Category: Co-Managed IT

No modern company can hope to expand and thrive without a robust IT department. IT fuels growth as it helps businesses collect data, manage clients, improve services, expand web presence, and more. Your operations depend on IT more than you know. Whether you’re a startup or a large company, you need to invest in IT. However, rather than hiring several expensive IT professionals, you may want to consider managed IT services.

With managed IT, you get the benefits of a full team of IT experts without the enormous investment that this usually calls for. In lieu of large monthly salaries, you pay a monthly fee to the managed services provider. Can a third party really provide the same level of quality as an in-house IT department? Thanks to modern remote technology and our expertise at Cyber Command, the answer is absolutely yes. In fact, we can do even better.

What Are Managed IT Services?

IT Services That Businesses Need

Regardless of the type of business you run, there are a few basic IT needs that every company has. At minimum, your staff needs the right software to carry out business operations. That may be as a subscription to Microsoft Office software, now known as Microsoft 365. Other companies may need specialized software for their industry, like Adobe products for creative designers. Even industrial companies that manufacture components rely on CAD software to operate.

The software you use dictates the kind of hardware you’ll need in the office. Company data also needs to be stored somewhere. Furthermore, protecting that data is vital as laws have tightened regarding data security worldwide. You also need an IT department that can help your business plan into the future and scale as your company does. Managed IT services can do all of this and more.

Software

Your productivity is directly impacted by the software you choose. Almost every business needs a basic office suite that includes a word processor, spreadsheet program, and a presentation making program. We typically recommend Microsoft 365 as you get those essential programs and a lot more. You’ll also get Teams for video conferencing. OneNote is a powerful tool for taking notes on tablet PCs and brainstorming with your team. Outlook keeps your team connected via a powerful email solution.

If you’ve been using open-source software like Open Office to save money, you’ll appreciate the productivity gains from switching to a more professional solution like Microsoft 365. If you’re reliant on Google Drive, Microsoft’s OneDrive integrates better with Windows computers. You’ll find your workflow moves faster with the right tools. In addition, you get access to all the mobile versions so you can work on the go.

Hardware

A common mistake we find with many companies, especially smaller ones, is spending the bare minimum on PCs for the office. Although you have to respect your budget and cashflow, there are affordable financing options from wholesalers that can help you upgrade your office. Nothing is more frustrating for your staff than having slow computers. Every wasted second waiting for a file to open or for a change to manifest on the monitor is lost productivity.

Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean you have to buy top-of-the-line machines for every worker. Choose computers that have the horsepower necessary for each assignment. A video editor will need a much more powerful PC than an accountant does. If you provide laptops for your employees, you should likewise evaluate what kind of work they do remotely. Your managed services provider can recommend the right equipment for each position in the company and make sure that everyone has the power they need.

Storage

Your data needs to reside somewhere. Unfortunately, many companies have disorganized data scattered across several devices. If your employees save data on their computers instead of a central location, you run the risk of losing data or having it taken outside of the company’s secure network. If you’ve never configured a company server before, don’t worry. We can help you get the right components and set up an environment that ensures data safety.

However, cloud storage is also an interesting solution to consider. As companies like Amazon and Microsoft’s Azure have expanded their data centers, cloud storage has become extremely affordable. You only pay for what you use, and it can all be linked to your office through high-speed internet connections. You avoid the large up-front cost of building a server and get the advantages of the latest technology. Ask your managed services provider which solution works best for your business.

Tech Planning

Technology advances at a remarkable pace. As computer parts continue to shrink and become more power efficient, your equipment can quickly become obsolete. While you don’t always need to have the latest technology to be a competitive company, it’s important to plan ahead. You should have an eye on emerging technology that could benefit your business so that you’re ready to implement it when it launches. Knowing what’s coming next helps you allocate resources to your IT budget as well.

This is an area where many in-house IT teams falter. They become too busy focusing on problem solving and maintenance. There’s no time for them to look forward. With a managed IT provider, you have a whole team of people by your side. Our IT staff loves technology and is constantly reading up on the next great thing about to hit the market. We can see further into the future and help you draft a roadmap to plan your upgrades.

