2020 Choosing your next IT provider – Proactive not reactive!
IT is the way the modern business world functions. It can mean the difference between a thriving business with great growth and future prospects, to one left behind from its competition. Reliance on IT is paramount, with some staff relying solely on a good level of IT to do their job to the required standard. It has also become the main avenue from which customers purchase goods and services.
A poorly managed IT system can put data at risk of a cyber-attack, in turn losing confidence from your existing and potential customers. A data breach due to poor IT could have severe financial ramifications also.
An IT provider should offer reassurance that your systems are securely managed by professionals. Whilst many providers are capable of offering a service choosing the best provider for your business isn’t easy.
A key thing business owners should pay attention to, is whether the provider has a ‘reactive’ approach or a ‘proactive’ approach. Often companies with a reactive approach do not offer any sort of proactive approach or aren’t very good proactively toward their IT. This means there are lots of faults that develop and this results in a build of support requests.
‘Reactive’ support and why it isn’t productive
It is the process of support once the problem has already occurred, which isn’t productive. The definition of reactive is ‘acting in response to a situation rather than creating or controlling it’. Regarding IT, it can be too late once a situation has already occurred.
Modern analytics and system management make it possible for businesses to benefit from better support, offering the ability to find and resolve issues before they disrupt the system.
Your staff will be the one to find the issue first which can cause a problem if staff can spot a workaround. Reaching your IT provider and organising a technician to come and fix the system when there is a serious issue can take days to take place, this can stop your business from running for the foreseeable future.
Customer experience and trust
If you experience data loss due to poor IT management this can be embarrassing for you as a business owner but more importantly, your reputation as a business can take a blow. If a customer’s experience is affected severely this could cause them to go elsewhere especially if the issues are frequent.
Small problems become big problems
The concept of reactive support relies entirely on issues being reported as soon as possible. But if the issues aren’t having a derogatory effect on the day to do work of the IT users on the job, how would they know there was a problem? This can mean a small problem that wouldn’t cause a problem to the everyday running of the business, growing into a much larger issue that can disrupt or even temporarily halt trading.
System failures becoming normal
System failure should never be allowed to become the norm in your business, constant minor issues can cause frustration and irritation amongst staff and customers. Customers can be left feeling like their data isn’t safe or that the company itself isn’t professional enough to provide the service they are paying for. But arguably, more important, are your staff that will soon become restless with failing tools not allowing them to do their job, this could cause them to leave the company and take their skills to a competitor.
Proactivity! The solution!
When looking for an IT provider, ensuring that they approach your IT with a proactive approach toward security and support is essential. Proactive monitoring and maintenance is very important to modern IT support.
Good quality IT providers will be able to monitor and maintain connectivity devices ensuring routers remain reliable and have a fast connection to the internet. Keeping an eye on your backups is important. The provider will ensure your vital data is being backed up regularly without fail. Ensuring they keep anti-virus software up to date and active across all devices to protect against malware and keeping on top of system updates is just as important to ensuring operating systems are secure against hackers.
We’re Synium IT, how can we help?
Our aim is to become a seamless and invaluable part of your team – so you can be sure of exceptional service and a proactive, friendly and jargon-free approach to IT.
Synium IT provides the full range of IT support services to organisations throughout the West Midlands. Our approach is to deliver the very best IT Support services to our clients for great value for money, with no contract tie-in. Allowing you to experience the benefits of your own IT support partner without any risk.
Contact us today on 0121 663 0203 to find out more about how we can help.
