by Felicien | Oct 3, 2017 | Education
Discover how to streamline business operations with software and IT managed services.
Today, businesses can easily streamline operations with software and IT managed services. IT services offer a full range of high-tech solutions that are full-hosted and delivered on-demand. Plus, there are packages that can be configured to support and streamline your unique business processes.
End-to-End IT Service Management Software
Managed IT service providers offer end-to-end IT management software so businesses can take control of operations and functions, such as:
Tracking new customer setup
Keeping projects and new installations on track and within budget
Processing customer requests with automated notification and streamlined workflow
Tracking and monitoring field service technicians
Capturing and converting service alerts into service tickets
Invoicing projects for time, contracts, and service work
Optimizing service tech utilization with producing business reports and metrics
Managing Customer Information
IT service management software programs are robust. They offer better management of customer information, improve sales reporting, streamline business workflow, integrate Microsoft Outlook and track products and subscriptions. With a software program, businesses can get an integrated view of sales prospects and customers, check on project status, view history and monitor service tickets with just one application. Using a web browser or mobile device, businesses can gain information anywhere and anytime. When it comes to sales and reporting, everything can be easily tracked, including sales metrics, territory management, and sales quota performance. It lessens the chance of missing important data. Real-time integration with Microsoft Outlook eliminates the need to create separate contact databases. Managing this data efficiently creates new sales opportunities.
Software That Processes Customer Service Requests
Deliver faster service, improve response times and get a complete audit trail whether customer requests arrive via a web portal, fax, phone or email. This type of software gives businesses the tools to manage outsourced IT services, track billable service work, capture service alerts, deploy a branded client access portal and monitor everything with service dashboards. Businesses can rely on IT services management software to streamline troubleshooting, help desk, support, configurations, upgrades, and maintenance. Track billable service work in the background. It’s useful when using contractors. And with service alerts being captured automatically, businesses get a speedy resolution for monitoring security alerts and viruses. Create, submit and check status reports through a client access portal. This feature streamlines response and resolution times. With service dashboards, key metrics can be monitored. All around:
Callbacks are reduced
Response times are faster
Customer issues don’t fall through the cracks
Business intelligence is enhanced by tracking trends and performance metrics
Revenue is increased
Efficiency is resolved with fewer resources
Managed Service Options That Streamline Business Operations
An entire IT department is in the palm of your hands with managed service options. And there are many elements. Whether equipment is at the provider’s facilities or in-house, businesses can opt for 24/7/365 remote monitoring and management. Opt for cloud servers. Get cloud-hosted applications to keep a business running with backup servers and backup power. Streamline operations and keep a business running with disaster recovery and backup. Duplicates of memory, application software and local data maintained by the IT provider ensures quick recovery if there is a hardware crash.
And with managed security, network vulnerabilities are minimized. Plus, an IT managed service provider can custom tailor the system for an individualized security application that meets unique needs. Some IT providers even offer third-party applications that ramp up productivity and security in the mobile corporate culture. With IT service options, companies can save money, augment in-house IT staff or replace it.
Choose mobility services and jump in on the mobile revolution to improve customer relations, reduce costs, increase sales, streamline processes and open new avenues of revenue. Mobile technologies have the capability to change the way companies operate. An IT service provider can provide a strong mobile plan and closely monitor the network. By opting for this service, businesses can free up this time-consuming task for IT departments.
Opt for collaboration services and connect with partners around the world or have a meeting with the sales team. This type of platform brings voice, video, and data to the same arena. These types of applications streamline the business process, improve efficiency and enhance productivity. And through hosted collaboration, there is also a customizable menu of options for businesses. Collaboration services include:
Assessment and design
Customer engagement solutions
Cloud collaboration
Operational support
Infrastructure diagnostics and monitoring
Help desk
Today, there are many factors fueling businesses to streamline operations with software and IT management services. Almost half of businesses stand to lose up to $10,000 an hour due to downtime. It’s also projected that up to 60 percent of businesses will go out of business within six months of a data disaster. Every week, over 120,000 businesses suffer a hardware crash. The risks are just too great for companies today. If you’re seeking more information on how you can streamline operations with software and IT managed services, contact the IT experts at {company} in {city} by calling {phone} or email at {email}.
by Felicien | Oct 3, 2017 | Education
Discover the many benefits of partnering up with an IT Managed Service Provider.
