Monthly Archives: January 2019

3 Reasons Why Managed IT Beats Casual IT Services Every Time

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Managed IT services

A team of technicians at your disposal is better than a single tech.

Choosing the right IT services for your business is a lot like hiring a new employee. A service that knows their way around a file server and phone system is great, but that isn’t enough. You need a service that is there when you need them and is so good at their job that they see problems coming before you do. Unfortunately, not every IT service is up to the task.

In the IT support industry, there are two types of agency or service: Managed IT and Casual/Break-Fix IT. And knowing the difference can define the success or failure of your business’ technology at a critical moment. Most people think of IT in casual terms: When something breaks, you call for help. But this plan has some critical flaws, like the time between the ‘break’ and the ‘fix’. Leaving your business out of service until the fix is implemented.

Managed IT, on the other hand, is all about constantly working with IT professionals to support, protect, and optimize your business technology. While casual IT may be the tradition, when you look closely the Managed IT approach is superior in every way. Here’s why:

1) Cost-Effective: Getting Your Money’s Worth

The primary difference between Managed IT and Casual IT is attentiveness. Take two IT service plans and compare them side-by-side. Both managed and casual IT services ask for a monthly fee for access to the technicians and the services they provide. But what is provided will be very different.

In a managed IT plan, skilled technicians are assigned to your case and work on it constantly throughout the month and year. They may monitor your networks for trouble spots, keep an eye on your website performance, and will also be available to solve any problems that arise along the way.

A casual IT service, on the other hand, is more like access to a tech-support call center. Rather than monitoring your networks and websites, you are paying for the privilege to call for help. From there, you talk to someone who is probably a stranger who will spend a few minutes solving your problem then leave you to pick up any mess created by the technical errors they resolve.

In other words, you pay for a month of service from both companies, but only managed IT plans actually give you an entire month of dedicated IT support.

2) Prevention is Always Better Than Break-Fix

The next undeniable benefit is technical problem prevention. When a managed IT team is assigned to manage your business IT needs, they don’t just wait for a disaster to fix. Managed IT technicians are proactive. They not only keep track of your systems, they also implement preventative fixes or give you a heads-up about potential trouble-spots on your horizon.

A managed IT technician might let you know that your server storage space is filling up, that there is better industry software available, or that your website needs an update to handle your increased number of daily online customers. Then they will implement these fixes *before* you run out of storage, your software becomes outdated, or your website crashes due to high traffic.

A casual IT service, on the other hand, doesn’t keep track of potential problems or implement preventative steps. They wait until your website drops and you call in a panic to fix it. And while they’re fixing it? Your website is down, your servers stop working, or your employees are unable to log into your business software until a fix is implemented.

3) Building a Partnership with Your IT Providers

Finally, perhaps the best thing about managed IT services is your opportunity to develop a real business partner. When technicians are assigned to your case and monitor your systems constantly to prevent disaster, they get to know your business.

Casual IT services are more likely to forget all about your system specs between calls, and you may even find yourself talking to a completely different technician every time. With managed IT, you get the service of professionals who learn your business’ unique computer system inside and out and can implement fixes without a ‘getting to know you’ phase for every single issue.

You’re not just asking for IT help from a technician, you’re partnering with professionals who will learn the needs of your business and, often, take care of those needs without even having to be asked.

If you’ve had bad IT experiences in the past, or want to avoid experiences you’ve heard about from others, it’s time to consider managed IT over casual IT services. For a free 60 minute consultation on the IT support needs of your business, contact us today! We’re ready to become our managed IT partners.

The Pros and Cons of Common Backup Storage Options

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Backup Storage Options - Backup on laptop screen - cloud

What are some of my backup options?

There has been a great deal said about the importance of having a backup and recovery system in place. And, naturally, the first step to building a great backup recovery system is to take backups of all your important files and configurations. Some backups simply repopulate a vital database with all the right values while others are complex enough to restore a computer from factory-reset to functional workstation.

But however you build them, backups are essentially just compressed files that will need to be stored somewhere until they are needed. Each company has a different storage solution for their backups and the storage option you choose matters more than you may realize. Where you store your backups determines how easy they are to retrieve and whether they are at risk when the network itself is threatened.

