Why bother paying for IT support?

With the current economic climate, it can be tempting to jettison business services, and even staff, as your company tightens its belt.  What can your organisation live without?  And which potential savings could prove to be a false economy?

I’ll let you make your own mind up about your office space and your HR consultant, but here are 7 reasons why you would be unwise to do away with your IT support team.

• Your computers always work properly

Your dedicated IT team ensure that everything is up-to-date and protected, so you can be confident your IT kit will be ready for the demands of your business whenever it is needed.

• Issues are fixed promptly

Your secretary has accidentally deleted a file.  Your site manager can’t get Outlook to open.  IT support will be there for you at the end of the phone, getting your team back to work as soon as possible.  Just imagine how much effort (and time googling solutions) you would waste if you were trying to fix the problem yourself. 

• Slow computers won’t hold you up

You know how frustrating it can be when you are waiting for a website to respond.  Poor IT performance can also aggravate your workers.  You can lose your flow as you sit watching that whirring circle spin around and angry clicking at an application can end up creating more problems when mistakes have to be unravelled.  Your IT support monitors computer performance and, having identified a troublesome machine, will either clean it up, upgrade it or recommend a replacement.  You may have to shell out for additional RAM memory, for example, but your staff will thank you for equipment that is more pleasant to use.

• Dealing with vendors

There’s an issue with your Microsoft licences.  First of all, you will need to work out which vendor to call to get support, then spend hours of your precious time interacting with a chatbot to eventually discover the solution.  Your IT support professionals will already have a relationship with your vendors so they will have fast-tracked access to the technical support experts if they are unable to handle the issue themselves.  There’s the added benefit of not having to engage in a technical conversation where you feel like you are being forced to speak a foreign language.

• Keeping abreast of the latest tech

You are an expert in your field of work, but why should you keep track of developments in technology.  Let your IT adviser take up the strain of this for you.

• That old chestnut: cyber security

Every time you look in a newspaper, you will get a reminder of how prevalent cyber attacks are, although these articles tend to focus on the larger, famous firms who are the victims of hacking.  The truth is, cyber criminals are highly motivated by the rewards of attacking businesses of any size and SMEs often represent low-hanging fruit to them through lack of preparedness.  You need to know that your company is taking suitable precautions against cybercrime and to be able to demonstrate this to your customers.  Your IT support adviser will present you with solutions recommended for your situation.

• Charities can’t squander donated money

Smaller charities often depend upon volunteers to manage their IT setup.  Unfortunately, this can mean a lengthy wait for the volunteer to respond to a plea for help.  There are actually savings available to charities which a good IT adviser can highlight.  Where the charity is dealing with vulnerable clients, data security is paramount.  All charities have statutory obligations which well-run IT systems will permit them to meet.

The bottom line is that using a professional IT support partner does not have to be expensive.  It is certainly cheaper than hiring your own in-house team.  Ask for a quote for managed IT services and remember to factor in the lost opportunity costs of your own personal time if you try to do it all yourself.

Computer Troubleshooters is here to help.  Give us a call and chat through your setup with a friendly adviser who speaks your language.