It’s common knowledge that staying abreast of current business technology presents an ever-moving target. Business owners and managers have their hands full with running their own business, and often do not have time to dedicate to designing or maintaining an IT infrastructure. It often seems impossible to follow the trends and implement the most effective IT solutions. Below are a few examples of the shortcomings of self-managed IT for small businesses.
Insufficient Technical Support
In many cases, the new young employee who knows how to install apps on his smart phone becomes the de facto in-house troubleshooter for “all things computers”. In other cases, the owner’s friend’s husband who works at the big computer company comes in at night to fix issues. These situations often leave the organizations with unresolved problems, patch-work solutions, and frustrated under-productive employees. A “moonlighting” approach often leaves the small business with no tech support to call during business hours.
Of course, it’s not justified for many businesses to employ a dedicated in-house IT professional. Often, there is not a full workload week over week for this person. This is where an IT partner company, such as Gravity Systems, comes in. We integrate into your organization as the “on-demand” IT department. The level of support and maintenance we provide is structured to best fit your company’s needs, whether it’s weekly onsite support, monthly maintenance and help-desk support, tech support calls a couple times a year or some combination thereof. This model allows your company to scale up to several IT professionals for server install projects and then scale back to the equivalent of a part-time person for ongoing operations.
Aged Hardware and Software
With so many options and changing technologies, it’s tough to know what the best computer solutions are for your organization. It can also be difficult to track and manage the computer assets to ensure proper maintenance and equipment rotation. Like all equipment, computer and networking components will wear over time. As they age, they become less reliable, require more repairs, and generally slow down. Additionally, older hardware and software does not keep up with the resource needs of the newer IT environments. Think about riding a horse and buggy on a modern freeway; it is not fun!
With the Gravity Systems Managed Network plan, we help you keep track of the age and performance of your IT assets. As the warranty coverage expires on your equipment we make plans with you for replacement. In this manner, down time can be planned for what is best for your business instead of having a server crash during a busy time of your for your business.
Missing software updates and patches
Microsoft and other software providers regularly distribute updates and patches for their products. These are usually fixes for security vulnerabilities or performance bugs. Not keeping up with these can wreak tremendous havoc on your entire network. Having even one computer behind on patches can leave an opening for malware to spread to all computers. The Gravity Systems maintenance plan covers these updates on a monthly cycle so you can keep focus on moving your business forward.
Hopeless power protection
Unstable power in your building or a surge during a lightning strike can severely damage electronic components. An unusable server or a fried hard drive can cost your company both lost data and lost productivity due to down time. Battery backups are an essential part of the network protection plan. Gravity Systems can review your current devices to make sure your protection is sufficient.
Outdated Virus Exposure
Similar to missing security patches, old definitions for your antivirus software inhibits your protection against the latest threats. Many antivirus software products update every few hours. However, many issues can cause the updates to get suspended or disrupted. Our managed network plan includes verifying your AV software is updating correctly.
Getting the right technical solutions for your small business is not difficult with Gravity Systems. We minimize downtime and help you overcome the challenges with our expert assistance. You can be sure of enhanced productivity with our services.
