Advancements in information technology (IT) help businesses operate more efficiently and keep up with the competition. However, it can be challenging for business owners to maintain, protect, and stay up to date with the latest IT trends all on their own.
This is where an outsourced IT support company can help.
Outsourced IT support is provided by third-party companies that maintain and support technology on behalf of businesses. They oversee cybersecurity measures, help maintain compliance, update systems, and more.
There are plenty of small to mid-size businesses in Waukegan, Illinois, that could benefit from outsourcing their IT support. Waukegan, the 9th largest community in Illinois, continues to grow in population size and hosts many up-and-coming businesses.
No matter their size, Waukegan businesses need comprehensive IT support to keep up with the competition. We live in a digital age, and every business needs to prepare for the threats and opportunities that are associated with technology.
Do you need help maintaining your company’s technology? Here’s everything you should know about outsourced Waukegan IT support.
What is Outsourced IT Support?
Before you can find the right IT company for your business, you must have a clear understanding of what outsourced IT support is.
An IT support company provides your business with a team of remote IT technicians who are ready to handle whatever you throw at them. These technicians support your IT infrastructure and all its users on a daily or even hourly basis.
A quality IT support company’s goal will be to optimize your business’s servers, networks, and systems for long-term success. In addition, they will implement solutions to improve your cybersecurity and work to resolve technology disruptions as they arise.
A local Waukegan IT support company like ours will help your business by:
- Developing a service plan that fits your budget
- Minimizing downtime
- Offering 24/7 remote support
- Providing better IT solutions
- Responding quickly to technology issues
- Setting up advanced network security
In short, an IT support company acts as a complete IT department for your business and ensures you have proper technology help whenever and wherever you need it.
The Benefits of Outsourced IT Support in Waukegan
Now that you have a better understanding of what outsourced IT support is, let’s discuss how it can benefit your business. Great IT support will:
1) Eliminate the Need for Internal IT Support
Outsourced IT support is much more cost-effective for smaller-sized businesses than hiring an internal IT department.
If you were to hire a full in-house IT department, you would need to pay full-time salaries and benefits. This is a high cost to pay for a service that you can outsource for a much lower price – and equally great (if not better) results.
In addition, your in-house IT employees would likely be unavailable past business hours. So, if an IT disaster occurs on a weekend or holiday, you’d likely have to wait to have it resolved.
With outsourced IT support, you get help exactly when you need it, no matter when problems arise.
An IT company will provide your business with a team of IT technicians and 24/7 service for an agreed-upon monthly fee. In addition, most IT companies are scalable, meaning they will work with you to develop a service-level agreement that meets your specific needs and budget.
2) Provide Better Network Security
Any business can fall victim to cyberattacks, viruses, and data breaches – especially if they fail to prioritize network security. An online attack can be incredibly damaging and costly to medium and small-sized businesses.
Just one cyber attack can cost your business an average of $200,000 in reparation fees. As you can imagine, this is well beyond what most small businesses can afford and, and as a result, many are forced to close following an attack.
Even if your company can financially recover from a cyberattack, your reputation may suffer. If a cybercriminal steals private client information, it can tarnish your company’s standing with past, current, and future clients. To regain trust, your business will have to rework its goals and put aside growth efforts.
An outsourced IT support company will significantly minimize the risk of cybercrime interfering with your business.
Experts provided through an IT company will implement advanced multi-level security solutions to make it difficult for cybercriminals to break through. They will also monitor your network 24/7 and run frequent penetration tests to ensure your network security keeps up with the latest threats.
3) Grant Access to New and Better Technology
It can be challenging to keep up with new technology all on your own, especially with many other responsibilities to oversee. However, if your business relies on outdated tools and technology, you may be slowing down your operations and falling behind the competition.
That’s where another benefit of IT support comes into play.
The experts provided through an IT company are up to date on the latest technology developments. As a result, they can provide your business with cost-effective tools and technology you might not even know existed. These IT solutions are made affordable through monthly fees and discounted rates.
A worthwhile Waukegan IT support company will never recommend solutions that are unnecessary. They will only offer you tools that improve your processes, workflows, or internal communications.
4) Improve Internal Focus and Productivity
Finally, partnering with an IT support company will help you manage your company time more effectively.
IT providers understand that inefficiencies in your workplace are a source of wasted time. That’s why they train their staff to spot weaknesses in your IT infrastructure and implement solutions to streamline processes to increase productivity.
In addition, IT support takes away the stress and anxiety of keeping up and protecting your business technology. When you and your employees don’t have to worry about IT issues, it frees up time to focus on other responsibilities – like growing your business.
By leaving your technology concerns to a group of trusted experts, you can sleep well at night, knowing your technology and data are in highly capable hands.
What Should You Look for in an IT Support Company?
Worthwhile IT support can benefit your business in many ways, but how do you find the best IT provider for your business? Here are the top features to look for in a great Waukegan IT support company.
24/7 Support Desk
A cyberattack or system failure can occur to your business at any time, often without warning. If left unaddressed, these issues can lead to a loss of sales, data theft, or an expensive recovery process.
To minimize this risk, it’s a good idea to look for an IT company that offers 24/7 IT support – even on weekends and holidays. This means that your business will have access to IT experts ready and able to address your technology concerns whenever you need them.
One of the benefits of hiring a local Waukegan IT support provider is that they respond faster to your requests than national providers. This is because they are in the same time zone and service fewer businesses than national providers- which means they will be less overwhelmed with requests.
Disaster Recovery and Data Backup Plans
Your business data can be lost or stolen in a cyberattack or natural disaster, such as a flood. If you store your business data in one spot, it can be challenging to recover. In addition, lost business data may force you to halt your growth efforts to rebuild.
Waukegan IT support that offers disaster recovery and backup services can protect your business data.
With this service, IT experts will create a cloud-based storage backup for your data. Storing your data in another location will enable you to recover it entirely – even if a cybercriminal attempts to steal it or your servers are damaged in a natural disaster.
Virtual Chief Information Officer (VCIO)
Another service to look for in a Waukegan IT support company is a dedicated virtual chief information officer (VCIO).
The role of a VCIO is to consult and check in with your company to ensure your IT infrastructure is keeping up with your goals. They take the time to truly understand your business and rework IT strategies and budgets to meet your specific needs.
The main goal of a VCIO is to improve your business in ways that will foster long-term success and growth.
Command Center
Not all IT companies are created equally – you should ensure that the one you hire has a central command center.
A command center enables IT companies to monitor your systems and alerts technicians to your IT needs. This allows experts to respond quickly in an emergency and install proactive defenses to prevent the issue from reoccurring.
In short, the command center is what allows an IT company will take the necessary steps to maintain and protect your IT infrastructure.
In Conclusion
There are plenty of great reasons for small to mid-sized businesses to consider IT support. Not only will it keep your business network secure, but it will also provide you with the IT solutions needed to achieve your long-term goals.
Hopefully, this post has taught you a little bit about what IT support companies do, as well as what to look for in a great partner. Every business needs technology assistance, and we want you to find the best solution for your particular needs and circumstances.
Want to know more about IT support and how can it benefit your Waukegan business? Let’s find it out together.