Today, many businesses are partnering up with IT managed service providers. Sixty percent of businesses use IT managed services, and that figure is expected to continue to grow. And that’s due to the many benefits from the services these professionals provide. Here’s a list of benefits to take a look at.
Control the Cost of IT
Paying an in-house IT staff is a costly venture. With IT managed service providers, you get fixed IT costs into variable costs, which allows you to budget efficiently. Companies only wind up paying for what they use and can opt to use it when they need it. Outsourcing IT task just saves companies money.
Reduce Labor Costs
Not only does it cost money to have an IT in-house staff, it costs money to hire and train. And temporary employees don’t always fulfill expectations. With outsourcing, businesses can focus on human resources in other places needed most.
Certified, Trained, Qualified and Experienced
How can you be sure that the IT employee is truly qualified for the position? With an IT managed service provider, you get a professional who is certified, trained, qualified and experienced. And if you’re planning to train an IT employee, keep in mind that certifications like Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) are very expensive.
Qualified Doesn’t Mean Experienced
No matter how much you train an IT employee, that training is isolated, and the employee may not have the right experience. An IT managed service provider sends an IT professional who is highly experienced. When you see a physician, you want one with experience right? The same holds true for IT.
Ramp Up Efficiency and Competitiveness
When companies try to do all the IT themselves in-house, it winds up being inefficient and costly in the long run. There much more time invested in implementation, research and development. And all of these costs just pass down to customers. Save on operational costs and keep your costs for services and products more affordable for customers and more competitive for your competition.
Implement the Latest Technology Fast
Technology changes as fast as lightening today. Few companies have the resources and capability of using the latest technology and implementing it fast. Handling a project in-house with the latest technology may take months to train an IT employee. IT pros from a managed provider have the skill and knowledge to implement the latest technology fast. It saves time and money.
Focus on Taking Care of Business
It’s important for companies to take care of business on a daily basis and not get distracted by complex IT decisions or problems. Trying to take care of a security breach or hardware crash takes managers away from focusing on the core business. Again, it’s a loss of valuable time and money.
Lower Business Risk
No matter what the business is, there’s always an amount of risk. Government regulations, technologies, market conditions and competition change quickly. Outsourcing IT providers lowers and manages risk by having specific industry knowledge, including compliance problems and security. Fixing these types of problems can cost a lot of money, not just in fines but in downtime. IT managed providers can help avoid risk using their base of expertise.
Level the Playing Field of Business
Many small businesses just don’t have the monies to match the in-house IT services that bigger organizations have. Outsourcing IT services helps smaller companies level the playing field with Mr. Big. The economy of scale and affordable cost structure of IT managed service providers gives smaller businesses that needed the competitive edge.
Security and Compliance
Companies can get the security needed with wire transfers, e-checks, credit cards and gift certificates. Fraud is rampant today, and companies can lose big money and their reputation with fraud. IT managed service providers are very knowledgeable with PCI compliance regulations. Businesses can minimize the risk with maintaining sensitive information along with credit card information and client data. In addition, they make sure that your firewall is up to date and a DMZ is installed. “The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and Sarbanes–Oxley Act have strict rules when it comes to the retail, healthcare and financial industries.”
24/7/365 Support
Today, many companies work around the clock. And so do their networks. With managed service providers, help is always available, whether it’s day, weekends or holidays. Companies are privy to support all the time. All around, there are just too many benefits of partnering up with an IT managed service provider for businesses today to ignore. While new technologies present strong opportunities for businesses, they also introduce daily challenges. Professional IT service managed companies can help your business meet those challenges. If you’d like to learn more, contact {company} in {city} by calling {phone} or email at {email}.
