After dealing with months of regrettable news, a lot of businesses are trying to find the right strategy to navigate all the challenges their road ahead presents. With costs rising and revenues shrinking, there needs to be a strategic urgency that will allow your business to sustain operations when other companies are laying off their workers and folding into obscurity. Today, we take a look at some of the technology services that you can use to keep your business afloat during the economic downturn.
Managed IT Services
It’s true that many businesses that are looking to cut back on their expenses have already moved over to a managed service provider (MSP) in order to reduce their IT support costs. Many of today’s businesses depend on their technology, and one of the best ways to cut back on your IT-related expenses is to outsource some or all of the management.
Your business has probably committed to a certain level of productivity, and more than likely COVID-19 has reconfigured those expectations. When your staff was laid off or working remotely, you may have seen the effect it has on your bottom line already, but more likely as things return to “normal” you will see revenues hindered from all types of outside factors and the productivity of your staff may not be your biggest concern. It may be keeping people employed. Unfortunately, in today’s austere business climate, that may not be possible.
By outsourcing your IT management and support to an MSP, you can get the comprehensive IT support your business needs, while reducing your technology-related expenses dramatically. IT services providers excel in keeping downtime to a minimum by constantly monitoring and actively managing all supported technology to ensure that problems are mitigated and downtime is left to a minimum. Additionally, MSPs provide around-the-clock IT support for all of your staff through our help desk.
When looking to cut costs, maintain support, and still get the IT support your business demands, choosing the right MSP will go a long way toward keeping your IT working for your staff and not the other way around.
Migrate to the Cloud
Another service model that can reduce upfront costs is to migrate internal IT over to the cloud. This goes double for companies that were looking to spend this year’s IT budget on a new hardware refresh. Since committing to large investment is not a prudent strategy right now, utilizing the cloud for new operational strategies might be just what you need to stem the tide until your company can afford that new server.
Think about it: consider that a hardware replacement could come with a five-to-six figure price tag (depending on the size of your company), paying for the computing that your company uses in the cloud can be a great short-term sacrifice that will allow you to get through lean times with more of your business’ technology intact.
Committing to Security
With so many businesses using hosted solutions, there is a concern that it will make information systems less secure. It’s for this reason that prioritizing your physical, network, and cybersecurity strategies has to be a priority.
- Physical security - Your business’ physical security always has to be a priority, and in recessionary times, that priority is heightened. Digital camera systems, access control, and secure authentication systems are important when you need to monitor, control, and protect your business’ assets.
- Network security - Ensuring that you have the protections needed to detect intrusion and eliminate threats will go a long way toward ensuring your internal IT continues functioning proficiently.
- Cybersecurity - Protecting your remote endpoints and having a mobile security plan are important to ensure that your cybersecurity is maintained. You will also want to properly train your staff on the myriad of cybersecurity threats that could decimate your ability to do business. Making sure each person on your network understands the basics of phishing and can tell spoofed emails from others. Not allowing scammers access to your network is the best way to protect your business’ technology from malware and other problems.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put everyone in a tight spot. If you need help navigating this period, you aren’t alone. Call the IT experts at CoreTech today at (270) 282-4926 to discuss your plans to get your business back on the fast track to success.
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