Cyber Security

Cyber security is paramount today. Cyber attacks have become more common and more sophisticated. Furthermore, governments are starting to hold companies accountable for cyber security failures. For example, California’s CCPA law allows consumers to sue a company if their data is lost due to a cyber attack. Similarly, if you do business in Europe, you’re expected to adhere to the GDPR, which imposes strict rules on how you can collect data and how you must protect it.

Do you have protocols in place if a cyber attack happens? Do you employees know how to spot suspicious emails? You likely have an emergency plan in place in case of a fire. A cyber attack is no different. You need to be ready to respond in the event of a cyber crisis. We can prepare your team to handle any situation through training and drills. We’ll also be monitoring your company 24/7 to alert you and begin defensive actions.

Tech Support

No matter how perfect your IT system is, something will eventually go wrong. This is where managed IT services shine the brightest. Your IT staff may not always be available when you need them. They could be attending to another issue, or simply out to lunch. You might not have IT staff on every shift. Downtime is lost productivity and profit. With managed services, you get a speedy response to every issue so you can keep running at full speed.

Our tech support team at Cyber Command picks up 93% of calls instantly. At most, you’ll get a response back in 15 minutes or less if we can’t pick up the phone. Your problems can be solved remotely so you can get back to business quickly.

How Managed IT Services Work

All of the services we’ve mentioned are included in a standard managed IT services package. In addition, we monitor your company across several levels. We can make sure you’re compliant with data privacy laws, track emails to keep potentially dangerous phishing scams at bay, help you backup and recover your data in the event of hardware failure, and much more. We personalize our services based on what your company needs.

We take the time to get to know your company before recommending services. The process starts with a Technology Strategy Session, where we learn about your pain points and help you develop a roadmap for the future. Since switching to managed services may involve new software or small changes to certain processes, we’ll help onboard your staff as well.

Co-Managed Options Available

What if you already have an IT department? We’re not looking to hand out pink slips to your dedicated team. However, it’s unrealistic to expect a small IT department to handle so many tasks, especially as your business grows. Complement your IT department with a co-managed IT arrangement. We love working with IT experts in our clients’ organizations. Your staff can still provide valuable support on the ground while we work to protect your company behind the scenes.

Monthly Payments, Consistent Results

You’ll find that switching to managed IT gives you much more IT capacity at a fraction of the cost of expanding your IT department the traditional way. You get unsurpassed reliability and a whole team of experts for a low monthly payment. Most importantly, you have peace of mind knowing that your systems will stay up and your business will hum along smoothly.

Schedule a Technology Strategy Session with Cyber Command today so we can learn more about your company and help you find the perfect IT solution.

Technology is rapidly becoming an important element of virtually any business. Whether you work in construction, retail, education, or healthcare, it’s likely that your company is implementing new IT solutions to stay competitive. But employing a team to manage your firm’s tech can be extremely costly. For many small to medium-sized businesses, a co-managed IT system like the one offered by Cyber Command can provide the best return on investment.

This type of service is designed for companies that already have a small IT team. If you’d like to support your tech staff, scale your operations without increasing your expenses significantly, or increase your cybersecurity, teaming up with a managed IT provider could be the ideal solution. Today, we’ll have a closer look at some of the most important benefits of co-managed services.

What Are the Advantages of Co-Managed IT?

If your company has recently grown or you’ve changed the type of product or service you offer, your current IT team might not be able to provide your employees and customers with the support they need. Most small businesses can only employ one to five IT staff, which puts them at a disadvantage compared to bigger firms. When you combine your team with a managed service, you can access dozens of extra employees with various specializations.

This can not only lower your IT budget, but it can also increase your firm’s cybersecurity and versatility. You’ll be able to provide better customer service because there is always someone around to help your clients, even outside of regular business hours. What’s more, your employees can get the help they need when something goes wrong, so you never have to go long before you get technological issues sorted out.

