Many small business owners feel that I.T. (known as "Info Technology) is not an important factor when considering their business expenses. Many business owners have the "break/fix" mentality; in other words feel that there is no need to worry about their computers or data until something "breaks" or fails to work properly.
Other business owners' feel that a family friend, volunteer, or neighbor who "knows computers," is a viable solution to protecting their data and keeping the computers and servers running efficiently and reliably.
Lastly, there are many entrepreneurs who understand the importance of having a solid I.T. solution in place, but can't afford $2,500-$7,000.00 or more to hire one or two full-time employees. Each of these mentalities can prove to be catastrophic to your business in what is known as "I.T. Downtime.
IT Downtime is the amount of time in which a computer or server; or multiple computers or servers are not functioning. EVERY business loses money when systems are not functioning as intended, and some lose large amounts of money when experiencing downtime. How much revenue in USD, does your company lose per employee, per hour of IT downtime?
(Number of employees X Hourly salary of each employee = Total cost of downtime per hour)
For instance; your company has 10 employees, and each averages $15 hourly:
One hour of downtime will cost your company - $150.00.
Two hours of downtime will cost your company - $300.00.
Eight hours of downtime will cost a whopping - $1,200.00!
Unfortunately, downtime is not the only factor that can prove disastrous to your small business. Depending on your company's business model, it's possible that you cannot quantify computer/server/network downtime, into an hourly "loss figure.
Realistically, there are many other common I.T. scenarios that warrant having a solid solution in place.
Here are several that you may want to keep in mind:
1.) Security exploitations
Scenario 1: The latest "security exploit of the month" brings your business to a halt when an employee downloads and opens a malicious file, causing the infection of your entire network.
Scenario 2: An employee, who was terminated a year ago, regularly logs into your network.... and who knows why!?
Are YOUR workstations and server(s) up to date with needed patches and security updates to prevent exploits from happening?
Do you have a stringent password policy in place forcing passwords to be changed at regular intervals? How about a employee termination policy that disables accounts for previous employees?
2.) Backup Solutions
*Scenario: Your main workstation/server fails, and you realize that several months of backup was successfully created, but does NOT restore!
More than 80% of firms say they are satisfied with their disaster recovery preparations. But the research by Symantec shows that half of the firms quizzed have experienced two outages in the last six months with virus and hacker attacks, power outages and natural disasters being the most common causes.
Only 12% of small and medium size companies back up their data daily, and on average small firms back up only 70% of their customer and business data. More than half the small and medium sized companies said they would lose 30% of their data if their computing systems were wiped out by a fire.
Do you have reliable backup that is TESTED regularly to ensure validation? Do you have an OFF-SITE backup solution in the event that your office is burglarized or destroyed in a natural disaster?
3.) Spam Filtering
Scenario: You are sick and tired of sorting through countless "junk" mail to get to your important email!
Do you have a spam filtering solution that allows legitimate email to reach it's intended user's inbox, while sending junk mail to it's appropriate place; thus saving crucial time?
4.) Computer /server hardware problems
Scenario 1: Several computers in your office won't power on, and two employees cannot work until the computers are repaired.
Scenario 2: Your employees cannot access the database software needed to complete customers' orders, and the database server has a failed motherboard that no one anticipated!
Do you have a technician available who not only knows which hardware brands & components are deemed reliable; but whom can monitor event logs and hardware, to mitigate disasters before they occur?
5.) Malware/Viruses
Scenario: An employee opens up a file attachment sent from an unknown person. The file creeps into your company's network and infects every workstation.
Do you have a reliable antivirus & malware solution on your workstations? Better yet, do you have "Gateway Level" protection that will quarantine threats PRIOR to hitting your network?
6.) Productivity
Scenario: You notice that little work is being done, as employees spend more time on Social Networking sites, than actually working.
Do you have a content filter in place that not only prohibits access to pre-determined websites, but - also helps to prevent your computers from accessing malicious and harmful websites?
7.) Power Protection
Scenario: A powerful storm hits and unfortunately lightning strikes a power line which crashes upon your building; creating a surge which destroys all of the computers in your office.
Do you have a MONITORED battery backup solution applied to all of your workstations and servers, in case of a power outage? Are your workstations and servers secured with adequate surge protection?
Now, let's discuss a solution to the above mentioned problems: A MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT (also known as "Managed Services").
*A maintenance agreement covers the above mentioned issues by addressing your system(s) BEFORE a problem occurs. There is no need to hire a full-time IT person with benefits, sick time etc; when you have a one stop solution for a very small FRACTION of the price. There is no need to work in fear with your fingers crossed, scared that your network will go down, or a virus will wipe out your important data; since that is part of our maintenance agreement.
No longer will you need to call in a volunteer who may not have the level of knowledge required to address your I.T. issues; and no longer do you have to wait days on your "free help."
Hopefully you have a better understanding of maintenance plans and how your business can benefit from the peace of mind that comes with pro-active maintenance. So don't delay, pick up the phone and call your IT provider TODAY!
Happy Computing!
Jarvis Edwards - TekTime
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