So your business is growing and it’s time to start onboarding new recruits and getting more assistance for your business and technical operations. But how do you know when it’s time to reach out for IT support services?
As a small or medium entrerprise, working with limited resources and a small time, you’ll understand the importance of efficiency. So recruiting more people may be daunting. More people means more hardware and software to manage, more security considerations, and more complex IT requirements as a business.
5 signs your business is ready to reach out for IT support services
So you think it might be time to reach out for help for all things IT? But how do you know that now is the right time? Here are 5 signs that you are ready to reach out for IT support services.
1. Tech upkeep is draining too many resources
While providing basic administrative support, setting up new laptops, and keeping software up to date may seem like simple tasks in isolation, having to manage all of these things across a growing business can be a huge drain on resources.
Not to mention, the time, productivity, and employee satisfaction you may be losing if they can’t do their jobs because of unresolved technical issues. If an employee, particularly in a business-critical area of the organisation, is unable to work for a day or more, this could set you back on reaching your goals and cause knock-on delays for other areas.
Staff retention has never been a bigger challenge than in 2022. With more people working remotely, the need for remote business IT support is only growing. And the experience needs to be smooth.
Any IT support provider worth their salt should be able to provide ongoing support for anything from administrative tasks through to firewall maintenance remotely. With little to no delay and without the need to travel anywhere.
2. Onboarding and offboarding is causing problems or delays
Onboarding and offboarding is one of the most important phases of the employee lifecycle. While it may be relatively simple from a HR administration standpoint, managing the IT and systems onboarding can be a real challenge. Especially as your company is expanding and you’re taking on more people, you can’t afford any added delays or problems.
The first 1-3 months an employee is working for you is the time they are most likely to leave. And friction in the tech onboarding phase can add to this concern. If it seems like you can’t get your act together on the tech front, why would they stick around to see how it goes?
The job market is incredibly competitive, so a smooth employee experience and onboarding process has never been more important.
Then, of course, we need to look at offboarding and what this means both logistically and from a security standpoint. You cannot afford for former employees to have access to sensitive data or intellectual property once they have left the organisation. And in many roles, this offboarding process needs to begin as soon as they have handed in their notice.
An IT support provider can help you to overcome these hurdles. If you are struggling to manage these business-critical processes as your current scale, managing them as you scale up may become incredibly challenging, if not impossible. IT support teams, like ours, can help you not only decrease the time youre spending managing these processes, but also improve the employee experience through a seamleass onboarding and offboarding process.
Speaking of which, did you hear about our zero-touch onboarding onto your tech for new employees? We even include a welcome box alongside their brand new kit.
3. Security is a growing concern
In the UK alone, approximately 65,000 cyberattacks are launched on SMBs every day. Especially for London-based businesses, IT security is a growing concern and it’s easy to see why. So if your business is growing, you’re handling more data, developing more IP, and your network integrity is an increasing concern, it’s probably time to reach out for support.
We’re based in Central London and can provide on-site valuations of your hardware, software, and kit like servers anywhere in the UK. But any IT support provider should provide regular security reviews and security assessments in review meetings.
These security assessments should include:
- Penetration testing
- Antivirus software testing
- Firewall rules
- VPN activity reports
- New security solutions
But as a growing business, you also need to be considering compliance and regulatory requirements. Navigating the UK’s many IT security certifications can be a real challenge, from ISO 9000 to GDPR, regulations are often updated and can change at short notice. So it’s best to leave this upkeep to the experts.
Compliance work should always be left to the experts. Working with an IT support provider ensures that you’ll have a team of professionals with an in-depth understanding of regulatory and compliance needs on your side.
If your business is based in London, take a look at our guide to business IT support in London.
4. Productivity is taking a hit
Productivity can, of course, be impacted from multiple directions. But if you know or suspect that some of this disruption is coming from your tech, it’s time to get the specialists on board to help. Unless you are a specialised IT professional, it can be really hard to understand where the issues are and what it slowing things down.
Where are your technological barriers? What isn’t working and where does the problem originate?
And when it comes to making key purchasing decision, it also pays to have a deep understanding of the pros and cons of each technical asset you want to use. We also offer IT consultancy services to help you choose the platforms that are right for you. Many businesses end up purchasing additional lisences or software they simply don’t need, unaware that the systems like Microsoft 365 or Google Workplace already provide what they need.
This can result in not only unecessary expense, but also in systems that don’t integrate properly with each other. And this can also impact productivity throughout your organisation. An IT support provider can help guide you through these purchasing decisions and assist in the integration process to ensure all of your systems are connected.
5. You aren’t getting value from your IT systems and assets
As an SMB, especially in London, chances are your biggest priority if your bottom line. As with any growing business, profit cannot be the only factor and you also need to be smart with your spending. So it may seem contradictory for us to sit here and say that now is the time to invest in support.
But the reality is, you can make your money back and then some in cost and time savings as well as staff retention.
Tech and network issues can cost a lot of money. In lost productivity for your staff but also in a drop in service for your customers or clients. An IT support provider can not only help you to make the most of your existing assets and help you with purchasing decisions in the future, they can also provide ongoing support and help you to address network issues quickly.
There’s also no reason for SMBs like yourselves to be forking out retail price for hardware and equipment like servers. IT support providers will work with a trusted network of national supplied to deliver projects and hardware at a reduced cost. A saving that will get passed onto your business.
So there you have it. 5 key signs that it is time to reach out and ask for some support with your IT and cyber security.
If you want to reach out for that help today, please get in touch with our team.