“I’m just not sure we need to worry about our IT until we grow.”

“We don’t really do that much with our computers, so I’m not sure we need an IT partner.”

“We’ve got a person on our team who is techy, they handle our IT stuff.”

The aforementioned phrases pop up from time to time as we talk with businesses about meeting their IT needs and helping manage their network and end users. Often, these excuses arise out of a lack of understanding about the role an IT partner can play in helping your business achieve maximum performance. Let’s take a look at five reasons why you NEED an IT partner this year.

 

1. An IT partner promises maximum uptime

Survey as many leaders as you want, and you will find that NO business wants to deal with a major network outage that keeps them from doing business for any period of time. While an IT partner can’t keep your Internet Service Provider running flawlessly, they can ensure that your network is set up correctly, optimized, and ready for you to work every single day. What would it cost you to lose an entire day with a network outage? How would it hurt your business to not be able to access key files, share documents, send files to the printer, or be able to collaborate? Your IT partner is working hard to ensure you experience maximum uptime so you can do what you do best.

 

2. An IT partner prevents problems before they arise

Most people understand the importance of preventative maintenance. We visit the doctor for a checkup, change the oil in our cars, and prepare our homes for the winter ahead. An IT partner can help prevent major issues before they cause major problems for your business or organization. We recently informed a client that their hard drive was nearing capacity and provided a storage solution before they had any idea. Through our remote management software, we realized another client hadn’t updated or restarted their system in months, so we were able to help them get up to date and more secure before a catastrophic event. Your IT partner can help keep you running and avoid outages and preventable trouble.

 

3. An IT partner produces custom solutions

One of our core values at C2IT Consulting is “Attentive Discovery.” In short, this means that we listen to our clients to provide the solutions they need, not the solutions we want to sell them. Whether it’s a website or e-commerce project, an IT management onboarding, a cyber security assessment, or custom software to enhance their workflow, every customer and project is different. An IT partner can bring their experience and expertise to the table and produce custom solutions that fit the needs of their clients. Additionally, the better the partnership, the better the solutions as the IT partner learns more about the business, the goals, and the pain points of the client.

 

4. An IT partner frees up your team to do what they do best

What made you start your business or organization? There is a low probability that you answered that question with things like “writing a set of cyber security policies and procedures” or “adding users to our Microsoft accounts.” Your IT partner comes alongside you and handles these technological weeds so you can focus on what you do best – running your business. You and your team have plenty to do, so enlisting an IT partner can provide the freedom you need to grow your business and achieve your goals.

 

5. An IT partner provides peace of mind

Did you know that 2 in 3 mid-sized organizations have suffered a cyber attack in the last 18 months? 20% of those organizations spent over $250,000 to recover. Since 46% of all cyber attacks target companies with under 1,000 employees, those statistics are scary and alarming. When coupled with other IT issues like outages, downtime, login issues, and employee onboarding, it’s the stuff of nightmares. Your IT partner has the know-how to ensure your network is up-to-date, secure, and can provide recommendations to limit your vulnerability to a breach.

 

In short, an IT partner is your ally, your confidant, your mechanic, your health checker, your security monitor, your custom builder, and your silent guardian. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with you – it’s what we do!