Does this sound familiar? You’re the proprietor of a small business and you’ve struggled to grapple with the complexities of your information technology, leading to some very frustrating technological gaffes. If so, don’t fret! This is an all too common phenomenon as, oftentimes, IT is a fast-changing and expensive piece of infrastructure to navigate through. Not only can it become obsolete in a matter of months, but owing to financial restraints, your small business may wind up hiring incompetent personnel to handle your IT, causing more harm than good.
In extreme cases, this can lead to a loss of crucial company data and set your business back by several weeks (if not more!). Here’s the good news. It doesn’t have to be that way! Making the simple decision to hire a competent tech support team right off the bat will make all the difference.
Hiring an expert small business IT consultant at the right time can help your business identify security threats, stay abreast of the latest IT news and even administer debugging and troubleshooting services before the damage is done.
Here are four common mistakes committed by small businesses and how a reliable tech support team can help mitigate them.
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Non-Existent or Insufficient Tech Support
This is perhaps one of the most common mistakes. Many small businesses are tempted to get one of their existing employees, the designated “computer whiz” of the group, to handle their IT hiccups. This ultimately culminates in several botched attempts to identify and debug the issue to no avail.
Others turn to their hardware manufacturer’s customer support line in the hopes that they can get access to quick and effective guidance without that leading to more IT problems. However, the often undereducated and novice advice that these support lines provide falls short when they insist that a full system reinstallation is in order, leading to the loss of tremendous amounts of your data.
By using these methods, you are doing your business a great disservice in the long run. Not only are these financially draining, but they offer poor IT investment, administration and troubleshooting options.
What your small business is really craving is trusted, knowledgeable and highly experienced technology partners who’ve dealt with every IT issue fathomable. Your company is not a guinea pig. You shouldn’t have to be exposed to experimental IT support that often yields detrimental results. A proficient tech team quickly familiarizes themselves with your needs and brainstorms services and solutions and how best to deploy them – all resulting in a more profitable and stress-free experience for you!
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Shoddy Backup Strategies
The costs associated with the lack of backup strategies for small businesses are often quite staggering. Asinine mistakes that arise from failure to adequately back up your business’s data are irreversible. Certain studies estimate that about 50% of companies will be coerced to stop their operations immediately if there is a loss in critical data – a possibility that is all the more likely in the case of small businesses without the right tech support. This same study reveals that an organization is setting itself up for a 90% chance of failure in the subsequent two-year period after the loss of data. Besides being very expensive, recovering data and restoring damaged disks is a very bothersome procedure.
IT consultants will work closely with you to ascertain exactly what files, information, and data are integral and need to be backed up, how often data sets must be created, how the backups can be located and how often the integrity of the backup strategy must be tested. By investing in these proven IT solutions, you can have access to top-notch software upgrades and migrations and can conduct your activities with the confidence that your data is absolutely secure.
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Illegal Software
In the internet age, acquiring illegal software isn’t challenging at the very least. In fact, The Business Software Alliance has released data stating that over 22% of all software used by individuals and companies in North America is unlicensed. This has put software manufacturers on the alert, making them extremely cautious about locking down the licensing rights to their intellectual property. This is done through product activation interfaces and, if not carried out correctly by the buyer of the software, can lead to significant fines.
Small businesses are more likely to fall into this lethal trap than others. They often don’t understand that, by using borrowed or pirated software, they are exposing themselves to a much bigger problem. Using unlicensed software can lead to complications on the off chance that a software audit is conducted. Then there is the possibility of penalties, delays in resolving activation conflicts, and delays in restoring failed systems back into operation due to lack of access to the software’s customer service line.
A competent IT consultant helps mitigate these complications altogether. Rest assured that you will be protected from penalties, licensing errors and have access to speedy recovery times when drawbacks present themselves. On your behalf, the tech support team carefully documents and tracks all purchased and deployed software. Plus, they are well aware of the reputable sources from which to purchase software and will help you understand the licensing agreements that you accept when you first install them.
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Virus and Spyware Exposure
Reports from the BBC have revealed a shocking statistic. Apparently, unprotected PCs are vulnerable to becoming infected with a virus about eight seconds after connecting to the internet. These infections bring with them a significant amount of damage to your system. Upwards of $2,500 in remediation and recovery expenses may be incurred by your company due to virus incidents. As threats are on the rise, malware programs are evolving to accommodate virus scans every couple of hours instead of once a day.
Now, more than ever, a potent antivirus software, especially in high-risk environments, is the need of the hour for small businesses. A trusted and reliable tech team is equipped with the knowledge to provide access to de facto industry-grade antivirus software that can accommodate frequent updates, automated scans, and real-time protection. Additionally, the team ensures that licenses are updated regularly and security program log files are reviewed to confirm that everything is properly functioning as it should. All this paves the way for you to conduct your business competently without having to worry about it being susceptible to software threats.
Don’t let your IT woes get the best of you. Leave your tech troubles to us and enjoy top-notch support with our proven and powerful solutions.