If you’d like to learn more, contact {company} in {city} by calling {phone} or email at {email}.
by Felicien | Oct 3, 2017 | Education
Non-Profit Managed IT Services & Support
The primary function of a non-profit should be to fulfill its goal, not worry about IT. Learn how non-profits can use managed services to maximize operational efficiency while minimizing IT expenditures.
It seems like a contradiction in terms that non-profits are supposed to make profits, but that’s the way things work in the non-profit world. Since your number one priority is to provide the support needed to achieve your worthwhile goal, you need to raise as much money as possible to plow back into your cause – whether that is providing a needed service, conducting research, or spreading the word. But the big irony is that raising money costs money. Potential donors want to know that the majority of their donations will go towards doing good, so you want to keep your administrative expenses as low as possible. That’s easy enough when you’re just a one or two people operation, but it gets tougher as your organization grows.
Many non-profits find that technology expenses eat up a huge portion of their budget. This requires staffing, software, and hardware just to start out. Then you’ve got to worry about keeping up-to-date and maintaining online security. IT management can become a real money pit, draining funds away from your stated purpose. Considering all the out-of-pocket costs involved in managing technology, you might be asking yourself whether it is really possible for a non-profit to manage to make profits.
The great news is that the answer is yes, with something called managed services. At {company}, we provide managed IT services that help non-profits in {city} manage the technical end of your business, while you concentrate on achieving your non-profit goals. Here’s how it works:
What are Managed Services?
If you are managing your own IT needs, you are responsible for choosing software, worrying about security, and managing the day-to-day functionality. If something goes wrong, you might need to bring in an IT expert at an added cost to fix the problem. On the other hand, managed services can be used to eliminate as much of the internal IT management needs as desired.
As the name implies, managed services are services that are managed by an outside company. In this case, a Managed Services Provider, or MSP, is contracted to manage the information technology needs of the non-profit organization. The MSP provides a defined set of services based on its contract with the non-profit. The contract could cover individual services, or the entire IT gamut, depending on the needs of the organization. Examples of managed services for non-profits might include:
Day-to-Day Operations: Instead of trying to analyze and upgrade your software and hardware needs, an MSP can be used to provide servers and consistently monitor your network to be sure that it is operating at maximum efficiency.
Donor Management: Since donations are the lifeblood of any non-profit organization, effective donor management is a high priority goal. Non-profits need to identify and motivate potential donors, while still communicating consistently with current donors to meet fund-raising goals.
Regulatory Compliance: Organizations are required to adhere to a wide range of regulatory guidelines to maintain their non-profit status, and are often subjected to audits by various agencies. It is crucial to have the necessary data easily at hand to pass these audits with flying colors. The MSP can collect and collate the necessary data on an ongoing basis so there is no need to scramble when informed of an audit. Accurate data is also necessary for reporting to the non-profit’s board or for use in annual reports to donors.
Online Security: With recent events in the news about data breaches and non-profit phishing scams, your organization needs to be extra vigilant and proactive in its efforts to eliminate security breaches. An MSP can be used to monitor online security and consistently upgrade technology platforms to counteract the latest threats.
The Benefits of Using Managed Services for Your Non-Profit
The main benefit of using managed services for a non-profit is the lower administrative costs. With an MSP, your organization does not need to purchase, maintain and upgrade the necessary hardware and software to operate efficiently. You don’t need to have a team of computer pros on hand and don’t have to spend your time worrying about your IT needs. Simply meet with your provider, communicate your needs, agree on a plan of action, and then concentrate on what you do best – providing a valuable service to your constituents. While you’re running the organization, the MSP is providing:
Computer Pros: Your organization might find it hard to attract and retain the computer expertise needed to manage your data needs, but an MSP has a team of experts that only deals with IT each and every day.
24/7 Management: Can your organization afford to hire more than one computer pro so that you have round-the-clock coverage? What happens if a new threat is detected at night, or a server crashes over the weekend? An MSP has 24/7 coverage so you don’t have to worry.
Security: It can be impossible for you to stay up-to-date on all the latest cybersecurity threats. That’s where the MSP comes in – all they do is monitor systems for possible breaches. Their job is to look for threats and come up with remedies.
