I'm A Small Business. Do I Need An IT Company?
May 23, 2022
Whether you're a small business or a large corporation, having an IT company is essential for your business. Whether it's for cloud hosting, security, or disaster recovery, an IT company can help you keep your data secure and running smoothly.
You should work with Efficient Computer Service if you're experiencing any of the following issues:
- You have outgrown your old server. If you are using outdated hardware, your servers may not be able to handle the amount of data they're being asked to store or process at any given moment. In this case, it may be time for a new server and upgrading your infrastructure.
- Your hardware is outdated and no longer performing optimally. It's important that companies keep their hardware up-to-date so they can continue getting the most out of their investments in technology; this includes making sure that all software is compatible with current operating systems—and updating when necessary (more on this later).
- Your network is exposed to malware or viruses. If hackers find a way into your system via security holes or weak passwords, they could wreak havoc on every aspect of your business operations—from logging into computers remotely as well as stealing sensitive information from them! This means frequent downtime and lost productivity for everyone involved...not great!
You have outgrown your old server.
What does this mean? It's time to update! Your old server is probably outdated and may be unable to handle the increasing demands of your business. You may have limited storage space, poor network performance, poor security and limited support options and functionality. If you choose to continue with your current IT setup, these issues will only get worse over time.
Your hardware is outdated and no longer performing optimally.
Hardware is a major part of the IT infrastructure. Hardware can be outdated and no longer performing optimally, or it may need to be replaced by new hardware. You can also upgrade the hardware in your office to meet the demands of your business and perform better than ever before!
Your network is exposed to malware or viruses.
So, you’re a small business and have an IT guy on staff. Great! But what if he leaves? What happens if they take a vacation? Or decide they no longer want to support your company? You may be thinking that this doesn’t sound so bad, but let me tell you: it can get ugly very quickly. An infected network can be devastating for your business! Here are some examples of what could happen when your network is infected:
- Your website goes down – Your website is one of the most important aspects of your business, so having it down means lost sales and money spent by frustrated customers trying to reach out to you through other channels (like phone or email). If the outage lasts for more than 12 hours, expect a loss in revenue equivalent to losing one full day of sales every week for two months (source).
- Email stops working – We all rely heavily on email nowadays for communication with clients and vendors alike; if email stops working due to an infection then productivity will grind to a halt pretty quickly as people start scrambling around looking for ways around their problems rather than actually getting things done.
Your network goes down frequently and you have no clue why.
If your network goes down frequently, it is not just a minor inconvenience, it is a major problem. Network downtime can mean lost revenues and customers—it's as simple as that. If your network goes down, your business goes down.
If you're experiencing frequent network problems and don't know why, then chances are good that an IT company can help you identify the issue and address it quickly so that downtime becomes a thing of the past.
Working with an IT company is essential to keep your business running smoothly, reliably and securely.
- Reliability: Your network’s ability to handle all of the tasks required to run your business every day is essential. Working with an IT company enables you to be confident that your network is reliable, so you can focus on other important aspects of running your business.
- Security: Security breaches are costly in terms of time spent cleaning up after them and repairing the damage done by hackers or viruses; they can also cause irreparable damage to a customer’s faith in your brand or product. An IT company has experience dealing with these issues and knows how best to protect against them happening again in future.
Working with an IT company can be a scary proposition for many small businesses. But it doesn't have to be! If you're experiencing any of the issues listed above, we'd love to help you get started with our services. We provide remote support, onsite visits and more so that your business can keep running smoothly, reliably and securely. We ourselves are a small business, so we understand the pinpoints that you go through. Let us help you grow your business and earn your trust! You won’t be disappointed.
Uh oh, what happened? Are you experiencing a technology problem right now? Most of us tend to not look for help until something bad happens. We hope you aren’t experiencing any trouble at the moment but if you are, ECS is here to help. Here are 3 reasons why we are the right IT Company for you: Reason #1 With email scams always evolving, and scammers continuously learning and getting smarter and slicker, it is essential to make sure your inbox knows how to shield and combat these nasty bugs from making their way into the rest of your system. Our Email Spam and Virus Protection will do just that. Xcitium’s Secure Email Gateway TRUSTS NO ONE with unknown files and will always verify content. This allows uninterrupted use and bulletproof security. Reason #2 ECS uses an Advanced Endpoint protection. Once there has been a breach, it can spread like a disease. Unless it’s found and contained immediately. Advanced Endpoint protection will automatically contain ALL UNTRUSTED applications and processes in a secure environment. Applications that are deemed safe can continue to run as usual, while the malware is denied the entry needed to be successful. And lastly, Reason #3 is ECS’s Endpoint Manager. This proactive service monitors servers and PC’s performance, security statuses and provides an automated windows patch management service, keeping machines running their best. You’ll be able to View patches needed on devices, applications, and operating systems communicating with Endpoint Manager. You’ll be up to date with Protection against zero-day web threats, without hindering employee productivity, while keeping healthy endpoints. And you’ll have a dashboard of real-time data about the operating system, connection status and security posture of all devices enrolled to Endpoint Manager, allowing you to manage your entire network. With these new services, ECS is staying ahead of the game and keeping your business and its assets protected. It’s the smartest decision you will make in 2023. Give us a call today and let’s talk about your small business needs.