Locally Stored Backups

Most of us still remember the days when the only data you controlled was data on your own hard drives and disks. For traditionalist businesses, this may still be the way backups are made and maintained, by creating copies of data stored on another local system.

Pros:

Locally stored backups are completely in your control. You never have to worry about a third party wiping, corrupting, or losing your data because it is on your local systems.

Cons:

Your local network is not as safe as it used to be. Network-wide malware attacks (like ransomware) can compromise your entire computer system including your backups. In fact, anything that threatens your main computers can also threaten your backups. Including physical disasters like power surges and outages, flooding, or earthquakes.

Offline Backup Drives

A safer approach to keeping local backups is to store them on offline drives and disks. This option has never been popular, but there are always a few individuals and businesses that decide their backups are safer offline than online. And they have a point.

Pros:

External hard drives, USBs, and disks can keep your backups securely off any existing network. This is the best way to defend from hackers and malware because there is no network for them to access or damage your backups through.

Cons:

Unfortunately, though safe this approach is also impractical. Given the amount of data most modern businesses need to back up, the cost of external storage and the wear-and-tear rewriting offline storage devices is quite high compared to online storage options. And, of course, offline storage can still be physically damaged.

Remotely Stored Backups

Remote storage is when you store your backups on a computer located somewhere else, much like remote web hosting or file storage. Rather than storing your backups on your own system, you buy server space in a data center or even with a sister company where your backups are occasionally updated and wait to be accessed.

Pros:

Remote storage is a very effective answer to many worries about backup security. Because it is on a separate network, local malware attacks cannot corrupt your backups. And if the files are stored far enough away, local natural disasters are not a concern either.

Cons:

There are a few risks related to remote storage. If the third party storing your backups is compromised, so too are your backups. Likewise, if you store your backups in only one remote location, disasters in that area could wipe out your backups even if your home region is unaffected.

Cloud Stored Backups

Finally, we reach the modern solution to backup storage. Cloud storage is more than just remote storage because of the way the cloud handles data. Rather than storing data in just one remote location, cloud storage replicates your backups across several data centers on the globe.

Pros:

The distributed nature of cloud storage allows you to more quickly access your data from anywhere. No specific network access is required because cloud-stored data can be accessed anywhere with internet access. And the distributed nature of the data means that even if one data center is completely wiped out, your backups will still be available in other data centers and therefore safe.

Cons:

The only downside to cloud storage is the challenge of choosing the correct storage provider. Make sure your chosen cloud server providers have high security standards and a good reputation in the industry for protecting the backups of others.

Backup data security is an important concern for any modern business. The way you store your backups matters a great deal and many careful businesses choose to pair up their backup storage solutions just to make sure there is always a backup available in times of need. For more information about choosing the best backup recovery solutions for your business, contact us today!

Getting The Most Out Of A Managed Service Provider (MSP)

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WE MAKE IT EASY! on laptop screen, Managed Service Provider (MSP) concept

A managed service company makes navigating the IT world effortless and painless

We know that managing your IT is not an easy task to accomplish. There are many challenges that come with the territory of being part of the IT industry, including the training difficulties and the expense of continuously educating your employees to ensure they stay ahead of the competition. It does not matter if you are completely outsourcing your IT tasks or if you have a different type of workforce, an MSP(Managed Service Provider) can come in to save the day because it can reduce the amount of time and money you spend on these services.

In order for you to get the most out of your Managed Service Provider(MSP), we encourage you to do the following:

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

We cannot stress the importance of communication enough. You should make sure you follow up with your managed services provider at all times. Your Managed Service Provider is available to give you the things you need when you need them. Do not hesitate to communicate your needs, your goals, and your ideas so they can understand them, execute them, and eventually implement those things into your business. A Managed Service Provider(MSP) does not have to be another outside source that you use to improve your business. Take advantage of the ability to communicate to use your skills and the skills of your MSP to improve your business and take it to greater heights.