You Can Lower Your IT Budget

New or small businesses often have tight profit margins, so it’s important for them to save money where possible. But if you keep your IT team too small, you might put yourself at risk of cybercrime, you lower the quality of your customer service, and you increase the chances that you’ll miss out on innovations that could simplify your operations.

A great solution is to work with a managed IT provider. For a low monthly fee, you gain access to specialists in a wide range of IT-related fields. That way, you can take pressure off your current team and avoid hiring more people than you can currently afford. At the same time, you won’t sacrifice the quality of your service.

You Can Benefit from Experts in a Range of IT Fields

Large businesses often employ an extensive IT team of 20+ people. Each of them has a different specialty, such as cybersecurity, compliance, cloud management, and networking. But if you’re just starting out or your company is smaller, you don’t have the budget to employ specialists in each of those fields. Instead, your IT team might only consist of one or two people.

It’s impossible to expect your IT employees to be experts in every technology-related field. Therefore, it’s unlikely that your small business is fully covered. By combining your in-house team with a managed IT solution, you can benefit from the expertise of specialists in a wide range of fields. Your employees can concentrate on their own area without having to worry about issues that are outside of their scope.

You Can Get Support When Something Goes Wrong

Almost every business has had to include IT solutions in their strategy in the last few decades. This has allowed companies to lower their costs, improve their service, and remain competitive. But while IT solutions are excellent for building and improving a business, they can cause problems when they malfunction or break down.

A good managed IT provider can help you keep all your systems up and running. They are available around the clock to troubleshoot any network problems and help you get back online. Whenever something goes wrong, you can contact your partners at Cyber Command, and they will address your issues. That way, you don’t have to search for external help, which could cost you valuable time and prolong the problem.

You Can Provide More Consistent Customer Service

For many small businesses, balancing the number of employees with the number of customer calls is a big challenge. If you have too few team members, your customers will wait for a long time, and satisfaction decreases. But if you have too many staff, you lose money. Managed IT services are a great solution because the additional employees you gain don’t just help out your team: they can also work with your customers.

Whenever one of your clients reports a problem, the team at Cyber Command is available to speak to them, even if your own employees are out of the office or on their lunch break. Our representatives are online 24/7, so there are no delays or wait times. This can significantly improve your business’s reputation and customer service score. Your clients will be impressed by the rapid, professional service, and it will therefore be easier for you to retain them.

You Can Grow Your Business More Quickly

Having a big in-house IT team instead of a co-managed IT department slows you down for two reasons. Firstly, it is very costly, so you’ll spend a large portion of your profits on the team. This is an issue because the money could otherwise be used to further develop your product or service, market yourself to new customers, or extend your operations to a different geographical area. Therefore, a large IT team can hold you back.

Secondly, an in-house team is much less flexible than a managed one. When you complete a big project and no longer require a large number of staff, it can be extremely hard to let go of your employees. Similarly, it can take a lot of time to find suitable people when you want to expand your operations. In contrast, a managed team is always there to help, and you can alter your plan with Cyber Command whenever your company’s needs change.

Your Business Is Protected from Crime

Cybersecurity is a growing issue that affects businesses in all industries. Hackers and other criminals are often one step ahead of security programs, so you have to keep your systems updated at all times. If you still have the same security program you had a year ago, it’s likely that you are no longer adequately protected because criminals have found new ways of breaking down the barriers.

Unless they are able to employ several cybersecurity specialists, most small and medium-sized businesses don’t have the resources to adequately protect themselves from cybercrime. By signing up for managed services, you can benefit from our specialists’ expertise. Our security professionals can evaluate your firm’s current situation and suggest improvements that keep your sensitive data safe.

How Does a Co-Managed System Work?

Now you understand why a co-managed system is a good solution for many businesses, you might wonder how it actually works and what you have to do to set it up. When you first contact Cyber Command, we will suggest a technology strategy session, during which we can learn more about your business and IT department.

