Outsourcing IT Functions Reduces Costs and Increases Productivity

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The  ‘Forbes Technology Council’  reminds business owners to ask the right questions before making their next IT purchase: Is that hardware, program, or application “vital, a luxury, or redundant?”

Forbes: Under-capitalized SMB faces IT challenges

In general, larger companies have the financial where-with-all to maintain an in-house IT department, leaving the under-capitalized SMB owner in a “struggle to stay afloat” during a downturn. 

“Lack of expertise” behind many outsourcing IT expenditures

Keeping up with the changes in technology can impact IT expenditures. The worst-case scenario is not knowing just how the purchase will ultimately help their business succeed. 

Consequently, decision-makers can be “overwhelmed with choices,” and an overall  “lack of expertise.”  

Budgets consume business-critical systems

In fact, according to a recent Deloitte ‘Tech Trends’ report, it is not unusual for IT expenditures to consume “as much as 70%” of the budget just to keep “business-critical systems” up and running. 

“Cheaper storage, cloud, and outsourcing have lowered…budgetary outlay(s) by 20 percent or more. Yet in an era of perpetually tight IT budgets, finding ways to redirect financial and human assets from operations to innovation remains a top…goal.“

Forbes favors outsourcing IT

Forbes recommends ‘outsourcing’ IT functions to help remedy cash-flow problems, or issues stemming from a business downturn. By offloading some, or all, of their IT operations to an experienced, MSP business owners benefit from having more time to run their business. 

Ultimately, using a  managed service provider (MSP) like BluWater Technology can not only reduce IT costs but can also add that next level of expertise to your operations. Ultimately, this leads to a “win-win scenario of saving time and money” while “improving team productivity.”

To find out how your business can operate more efficiently by using our MSP services, contact us.  We help improve bottom lines by assigning fixed costs to some—or all—of a company’s IT expenditures.

Tips for Maximizing A Managed Help Desk Service

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Technology is an essential component for most businesses today because of what it can help workers and business owners achieve. Ensuring that your team has the necessary resources for handling daily responsibilities will promote the achievement of set goals. A managed help desk service is part of the resources that will prove beneficial for entrepreneurs seeking IT support services.

When you invest in technology, you need to identify competent individuals who can manage your systems and offer your employees the support they need, and that is what you will achieve through a managed help desk service. Here are some tips on how you can maximize your outsourcing solution.

Acquire the Right Help Desk Solution

One of the advantages of managed IT services is that they withdraw the financial burden of investing in hardware, which results in savings that entrepreneurs can redirect to other profitable activities within their businesses. However, you cannot take advantage of such IT services as a managed help desk service without investing in the right software.

Acquiring the ideal managed solution is advisable because it helps you maximize the services your provider is offering that relate to this particular software.

Prioritize Availability

If you want to get the most out of your managed help desk service providers, they should be available round the clock. You cannot tell when you will experience IT issues or downtime in your enterprise, and for that reason, your service provider should furnish you with details on how you can reach them whenever you need their assistance.

Outsource

Managed help desk services are critical because they facilitate the continuity of your business operations. Business operators who do not have the resources and skills necessary for establishing an in-house IT department should consider outsourcing this service. Apart from realizing profitability as a result of savings, outsourcing allows you to enjoy the professionalism of experts in this field.

If you need more information on ideas for maximizing managed help desk services, contact us today!

CNBC: Small Businesses Get ‘Tech-Savvy’

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‘Costs’ are not the only obstacle keeping a lot of small-business owners from embracing new tech—including outsourcing their IT services to a managed provider. 

According to CNBC, the pushback also stems from the lack of time the SMB owner has to allocate to technical issues. Yet, companies realize the critical need for new technologies to be competitive in the marketplace.

“‘Even with cost and time being a factor, many small businesses have little choice but to embrace the trend…streamlined technology is all but a necessity in modern-day commerce.'”

Salesforce survey: Over half of SMBs desire new tech.

What’s more, data from Salesforce indicates that SMBs (53 percent) would like to implement new technology in their businesses, but turn away because “it can be expensive,” or they have ongoing concerns about cybersecurity.  

Balancing ‘innovation and risk management.”

Nonetheless, as ‘The CIO Advisor’ notes, companies know full well that positive outcomes are possible with the right balance of “innovation and risk management.” 

Moreover, while many company stakeholders may think their existing network is providing the scalability they need right now, the question still remains: Is it optimized for the future…and capable of detecting and acting on future threats?

Forbes: MSP deliver cost savings and security tech.

According to a 2019 Forbes article, SMBs may not be in a position to migrate all their services to a managed IT service, but can benefit when choosing an “a-la-carte” plan; furthermore, using an MSP  can lead to cost savings and a more secure network. Added benefits include “improving team productivity.” 

Cyber attacks: An inconvenient truth…

Alarmingly, as Forbes notes, “over 40% of cyber-attacks are targeted at SMBs. Those affected, according to a recent study, never recover totally and are “generally out of business within six months.”