Re-Analyze Regularly

It is also important that you make time to meet with your Managed Service Provider on a consistent basis. Having meetings with your MSP will give you the opportunity to review the current and future state of your business’s IT operations. When you are able to know where your IT operations currently stand, you will be able to prevent any small issues from turning into major issues. During these meetings, you will also be able to determine your overall efficiency. You will be able to address questions about ticket status, resolution time, and more. Your Managed Service Provider should not hesitate to work with you to make changes and improvements to your operations when they are needed.

Do Not Hesitate To Receive Help

A Managed Service Provider can provide more help than some businesses may realize. A Managed Service Provider has the ability to provide different advice and strategies that will be more valuable than you may realize.  The advice that an MSP can provide you with include information about how to properly evaluate your technology and your networks and how to create solutions that can answer current and future IT problems. Managed Service Providers can also create a Backup and Disaster Recovery plan that will be vital to your business. You can communicate your needs to the MSP so they will know what features and services you need to be included in your Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan.

Are you currently getting everything you need from your current Managed Services Provider? Are you being offered a variety of features and services that you can choose from to fit your business’s needs? If you have not been given an assessment of your IT network and you do not know the current state of your IT infrastructure, now is the time to find an MSP that will give you the insight you need into your networks.

If you are ready to get more out of your current resources and improve the current state of your business, please do not hesitate to contact us today for more information on the services we can provide. We are ready to provide you with the high-quality support you need for your business.

6 Ways You Can Improve Your Company’s IT Help Desk

Manage Service, , , , ,
Young male customer support executive working IT help desk

Is the level of service from your support desk not up to company standards?

We understand how frustrating it is to manage an IT help desk, especially since customers typically only try to contact a company when they are angry, frustrated, or have lots of questions. Although patience and stellar customer service skills are a great foundation, there are many ways you can improve your company’s help desk support team. Below are six different strategies that can make your customers smile and make your department run more efficiently.

Tip #1: Give Your Customers The Right Materials So They Can Help Themselves

Do customers often call in or email your help desk with the same questions about a specific product or service? If you notice there is a pattern about what they are confused about, rewrite the instructions so that it is more clear. Make a list of the most commonly asked questions and upload it to your company’s website. You can also create a forum where customers can post questions and share information with each other. The easier you make it for customers to help themselves, the happier they will be.

Tip #2: Use Gamification to Motivate the Help Desk Support Team

How can implement gamification in the customer service department? Perhaps you can track how many compliments agents receive or their average hold time. Regardless of the metrics you use, gamification can motivate employees to do their best job every day and not be complacent. You can also find ways to reward employees that consistently perform well by celebrating their success and hard work.

Tip #3: Encourage Employees to Ditch The Script and Be Genuine

Your customers are smart. They know when someone is reading a script or saying something they have memorized. One way you can improve your help desk support team is to encourage them to be genuine with customers. Most of them will appreciate the effort.

Tip #4: Take The Time To Know Your Customers

Use software that will allow you to keep track of your customer’s questions or issues. When someone calls in or sends an email, it should be easy for a help desk agent to see if they have contacted the company before and why. They will be able to resolve issues faster and be more personable when they can view the previous tickets and notes written by other help desk agents.

Tip #5: Cultivate An Atmosphere Where Agents Can Collaborate

Another tactic you can use to make your IT help desk better is to create a collaborative atmosphere. When your company encourages teamwork and has a positive and supporting culture, it will make it easier for agents to focus on the customer first instead of their own ego. For example, if an agent doesn’t know how to resolve an issue they can easily ask their coworkers for help without fear of retribution in a collaborative work environment.

Tip #6: Create Customer Service Surveys So You Can See What Your Company Should Work On

Lastly, we recommend that you create and administer customer satisfaction surveys at least once a year to get feedback from your customers. Is there anything they recommend you work on or improve? Closely examine the results and look for patterns. A simple survey with a sliding scale can give you insight into what you can do to make the buying experience better for your customers. You can also place questions on the survey that ask questions about the customer service agent’s attitude, responsiveness, knowledge, and problem-solving ability.

For more information about our help desk support services, please call us at (888) 676-1228 or contact us online today. At SystemsNet, we can take care of monitoring and managing your existing systems so you can focus on your business.