Updates: Just as soon as you think you have the latest system in place, something new comes out that might put you behind the eight ball. The MSP is constantly evaluating, analyzing and upgrading systems so you get the benefit of the latest and best for your organization.
Budget Control: With a well-negotiated MSP contract, you’ll know exactly what your IT costs will be for the year, and won’t have to build any “wiggle room” into your budget.
Find out how managed services can make a difference for your non-profit organization.
Contact {company} today at {phone} or {email} and ask us how your non-profit can manage to make more profits with managed services.
by Felicien | Oct 2, 2017 | Education
October is Cyber Security Safety Month—How To Keep Your Business Secure Online.
Threats Continue to Increase. Unless You Take Specific Steps, Your Business Is in Jeopardy.
Staying safe and secure online is becoming more difficult all the time. Cyber criminals seem to be everywhere, waiting for any weakness in your IT network.
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), and has been since 2003 when the National Cyber Security Alliance and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security worked to raise awareness about this increasing threat to our nation’s security.
Cybersecurity Threats Are Increasing.
There’s no doubt that the prevalence of confidential data stored online tempts cybercriminals. Protecting IT is no longer optional – It’s a requirement.
Even with all the focus on security over the past few years, few are truly prepared to respond quickly and effectively in the event of a data breach. With governments now imposing stringent requirements for data-breach notifications, it’s imperative that you stay up-to-date, educate yourself, and comply with regulations—If not, your business and livelihood is literally at risk.
Having stringent cybersecurity guidelines in place may make the difference between an attack damaging to your business, or one that could strike a fatal blow to your organization.
Education is Key.
National Cyber Security Awareness Month stresses the need for education with a curriculum that spans five weeks:
Week 1: NCSAM encourages you to take steps to grasp the vast scope of cyber attacks that occur in the U.S. every year — More than 169 million personal records are exposed via both private businesses and government entities.
Week 2: They stress that you educate your employees at all levels by providing professional training to help them protect your organization from cyber threats.
Week 3: Combating cybercrime is the focus this week. Educate yourself and your team on the ways that cybercriminals obtain personal information.
Week 4: Our lives are increasingly interconnected, through the Internet of Things (IoT), and the need for cybersecurity professionals who can deal with today’s threats.
Week 5: NCSAM stresses the need for a hardened infrastructure to withstand all but the most brutal cyberattacks.
The Stop.Think.Connect.Toolkit
Cybercriminals target computers regardless of their physical location, or who they belong to. You’ll find resources on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website to help keep your organization safe with the:
Entrepreneurs and Small Business Tip Card
Cybersecurity Overviews
Social Media Guide
Internet of Things (IoT) Tip Card
Mobile Security Guide
These materials will help you educate your staff, and your customers, about how to stay safe online. Best practices such as changing your security passwords on a regular basis and making them secure and difficult to guess can be implemented with ease once your team understands the significant damage that can occur from hackers or other cybercriminals.
Our Shared Responsibility
The theme for 2017’s month-long event is “Our Shared Responsibility.” It highlights the important role each of us plays in keeping information safe. Whether its users who create a password that’s easily hacked or IT support staff that can’t keep up with critical patches for software, everyone must work together to create a culture of cybersecurity. Employee education, awareness, and ongoing training are the basis to promote positive security practices on an ongoing basis.
Corporate Oversight
Some business professionals indicate that security compliance measures are already in place and that they follow a C-suite level requirement. However, countering cyber risk requires oversight on all levels of an organization.
Understanding and mitigating these risks won’t guarantee that your business is safe from cyberattacks. However, it may help you bounce back from them with more resilience.
The costs associated with preventing a data breach are much lower than attempting to salvage business relationships with suppliers and customers in the event of a cyberattack – Not to mention the potential liabilities or claims that could occur.
Working with professionals in the cybersecurity industry is one of the best ways to ensure that you’re not only prepared for any eventuality, but that you have a solid plan in place and can start damage control immediately after an attack.