Contact us to learn more about the many options we can provide. We focus on your business to offer tailor-made managed IT services. You’ll like our proactive approach.

5 Ways to Maximize Your IT Budget

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Savvy companies understand that leveraging the latest technologies can keep them one, perhaps even several steps, ahead of the competition. The key is to select those technologies that are proven to provide the best return for one’s investment. In this post, we will outline 5 concepts every company will want to consider as they create a comprehensive IT budget that works best for them.

Hire the Experts

The old adage “a company is only as good as its people”, is certainly true when it comes to selecting the right IT professionals to work for a company. Whether an organization decides to hire IT staff that will work in-house, or whether they decide to outsource their IT department, investing in knowledgeable IT staff is a must.

Ensuring Proper Security

One of the ways in which companies can ensure they are hiring the right IT personnel is to determine whether or not these prospective professionals understand just how vital data security is to every single organization. Any prospective IT employee or organization should be the first to initiate a conversation about data security because yes, it’s that important.

IoT 

Companies will also want to consider employing some of the many “Internet of Things” technologies that could be a smart addition to their budget. Some companies may have a greater need for IoT than others, but at minimum, every company that operates out of a physical building may want to take advantage of technologies such as:

  • Security sensors
  • Smart doors
  • Smart HVAC control sensors

Moving to the Cloud

Many companies find that moving their IT operations to the cloud is both cost-effective and provides greater flexibility to their employees, as the only thing they need to plug into corporate software is an internet connection. Companies can also easily scale up or scale down their cloud use to better match both their busy and slow seasons. This means paying only for what a company truly needs in terms of IT services.

Leverage Big Data

Being able to analyze and create an overall corporate picture from disparate bits of data can help companies see where they are doing well, and where they need to focus their attention in order to improve. Big data concepts can help organizations accomplish precisely this.

If you would like to know how to select the right technologies in order to maximize your IT budget for the year, please contact us.

5 Cybersecurity Questions to Ask Your Team

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The more that technology advances, the more cyber attacks are committed against businesses of all sizes and in all fields of work. Your business is no exception. As you rely more on the internet and on machines to store data, information, and other sensitive material, you need to be aware of the cybersecurity threats that exist to your company.

While this threat may seem overwhelming and daunting, the risks to your company are indeed manageable ones. When talking to your IT team, whether they are workers your company hired or from outside IT firms, the following are 5 questions that you should be asking these professionals to understand your business’s risk and cybersecurity situation:

1. How is our company’s top leadership informed about cyber risks? 

Your IT department must communicate with the rest of the company about the risks of being the victim of a cyber attack. Understanding the current risks and what the IT department is doing to mitigate those risks is vital to keeping your company’s information safe. Ultimately, the CEO is the one responsible for any “risks” that are present for his or her company. They must be informed in order to make smart decisions about how the company’s information can be best protected.

2. What is the current business impact of cybersecurity risks on our company and how do we plan to address these risks? 

CEOs and other top company executives must understand the cybersecurity risks that their company faces. They should also be informed of what the IT professionals that work for the company are doing to mitigate these risks and keep the company information safe. Knowing this information and constantly communicating updates can keep anyone from making poor decisions. That is if panic ever does strike.

3. Does our cybersecurity program implement the best and latest practices that keep up with industry standards? 

CEOs and other top company executives should be kept up-to-date on industry standards in cybersecurity. Additionally, how their company’s practices stack up against those standards. If the company is not up-to-date on the industry standards, then they must know what the plan is from the IT department to get the company there. Being up-to-date on industry standards for cybersecurity is vital to keeping your company’s information as safe as possible from people who would do you harm if they got ahold of that information.

4. What cybersecurity threats does your IT department identify each week? 

CEOs and other top company officials should be kept up to date on the latest cybersecurity threats facing their company. Ideally, these updates are given on at least a weekly basis. Updates should include recent threats and what has been done to limit those threats. Additionally, what new threats have popped up (if any), and what is being done to handle those threats?

5. How far-reaching is our cyber incident response plan? How often do we test it?

Despite your IT department’s best attempts to keep your company’s information safe, if something such as a data breach were to happen, what would the response be? It’s important for the CEO and higher-ups to understand what will be done if such a security breach happens. First, the plan is explained to the higher-ups. Then, they should be informed of how often the plan is tested to ensure that it is thorough and effective.

These are 5 questions that you should be asking your IT company. Thus, ensure that your business is as safe from cybersecurity threats as possible. Actively having a plan in place to protect your company’s information is key. It will keep your business from being a target of any sort of cybersecurity threat. Moreover, having a plan in case your company is the target of an attack is also vital. Despite your best intentions, cybersecurity breaches can happen. How you react can help control the extent of how much more severe you make the problem. Performing rash actions in the event of a cyber attack is never a good idea.

For more information on questions you should be asking your IT team, please feel free to contact us at Blutwater Technologies for further assistance.