Keeping up in our digital world can be a challenge, especially for small businesses. You want to focus all of your time and energy on running a successful business and competing in your marketplace, and don’t necessarily have the expertise to handle your company’s IT needs. But IT services are crucial for businesses of all sizes, across all industries. Your competitors are using it to improve their efficiency and customer interactions, and without a dedicated IT services team, you’re at a disadvantage. Here is a simple guide to identifying your small business’ IT services needs and implementing them effectively:
Choosing the Right Software
The right software can improve efficiency, enhance customer solutions, lower your costs, and maintain accuracy of records. Choosing from various off-the-shelf products, creating a custom application, or a combination of both can be a daunting task. An IT partner can provide expertise in vetting these options, ensuring you have a tool that meets your needs and integrates with your systems. Is the software cloud-based? Do you need a server to host it in your office? Working with your IT company, you can avoid making the wrong choice. Your IT partner can even help you to better use software you already have, like taking advantage of the ever-growing tools within Microsoft 365 to improve productivity and collaboration.
Mobile Apps
More and more companies are choosing mobile apps to enhance their customers’ experience. No matter your industry, a mobile app can make customer retention and communication more streamlined and consistent. Mobile apps are also much more user-friendly for many customer demographics. An IT company can help you evaluate and test a mobile app for your business, and help you with the roll-out.
Creating A Secure Website
Your company’s website is the first thing most potential customers will see when they’re looking for businesses and services in your service area. As a small business competing in the digital marketplace, you not only need a robust, fully optimized website, but you also need reliable web hosting, comprehensive web management services, and security. An IT partner can work with your marketing to ensure that all customers can use your website securely and easily, your website is updated as needed, and your site’s SEO and content will improve your ranking on search engine results pages so it’s easier for customers to find you.
Managed IT Services
Managed IT services allow you to outsource key IT tasks to an IT partner. Many businesses choose managed IT services rather than having a full time IT staff because it is simpler, more cost-effective, and requires less space onsite. Your managed IT services can include cloud solutions , troubleshooting and tech support, proactive maintenance, backup and recovery solutions, disaster management, security monitoring, compliance assessments and management, and IT consulting services. Managed IT services are scalable and adaptable, cost-effective, require little downtime or attention, and give you the time you need to focus on running your business.
Data Analytics
Data analytics is an increasingly popular method for small businesses to improve their decision making by gaining insight from a data pool. Your IT company help you roll out an environment to collect, store, and analyze data so that you have the information you need to make big decisions and manage risk.
Cloud Solutions
Robust, scalable cloud solutions can help you optimize your business operations. Cloud solutions help you streamline business processes, reduce costs and minimize onsite storage needs, and protect and manage files, data, and customer information. Rather than having an onsite server, apps, files, and documents are saved securely in the cloud where verified employees have access to them. This can reduce the burden of storing and managing data onsite, thus lowering your IT costs, offering scalability and flexibility, and offering a more robust disaster management protocol. Cloud solutions also allow hybrid workplaces to provide more opportunities for employee cooperation and coordination between onsite and offsite employees.
Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
An IT consultant or managed IT services company can also offer data backup and disaster recovery services to protect your company and its files, data, information, and documents. Everything can be backed up both onsite and in the cloud.. Should your company suffer from a data breach, hardware failure or other disaster, your work product will be safe and secure for data recovery.
Do You Need Assistance Setting Up or Choosing IT Services for Your Company?
If you need assistance setting up IT services in Tucson for your business, or if you aren’t sure what cloud services you need, come see us at Silverado Technologies. We specialize in flexible, scalable cloud services that give you the ability to work anywhere, save documents and files remotely, and create a robust disaster recovery plan. Our women-owned IT company has been serving Tucson’s IT needs for years, and we make sure to stay on top of the latest trends, advancements, and improvements in the field so that we can offer our clients exceptional service and the best professional IT advice possible. We care about our Arizona community and are wholly invested in ensuring their business is secure, protected, and streamlined. To schedule a consultation, call us today at (520) 903-1580 or contact us online.
