A lot of outsourced IT service providers claim to be proactive in preventing security breaches and keeping technology updated, but the truth is they concentrate on reacting to issues rather than resolving them. This approach usually results in sub-par service and IT systems, loss of revenue, data breaches, and unexpected IT expenses. It isn’t overly dramatic to say that inefficient IT support will hamper business growth, or in worst cases, lead to permanent closure.
To keep your firm completely safe from hackers while maintaining and implementing the best practices over all networks and systems, it is crucial to hire a proactive IT support provider like Vodigy.
Red flags of reactionary IT partners
A tech support provider that carelessly doles out short-term fixes isn’t any more effective or economical than hiring someone in house. Think of the following red flags as clues that your IT support group has “dropped the ball” and is placing your organization at risk by taking a reactive approach.
They don’t regularly test your backups
Service providers like Vodigy offer business continuity solutions because they are aware that data is vital to the success of your company. Without such a plan in place, it’s only a matter of time before your business falls prey to a disaster. During a disaster is not when you want to find out you have one of these issues:
- Backups have become corrupted
- Your backups are incomplete
- Backups fell behind schedule and are too old
- Your backups were misconfigured and files were overwritten
All of these issues can be fixed if your IT provider confirms the integrity of your backups at least once every three months.
They don’t form a long-term budget and IT plan for your company
Efficient IT management requires all-inclusive support that aligns well with the way your firm does business. Professional IT consultants help you select the best solutions for cybersecurity, email, hardware, software, and data storage while creating a budget that has a forward-thinking perspective.
They don’t perform regular network and systems checks to make sure everything is working.
Your IT service provider should visit your firm periodically to check if its systems and network are safe from data breaches. Technology evolves every day, so it is up to your IT support team to resolve as many issues as they can while keeping the network and system working smoothly. A managed IT services provider worth its salt will establish and review the ideal practices for your organization’s networks and systems, including:
- Regularly auditing support requests to look for trends and proactively resolve issues
- Implementing strict email security measures
- Frequently updating firewalls, servers, workstations, etc.
- Training your employees to create secure passwords and avoid phishing scams
The same IT issues keep reoccurring
If you or anyone in your company feels like he or she is constantly calling your IT provider about computer or network-related issues, that means your support team has become ineffective. A first-rate service provider will adopt a hands-on approach to make sure that a problem is solved correctly the first time. Additionally, if your IT provider can’t guarantee that your requests are handled in a certain timeframe, you should question how much they care about your business.
When your workstations aren’t functioning well, the office internet is slow, or data backups are outdated, it may be a good idea to make the switch to a more competent IT service provider.
Has your IT service provider “dropped the ball”?
Small businesses experiencing one or more of these warning signs shouldn’t feel like they can’t afford better. Feel free to get in touch with Vodigy Networks today to learn more about how our managed IT services can help your company succeed.
