4 Keys to Choosing the Best Managed IT Support Company

IT Infrastructure has become a driving force in the success of many businesses today and your organization is only as good as your IT. From workstations and smartphones to databases, servers, collaboration tools, websites, and cybersecurity. These are just a fraction of the complex and delicate systems and tools that a company’s IT team has to take care of. Having unreliable systems with constant downtime and nagging issues, poor cybersecurity and inadequate IT planning leads to poor service, customer and employee satisfaction and financials.

For this reason, it has never been a better time to have a proficient and experienced managed IT support company that is security minded and has not only you and your organization’s best interest in mind but also sees the big picture. Your protection and your business’s reputation depend on the reliability of the IT support company you partner with. Therefore, it is vital you get the best company on board for a streamlined operation.

Choosing the Best Managed IT Support Company

There are a variety of factors that play roles in making this decision. You must ensure that you get each of these spot on to find the best managed IT support company for your business.

Find a Proactive and not a Reactive Company

There are a few things in life one can be sure of, and when it comes to digital systems, it’s that they will fail at some point. Reactive companies focus on responding to these failures after they’ve happened. Whether it is a data breach, a server malfunction or a bug fix, the service of a reactive company is limited to responding to these after the damage is done.

A proactive company, on the other hand, focuses on reducing eventualities in the system as much as possible. They will not only measure and monitor your IT infrastructure and wait for an eventuality; but they have a process that implements and maintains IT best practices across the company to achieve better-performing systems, disaster recovery planning, which causes a lower risk of breaches.

This is the best way of reducing the harm of an unexpected situation and save your company the cost of solving the issue.

To get this right, ask the IT support company a few things, such as:

• Whether they have a process to measure and implement best practices for your IT infrastructure regularly and if there’s a dedicated resource for this;
• What kinds of methods they use to protect you from data breaches;
• Whether they have a resourceful and experienced CIO who regularly meets with the clients and helps develop an all-encompassing IT plan and budget;
• Whether they have 24×7 support and if it includes on-site help in case remote assistance proves insufficient.

You might be interested in our post: Is Your IT Company Truly Proactive?>>

Go for Layered Cybersecurity

Many people have monitored alarm systems, cameras and multiple locks around their home to provide security and prevent intruders getting in their home. Layered cybersecurity follows a similar principle. Having several lines of defense in your IT infrastructure is the best way to reduce the chances of having a security breach. Multiple technologies are used to strengthen a digital system that, when stacked together, make it nearly impenetrable.

For a medium-sized company, the cost of a data breach averages around $32000, and as time goes by and more stories about data breaches hit the news, it’s more evident that security threats are widespread. Hiring a managed IT support company that implements several layers of security measures can save your business from a very embarrassing situation and, most importantly, a lot of money.

At a minimum, a security-minded managed IT support company should encourage your business to implement and help you maintain:

• Firewall
• Antivirus & Antimalware protection
• Password managers
• Virtual private networks (VPNs)
• DNS level monitoring
• Cybersecurity awareness training at regular intervals and phishing simulations
• Software patching and updating

Cost is Important, But Not Everything

Naturally, one of the most significant factors in deciding what service you go for, regardless of its nature, is how much it costs. People tend to go for a cheaper service to save money. This, however, can be a huge mistake when it comes to choosing the best Managed IT Support Company for your business. A significant cost difference between two companies could mean the cheapest option does not offer you the best protection or support, or that they follow a more reactive approach. There’s also the chance that it has hidden charges within their contract such as extra fees for on-site visits, and the support might not be available 24×7 or could be less responsive than you need them to be. In scenarios like these, you might pay less initially, but you’ll most likely end up paying more in the long run.

Importance of Backup and Mitigation

No company or security is fool-proof. A fire, flood or a security breach can happen any minute and you can count your organization will face a disaster sooner or later. The best managed IT support company will not only give your business the best protection but also ensure you experience as little downtime as possible. Whether it is the website’s servers or the cloud platform, downtime affects a business more than anything. Having a good mitigation strategy with backups and disaster recovery planning will be key to get you back on your feet quickly.

If you want to have a good name for your business, you have to partner with an IT support company that truly understands your organization and gives you the best protection. Although there are many IT support companies out there, few are as capable as Envision Consulting when it comes to proactive managed IT, security and risk management. There’s no telling what kind of issues you’ll face, but having the best managed IT support company helps you tackle those issues sooner than later.

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