Ever wondered if your small business needed an IT Company’s services? While they all have access to the same information, not all IT companies are equal. Knowledge coupled with lots of experience make the difference. A difference you will find with Efficient Computer Service. With more than 25 years of accumulated knowledge and experience, we thought it would be a great time to ask John Potts, owner of ECS some important questions that we knew any business owner looking for an IT service, or just wondering if they need one, would ask. Here’s how it went… What do you believe makes ECS unique to other IT companies? We pride ourselves on personalized prompt service, and we are always concise of costs when providing valued services needed. If I call with a problem, what are your typical response times? Usually we will respond within 1 hour or less to every support request. Can you explain the cloud? What is it, where is it, and how do we access it? The “Cloud” is a generic term, referring to any service that is hosted on the internet as opposed to onsite. Our Virtual Cloud Servers and Desktops are physically hosted on multiple enterprise class servers in a Tier III Secure Data Center in Boston. The Virtual Cloud Desktops are accessed using a Secure internet connection managed by a Citrix software application on a local PC or laptop. What’s the difference, other than the obvious, between cloud-based solutions versus on-site? An on-site, sometimes referred to as on-premises entails a costly capitol expenditure for Server(s), battery backup devices, software licensing, data backup and regular maintenance. Many companies also pay for a server monitoring service. For Cloud based solutions, there is a huge savings because there is no hardware to purchase, maintain, backup and replace. There are no software licenses to purchase. Everything needed is included on a flat rate cost. Also, with the Cloud Servers and desktops enhanced security is and reliability is unmatched. Finally, it is easy to support a remote work force and multiple office locations. If a business asks you which solutions would be the best fit for them, how do you come to your decision or recommendation? Great question. We do an extensive evaluation of all hardware, software, and business practices to learn the state of the current IT platform and the IT needs for each company. We learn what works well and what areas need to be improved. The we make our recommendations based on the findings and the deployment plan of needed changes based on budgets and availability to ensure the least impact to downtime if any. Our goals for every business customer are to ensure their data is secure and their systems are efficient, reliable & affordable, and finally that they are a good fit to meet the individual company technology needs. Can I just train one of my employees to be our IT person? ECS has many decades of technology knowledge & experience we offer. This level of knowledge & experience takes years to learn. However, we can train an employee to do some tasks and to leverage our experience as needed. How often should my employees really be changing their passwords? In today’s world of threats, we recommend passwords be changed at least every 90 days as a general rule. I work from my phone a lot. If I answer emails from my phone’s email app, will they be as safe as using my desktop or laptop? A phone app is just as secure a desktop or laptop. However, this depends on the type of email being used. For example, if a company uses GMAIL or HOTMAIL or any free email service, the mail is not secure on any device. If they use a hosted MS Exchange email the connection to the mail server is always secure. What is a realistic budget a small business should have per year for IT Services? This varies greatly and is driven by business industry that has compliance requirements (i.e.: Medical or Financial) and the complexity of the technology needed. Some small businesses require larger IT budgets than their larger counterparts. Our experience in general industry shows a company with 10 computers would require an annual budget of at least $7,000 to $10,000. And there we have it. Small businesses should have, at the very minimum, a designated person to learn and be trained in IT related components to the business, but that will not guarantee the safety and longevity of your investments and data. Doing nothing is much more costly than the above-mentioned budget. Repairing, replacing, and then adding IT Services and security will run your business twice those numbers, easily. In this case, it is definitely better safe than sorry. With the costs of literally everything continuing to climb, you can’t afford NOT to protect your business. We understand the expense is not cheap, and there are ways to spread things out. ECS is experienced and personable and would love to help you figure out the best route for your small business. Give us a call and let’s create a gameplan.