The team at {company} understands these challenges. We’ll work with you to create a comprehensive security plan to protect your business in {city} from data breaches, malware or other cyber threats. Contact our security professionals at {phone} or {email} to schedule your no-obligation consult.
by Felicien | Oct 2, 2017 | Education
Learn why your company should be using managed IT services.
By 2019, the managed-services market is projected to grow by $193 billion. Both small, medium and large businesses are becoming very aware of the reasons to choose the managed-services business model, and the demand is strong. Here’s an outline of some of the reasons why your business should choose IT managed-services.
Enhanced Security and Compliance
Today, security and compliance are a major concern for all businesses. Operating systems, smartphones, tablets, laptops and other types of technology store and transmit important data. This makes security critical. Falling victim to a security breach or hacker is a common fear. A breach can cost companies a loss in reputation and a huge loss in dollars. Managed service providers help protect businesses from a security breach event and take quick action if one does occur. All businesses must be compliant with regulations specific to their industry, especially the legal and health industries. A managed service provider can supplement additional policies, protocols, and procedures to ensure compliance.
Efficient and Reliable IT Operations
This is one of the most important reasons businesses need managed IT services. Lack of employees with the knowledge and skills to handle an entire network and an overburdened IT staff just leads to inefficiency and unreliability. It’s difficult to negate the value of having an IT provider. It’s a partnership that is collaborative that leads to more efficient and reliable IT operations. While it doesn’t replace an in-house IT staff, it enhances its capabilities. Not only do issues get resolved quickly, businesses have the benefits of the latest technology and innovative solutions to maximize uptime and profitability. These technologies include cloud computing, backup and disaster recovery and remote monitoring and management. The need to keep the entire IT infrastructure efficient and reliable is a big reason for managed IT services.
Cost Effectiveness and Return on Investment
Working with a managed IT service provider benefits companies financially. It’s a considerable cost saving. It helps control outgoing expenses and increases return on investment. Typically, an IT budget consists of many things like IT labor, maintenance costs, software and network infrastructure and hardware costs. Using outdated software negatively impacts return on investment. Plus, managed IT services provide scalability and flexibility to grow in a manner that internal IT teams cannot provide. Businesses can easily project IT expenses on a monthly basis and can plan for improvements and larger projects. IT services play an instrumental role in cost-effectiveness and return on investment.
A Proactive Approach to Maintenance
This is another major reason to work with a managed IT service provider. Businesses no longer have to waste time thinking about its IT infrastructure. There’s no need to worry about daily things like the speed of network connections and dependability. With a managed IT service provider, businesses are given the luxury of an all-day, every day around the clock coverage. Security and service solutions are always at work detecting potential disturbances, vulnerabilities, and threats. Issues and bugs can most likely be detected and fixed before the business is even aware of a problem. And data management on the cloud with a service provider yields more revenue. IT service providers offer a proactive community with regular and encrypted backups, virtualization and cloud computing.
Free Up Internal IT Staff to Concentrate on Strategic Projects
Often, businesses need their own internal staff to focus their energy on other tasks. It’s a good reason to work with an IT managed provider. Projects and other needed tasks get the time and attention needed. It maximizes the company’s IT budget. Think about it. It doesn’t make any practical sense to have an internal IT team handling things like migrating over to Microsoft Office 365 when it can be expertly handled by a provider. With specialized services, managed service providers take the pressure off the internal IT team.
Variety of Solutions
Many businesses need solutions specific to their individual needs, such as accounting software solutions and customer relationship management software (CRM). Managed service providers offer accounting software to monitor its transactions. It automates the business process and manual information. With CRM, businesses can get greater visibility garner through:
surveys
notes
campaigns
The end result is a secure data control system that helps manage business information and customer information. With accounting software solutions, businesses can monitor financial information, vendors and taxes. It’s designed to suit the needs of the specific company.
Technology is transforming the world of business. But it changes fast and is a complex industry. Most companies today want to streamline its IT operations and turn to managed IT service providers to accomplish that goal. If you’d like to learn more about managed IT services, contact {company} in {city} by calling phone} or by emailing at {email}. The IT professionals at {company} are always happy to answer any questions.
