The more traditional approach of replacing equipment only when it breaks down, increases the risk of being in a situation where operations will be interrupted.
This is why more and more Canadian SMBs are changing their approach to addressing their IT needs. They are looking to both break free from the burden of maintaining their infrastructure in order to use their staff for value-added projects and to reduce operating costs.
IT managed services can meet those needs. In order to explore this solution, it is best to look at your situation from several angles.
1. Business continuity
If large companies can suffer data loss due to a failed backup strategy, imagine what the situation is like for SMBs with more limited means. Are you sure that your backups are working and guarantee that you could recover all of your data in the case of failure or disaster?
The need for functional backups is too often neglected in SMBs, and it is often when there is a failure that we realize that the backups were not working properly.
Any doubt as to the ability to recover your data should be addressed to avoid a critical situation that would put your business at a standstill.
2. Data Security
The capability of your business to deliver can be severely affected by security gaps with varying severity levels. This is an issue that is often underestimated in small and medium enterprises. Indeed, there are very different types of attacks such as viruses, phishing, intrusions or hacking online application accounts. In addition to these external threats, there are also internal threats from the users themselves.
To prevent these threats as much as possible, it is imperative that your systems are managed according to best practices. This implies, in particular, keeping your protection mechanisms current such as antivirus, anti-phishing applications, security patches for operating systems and other critical software.
At all times, you must be sure that your business data is protected, which happens when there is a rigorous and structured management.
3. Infrastructure Management
We know, as you do, what often happens in SMBs : the person with the most IT knowledge wears the IT manager's hat and does everything it can to resolve issues daily.
Due to time constraints, it is only urgent issues that are handled, and it is not possible to plan larger-scale projects and to establish what needs to be put in place to allow the company to grow.
Is this how it works in your business?
While IT is a lever for growth, because of a lack of resources, the majority of small businesses struggle to reach their goals, but with the use of IT managed services, you can reverse the situation.
It is important to understand all the IT-related factors that are slowing down your business either because you are faced with costs that are too high or an inability to use your resources to add value and therefore the inability to use technology as a growth lever.
Assess your need for managed services with our ebook and you'll have a more global view of your situation.
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