Managed services providers, or MSPs, consist of expert technicians that maintain and provide IT services for a business. These MSPs typically focus their IT support on improving and protecting business infrastructures.
There are plenty of small businesses in the Renton area that could benefit immensely from partnering with an outsourced IT company. It's overwhelming for a medium to small-sized business to provide technical support and maintain IT security on their own. They need to focus on growing their business, not just keeping it afloat.
Renton-based MSPs offload the stress of IT introduce solutions to bolster productivity. Let’s explore five ways in which an IT support company can foster growth for small businesses in Renton.
1. Improved Safety and Security
It’s easy to overlook the importance of security – especially as a small business that has many other things to think about. Unfortunately, cyberattacks can happen everywhere, and all businesses need to be prepared to protect themselves.
A company that’s just finding its footing will find it difficult to recover from an attack or data breach. It doesn’t just jeopardize business safety – it affects their reputation with their customers. The mishandling or loss of private consumer information can easily tarnish a company’s standing in the community, forcing them to fight for the trust they worked so hard to gain.
In addition, cyberattacks such as malware schemes, data breaches, and phishing scams are extremely expensive to recover from. An estimated one in five small companies fall victim to cyberattacks during their business lifespan and fail to recover.
A report from Hiscox revealed cyberattacks and data breaches cost businesses an average of $200,000 per attack. This is far beyond what most businesses can afford, especially those that are relatively new. If you don’t want to risk closing your doors at the first sign of danger, you need an MSP to protect you.
How Can an MSP Protect a Company?
Quality IT support companies take a multilayered approach to protect business systems from cyber threats, data breaches, and viruses. Even after your security is up-to-par, MSPs continue to run regular checkups and updates to keep pace with ever-evolving viruses and threats.
IT support companies may also specialize their security to meet geographical needs – which is a big reason to hire locally. Ransomware support in Renton might be different than in another city because it’s designed to face the dangers common in that area, not a town in another state.
Disaster Recovery Plans
Most MSPs also offer disaster recovery plans to protect your data in the event of a natural disaster, such as a fire or flood. After all, security isn’t just about understanding digital threats, but natural ones, as well.
A proper support team will create cloud-based backup storage for your data so it can be recovered if servers crash or there is damage beyond repair.
2. Impress Future and Current Clients
Renton is home to a thriving economy with many businesses in a vast array of industries. If you want to beat the heavy competition, it’s important to stand out and establish trust with consumers and clients.
The ability to generate customer satisfaction is what truly drives growth for a business. With the help of an IT support company, a business can streamline its internal/external processes – which include better data management, conflict resolution, and more. As a result, this improves the overall reputation of both current (and future) customers.
An MSP will work with your company to find areas that need improvement. Your goals will help MSPs determine the exact services you need, and from there, you can establish a partnership that truly helps you secure happy clients.
One of the biggest ways that MSPs improve client satisfaction is through automation. Your team will have more time to spend on customer support if it’s not bogged down with manual tasks that could be automated with the right technology.
A lack of automation can also lead to increases in human error. This is especially concerning when these human mistakes lead to situations that jeopardize customer safety, private information, etc.
Outsourced IT support companies step in to automate repeatable tasks and reduce the odds of mistakes. Some examples of tasks that MSPs can automate include:
- Routine maintenance
- Software updates
- Anti-virus protocols
- Customer responses
- Feedback gathering
- Company asset management
3. Spend Less Money on Better Technology
Many people worry that they will have to pay more to access IT support through an MSP. In reality, working with an IT provider can actually save your business money. It sounds backward, but we’ll explain how.
Access to Affordable Expertise
The first way that MSPs save your business money is by connecting you with experts for a great price.
Many small businesses in Renton try to save money by setting up mediocre IT support in-house. They assign one or two employees who are “good with computers” to handle any technological issues - but they don’t really have paid experts on the staff. Most of the time, these team members are more equipped to handle printer jams and computer reboots.
These employees typically have other job responsibilities and can easily become overwhelmed if a series of IT issues occur all at once. What are they to do when the entire system goes down or a line of fellow employees needs help?
Additionally, these likely aren’t experts, and they aren’t prepared to face serious threats, system failures, or attacks. Their main priority isn’t your IT, and therefore, your IT will suffer.
Businesses that avoid hiring real IT experts will likely find themselves dealing with subpar tech setups and infrastructures, as well as more risks that can lead to expensive remediation costs. In the long run, hiring real tech pros will save money - as you face fewer problems and create happier employees.
Hiring an IT MSP is the most cost-effective way for businesses to receive access and guidance from IT experts without having to hire them as full-time employees. There’s no need to pay their salaries or sign them up for company benefits, and yet you have full access to their knowledge and skills.
4. Avoid Long Wait Times for Help
When something goes wrong, do you spend hours on hold with external IT help?
That’s unacceptable. IT problems strike like lightning, and you need immediate help to mitigate expense problems and a loss of customer faith.
With MSPs, you can forget waiting around for help, hoping an IT professional shows up at your door. Tech disasters (or even just regular failures) require immediate attention, and an MSP will provide that.
IT support companies generally offer an online support desk to answer IT-related questions and troubleshoot technology issues. These support desks are made up of IT experts who have experience resolving a wide range of problems.
The Benefit of Using a 24/7 IT Support Provider
Disastrous cyberattacks and system failures can occur at any time. That means businesses always need access to IT experts – even on weekends and holidays. With 24/7 support, any IT issue, big or small, can be resolved in a timely manner so businesses reduce their downtime.
That’s another reason to hire locally. IT support companies in Renton are more accessible than national or global MSPs. So when disaster strikes, your help is physically close and within the same time zone.
5. Stay Up to Date with the Latest Technology
Business growth puts a lot on your plate. Keeping up with new technology and processes is a challenge, especially when you’re juggling employee onboarding, marketing efforts, and client management.
Most MSPs offer access to the latest and best tools and technology to improve operations and keep up with the competition. These innovations are cost-effective and often come included as part of the monthly fee.
This gives small to mid-sized businesses access to tools that they would otherwise be unable to afford or that they wouldn’t have time to learn about. These advanced tools and technologies improve processes, workflows, and communication within the company (and with customers).
In addition, each online tool provided by an MSP is frequently updated and maintained by a team of professional IT technicians. This removes the need to spend time training in-house employees to maintain technology.
In Conclusion
There are many ways in which growing businesses in Renton can benefit from outsourcing with an MSP. An outsourced IT company can help save your business money and improve online operations and productivity.
Additionally, MSPs make it easier for businesses to focus on what really matters: scaling the business. IT support companies take away the stress and anxiety of trying to keep up with evolving business tech on your own. Leave your companies’ IT to the experts.
Why is IT support important to a business’s growth? Let’s find it out together.
Give us a call at 206-388-3838 or send us a message today.
