Top 5 Advantages to Getting Proactive and Outsourcing Your Business IT Services

There are many reasons to outsource your IT service needs outside your business core. Managed Network, IT, and Hosting Services are designed to provide these solutions as well as provide other value added services.

Microsoft acknowledges that your business can save time and money by letting a MSP (Managed Services Provider), such as Magnet Solutions Group Managed IT Services, take care of those needs. A MSP serves as your IT department, enabling you to devote your resources to growing your business.

Look around your office and at your staff. Assuming you are not a legal firm or medical practice, do you have an in-house lawyer or doctor? For most of you, the answer to this question is no. These are business functions that do not require an in-house expert but are instead outsourced to individuals or firms outside your business that specialize in these areas.

Now look under your desks. Is one of your best employees, possibly an accountant, crawling around, banging on a computer trying, to get another employee back to work? Is your office manager collecting backup tapes or taking hard drives home so that you have an off-site copy of your backup? Do you log into the server to change passwords when people forget them or answer basic questions about how to print or do something in Excel?
What is wrong with this picture?

If any of the above scenarios sound familiar, the question you need to ask is what do these tasks have to do with servicing your customers or clients? While it may seem like it is the best solution to have your own in-house IT staff, would your time and money not be better spent working with your sales team to close new business, focus on generating more revenue and eliminating costs, hitting the golf course, or getting home in time for dinner with your family?

How much more productive might your accountant, office manager, or other valuable employee be if they did not need to spend time dealing with IT problems?

IT systems, both internal and external, are an integral part of all businesses today. While they have been getting smaller and more compact, the complexity has increased. Paper has given away to digital documents that live not in fire-proof steel cabinets but instead exist on hardware prone to failure and exposed to human error. The rise of mobile and cloud computing have brought with them additional concerns about security and privacy that require specialized expertise and skill sets.

You need to make sure your IT plan includes a strong maintenance schedule for your computers and servers. It doesn’t need to be done manually and it should be done outside of regular business hours. Maintenance should be happening at least weekly.

Here are 5 advantages your maintenance should include, and a MSP such as Magnet Solutions Group can provide, in order for you to get proactive about your IT services.

1. Microsoft Windows and Third Party Software Updates
Microsoft is regularly fixing bugs and flaws with their software and closing security holes. This applies to servers and computers, both their operating systems and other Microsoft programs like Office. If you’re not doing these updates, your systems will have more problems and you’ll get frustrated regularly. Many programs and web browsing rely on Java, Flash, or other Adobe products like Reader. In recent years hackers have targeted exploits within these programs to get viruses onto computers. These need to be updated regularly to protect your environment.

2. Device Firmware Updates
Your network devices have something called firmware running on them. Just like Windows updates, this gets updated regularly by the manufacturer for both functionality and security.

3. Server and Computer Optimization
An efficiently running server can make your business infrastructure run more efficiently and prevent downtime. There are numerous tasks you can do on servers to speed them up and increase reliability. It is the same with computers. If you ever feel your computer is running slow, you’re right and it’s probably because it needs to be better optimized

4. Implementation of a Multi-Layered Security Approach
Any businesses or non-profit should have a multi-layered approach to security, which includes:
• Strong gateway security to your network with a unified threat management firewall device
• Hosted anti-spam protection to eliminate email-born threats, the most common cause of viruses
• End-point anti-virus and anti-spyware security for computers and mobile devices
• Ongoing user education because your staff can be the weakest link in your IT security
• Rock solid backup system to protect your data in case your network gets compromised

5. Make Sure Your Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan is Rock Solid
Last, but definitely not least, you need to have a rock solid backup and disaster recovery plan for two reasons. First, without your data, you do not have a business so you need to invest in protecting it. With the quality of backup software and cloud technologies available, you have no excuse not to be protecting your data properly. Unfortunately many businesses are not doing that. A trend we are seeing that will continue to grow is many customers or partner organizations are asking those they work with for information on their backup and disaster recovery plans. If you are doing a big RFP and can’t confidently describe your backup and disaster recovery plan, it could hurt your ability to win a big deal.

The solution? Magnet Solutions Group

Much like lawyers and accountants, managing your IT systems and infrastructure no longer require in-house staff or personnel and the HR costs and concerns that come with them. Unlike legal opinions or completing year end tax returns, ensuring a smooth running, problem free IT infrastructure needs constant care and attention in the form of proactive and preventative maintenance.
As a qualified Managed Services Provider, Magnet Solutions Group, much like a law firm, can leverage specialized software and systems along with the vast expertise of their team of technicians to ensure that your computer systems are safe, secure and well supported allowing you to focus on what you do best… growing and profiting your business.

David Blair ~ January 1, 2015