costs them more to fix a problem than it does to prevent a problem. The MSP’s interests are aligned with your interests. You both want a well-functioning system with no downtime.

 

At first glance, an all-inclusive MSP agreement looks expensive. However, consider what you already pay for less service, the costs for your IT system to be down for one day – or three days and the expense to fix what is broken.  And, if you get breached, the costs will multiply.

 

A fixed fee, all-inclusive MSP agreement is friendly to your budget and it provides peace of mind. You have a knowledgeable IT partner making sure your IT assets are healthy and protected.

 

At CCS, we don’t want to benefit from your business pain. We want to share in your increased productivity, profitability and your success.  If you are looking for an IT partner and not just the low-cost computer fixer, check out our website.

 

In the meantime, check out our latest video below (1 minute, 17 seconds) for a quick look at the benefits of finding the right managed service partner.