Once we have an overview of what you need, we can tailor our services to your specific company. For example, we can provide tech support to your employees and customers, which allows your IT staff to focus on work-related to your industry instead of general IT tasks. As part of our evaluation, we will also have a look at your cybersecurity system and make sure you’re optimally protected.

Finding a Good Provider

There are countless managed IT providers out there, and many of them can operate all around the country. So, how can you be sure that we are the best company for the job? To find out more about our business, you should browse the website. We have compiled a number of customer reviews, which allow you to find out what other CEOs think about our service.

While you can find out a lot on the website, you won’t truly know how we operate until you’ve spoken to us on the phone or in a video call. Before you make a decision, you should schedule a 30-minute session with one of our representatives. During this meeting, you can evaluate our communication style and determine whether we are the right fit for you.

Get the Advantages for Your Company

A co-managed IT system could be the ideal solution for your small or medium-sized business. When you team up with a management company, you can reduce your IT-related business expenses, improve the service you provide to your customers, make your existing employees’ jobs easier, provide better customer service, and protect your firm from cybercrime.

The easiest way to begin is to reach out to a managed IT company and ask for an initial consultation for business IT support in Orlando . Together, you and our representatives can discuss your company’s needs and evaluate what additional technological solutions you need to implement. Get in touch with us at Cyber Command to schedule your technology strategy session. We’ll be more than happy to show you how we can improve your firm’s efficiency.

Almost every business uses technology to compete in our increasingly-connected world. Although technology opens up new possibilities and increases productivity, anybody who has used it knows that unexpected problems often arise. That’s when the support provided by in-house or outsourced IT support services can be absolutely vital to your business’ successful operation.

As you develop a plan to tackle your business’ own IT needs, you may be wondering about the difference between in-house and outsourced IT services. Our guide will provide you with more information about outsourced services and the advantages they offer so that you can make the right decision.

What Are Outsourced IT Support Services?

Methods to Meet Your Business’ Technology Demands

By and large, handling your business IT needs involves using one of two different methods. You may decide to staff your own IT team to handle any technical issues that arise with your business’ own resources. This allows you to have full control over the IT solutions that your business receives, but also adds to the demands that your business faces by adding a whole additional team to the resources you need to maintain.

An alternative solution is provided by third-party companies that offer outsourced IT support services. These third-party companies can provide your business with high-quality, 24/7 support that uses the latest tools of the industry to get you the solutions that you need. This is often seen as a more efficient way of meeting your business’ IT needs, since you won’t have to devote energy and resources towards managing your own IT department.

Disadvantages of In-House Support

Traditionally, businesses have relied on their own IT support teams to handle all of the issues related to technology. However, this can come with a number of downsides. Perhaps most obvious from a business perspective, one disadvantage is that you will have to account for IT needs in your business’ budget. Training, wages, and equipment for your IT staff add a number of expenses to your spending.

There are some other disadvantages to handling your own IT support in-house that may not be as readily apparent. For example, you might not have the support you need when you need it if your business doesn’t have the resources to maintain 24/7 IT support. You’ll also need to focus on ensuring that your IT department is using the latest technology and practices, diverting the attention you could be focusing on your business itself.

Solutions that Managed Services Provide

As you can see, managing your own IT support involves a lot of work. That provides an extra burden on top of everything you already need to do in the day-to-day operation of your business. Here are some of the ways that outsourced IT support can benefit your business.

Scalable Resources

The demands placed on your business often fluctuate over time. Depending on the exact nature of your industry, this can be for a variety of reasons. For example, some businesses rely on the increased demand of a busy holiday period, while others may see an increase in business during certain seasons. As the demands placed on your business change, your needs for IT support will also increase or decrease accordingly.

Having managed or co-managed IT services on your side helps give your business the flexibility it needs to change to match these shifting demands. You won’t have to worry about being understaffed to tackle issues or being overstaffed without enough work to justify paying the number of professionals you have on the team. Outsourced, managed services provide exactly the right number of technicians to match your business’s current needs so that you’re never wasting resources.

