Is poor IT affecting your business?

Computers and smartphones are just a couple of the IT systems that have become the backbone of business operations.

Although as easy as they make our lives, they may also come with their fair share of challenges. Equipment failure, data loss, and cyberattacks are very real issues that can happen to any business. It also doesn’t help that new challenges and risks appear as technology evolves. The only way small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can prepare is to identify the most common and time-consuming IT challenges that may potentially occur. Charles IT has seen most every challenge facing SMBs and knows what it takes to have your business running strong.

Too many IT options, too little IT expertise

There are simply too many IT solutions to choose from, and SMBs lack the range and depth of expertise needed to choose, optimize, and maintain the right solutions. This makes it difficult to stay ahead of the curve and formulate the best strategies.

Additionally, managing complex infrastructure could be a pain for smaller teams. You need the right tools and guidance to make the best IT decisions for your organization. Partnering with an experienced managed IT services provider (MSP) like Charles IT will help you find the right solutions according to your business needs. MSP’s evaluate your IT infrastructure and business processes to find bottlenecks in your operations. From there, they are able to understand your business and recommend top-tier solutions that meet your budget and business objectives. Even though they are a third-party IT department that helps you make the tough, technical decisions, they feel more like an extension of your current team.

Hardware and software issues

The dreaded words, “End of life,” this is when a product is no longer supported by its manufacturer and this is a fact of life for all IT systems. If not planned for properly, you may end up with outdated systems that can put a significant strain on your budget and time.

Without proper maintenance, end of life can introduce a series of compliance and security issues. For example, many organizations that have not yet migrated away from the outdated Windows 7 operating system, are highly vulnerable to modern cyberattacks and data breaches that may result in hefty financial losses and noncompliance penalties.

Having a small team or a one-person show trying to juggle data security, network efficiency, compliance, and growth by yourself while also staying within your budget can cause a great deal of stress. By bringing in a trusted partner like Charles IT to help assist in the bulk of these responsibilities it allows you to focus on the future of your business. We at Charles IT know IT is more than just providing patch management services and resetting your passwords; we strive to create real relationships with each of our partners.

Workload is increasing but budgets and staffing remain the same

IT is resource-dependent in terms of requiring time, people, equipment, and funding. For any given organization, the range of business applications continues to grow, not shrink, and it puts a strain on those resources to effectively manage systems, maintain compliance, respond to problems, and provide support.

In addition to that the skills gap is also raising concerns when it comes to reliability and security. Most organizations don’t look to seek help from third-party companies until times of desperation and don’t choose carefully. When deciding on an MSP make sure to select based on the MSP’s viability, capability, reliability, track record, and financial position.

Scalability and flexibility

If your organization has aggressive growth plans, a small IT team may not be able to handle the demand, as they will need to deliver not only the capacity you need today, but also your IT requirements tomorrow. At the same time, you will want to ensure that you’re not paying for more capacity than you need.

Managing this effectively requires complex and advanced solutions, which could be costly, especially for SMBs. Make sure your MSP can grow with your business, provide on-demand computing resources, and proactively support your business in the long term. To do this, it’s important you ask the right questions when reviewing an MSP.

Overcoming these IT challenges to support the long-term success of your business is not entirely out of reach. Anticipate the need for flexibility in your infrastructure and look for a reputable IT partner to fill the gaps in your IT.

A skilled, talented, and proactive MSP like Charles IT offers best-practice solutions for enhanced workflow, security awareness, software stability and as a plus, we can upgrade your hardware too. If you want your business to run optimally, backed by highly skilled IT professionals with a process-driven approach to managing your IT systems, call us today.