Increased Productivity

Along with eliminating waste, you might otherwise have from your IT department managed services also help the rest of your team to perform productively. Technology impacts just about every aspect of the way that you handle business. That means when there’s an issue, it prevents members of your team from doing what they do best. This loss of productivity can have a big impact on your bottom line, damaging you financially.

Having technology solutions on hand when you need them is vital in today’s fast-paced business environment. Using managed support services ensures that you’ll always have professional help on hand to promptly address any technology concerns you or your staff may have. That speeds up the process of getting things back to normal working order, allowing your team to focus on doing their job instead of having to try to troubleshoot their technology.

More Cost-Effective

Any business owner’s first concern is the financial well-being of their business. You may think that you’re saving money by not hiring an outside firm to handle your IT needs. After all, one less item on your list of expenses is good for your bottom line, right? While this seems intuitive enough, the truth is that you’re most likely able to use your financial resources more effectively if you use managed IT support instead of relying on your in-house team.

When you use managed IT services, you’ll pay one predictable flat rate for your IT solutions. Compare this to the unpredictable and ever-changing expenses associated with managing your own IT department, where you’ll have to cover training, replacing, and maintaining the best resources for your professionals. The predictable expense of having a third-party IT support team on your side is another advantage for your business.

Better Customer Experience

In our fast-paced business world, customers expect an experience that is convenient and easily accessible. Even a momentary lapse in the services that you provide can create a frustrating situation for your customers. This may lead them to seeking out a competitor for their needs instead, hurting your business’ ability to turn a profit and grow your customer base.

Avoid these negative customer experiences by having cohesive IT solutions on call when you need them. That helps you to avoid any lengthy outages or downtime for the service or product you provide. Customers will get a predictable, comfortable experience without any unexpected obstacles getting in their way of getting the best possible experience that your company can provide.

Increased Level of Security

These days, it seems like barely a week goes by without some high-profile cyberattack making headlines around the world. Ransomware and other types of malware attacks cost businesses in every sector of the economy millions of dollars every year. If you aren’t using the latest cybersecurity tools and practices, your business may be at risk.

Protect your business’ critical data by hiring an IT firm that will put in place the highest degree of protection possible. They’ll work with the rest of your organization to educate and inform people of the safest practices when using technology. They’ll also have access to the most powerful anti-malware tools available to keep your business protected, giving your customers the assurance that any personal information they trust you with is kept secure.

Support at All Hours

There’s no telling when an issue with your technology may arise. While problems may crop up more frequently during busy times when the demands placed on your business are at their highest, they may also occur in the middle of the night when your business is running at minimal staffing. Maintaining your own IT team that can be on hand every day at all hours is an expense that many businesses cannot afford.

Fortunately, outsourced IT support services provide a more cost-effective way of meeting your business’ IT demands whenever they may arise. Find a third-party firm that can offer 24/7 support 365 days out of the year. That sort of reliable sort will increase the peace of mind you feel as a business owner, knowing that solutions are always within reach when you need them most so that your business experiences minimal downtime.

Expertise at Your Command

Technology is a field that is constantly changing as new innovations push the boundaries on what is possible to achieve. Staying up-to-date and keeping your business on the cutting edge of all of these new innovations can seem like a daunting prospect. Add that to the already demanding workload of keeping your business at the forefront of your specific field and the task can seem nearly impossible.

Give yourself one less thing to worry about as a business owner by hiring a professional IT firm to handle your tech needs. With a trustworthy team on your side, you’ll have access to the latest tools and technology that your business needs to run effectively. They’ll stay on top of what’s new in the IT world so that you can focus on what your business specializes in instead.

Wondering if outsourced IT solutions are right for your business? A technology strategy session with a member of our team of IT experts can give you more insight into the advantages working with our companies provide. We’ll show you all the ways that we can transform IT support from being an annoying expense into an asset that helps your company thrive.