Shortcuts & Hacks to avoid with Managed IT Services
In life, shortcuts and hacks can make difficult or frustrating situations and issues easier, but often they can end up causing more trouble in the long run! The same can be said for shortcuts and hacks for your business.
In today’s business landscape, companies are looking for ways to save money and reduce their spend due to the effects of COVID and lockdowns, in fact, a survey conducted earlier this year by the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that 30% of business surveyed had suffered from reduced cash flow and 41% of businesses reported that their cash on hand could cover less than three months of business operations. But while saving money can be very important and even beneficial in many ways for businesses, it shouldn’t come at the expense of your business operations.
When talking about IT for your business, the outcomes of a hastily implemented shortcut or money-saving hack can often be disastrous. In this article, we will discuss shortcuts and hacks to avoid when working with managed IT services and why sometimes, slow and steady is the best way to go for your business’s IT. Here are some of the main IT shortcuts and hacks you should avoid…
1. Skipping onboarding
Onboarding is the process of setting your company up in order to effectively work with your managed service provider, or MSP. This can include an audit of your current systems and setup, including your current licensing, passwords, your business partners, and key contacts within the business. While onboarding can take time and resources, it is essential to ensure that your working relationship has a good starting foundation to work from, and so when you need problems solved in a hurry by your MSP, they aren’t scrambling to learn this information.
2. Signing up for the cheapest managed service agreement plan
While it may be tempting, it can be risky to go for the cheapest, minimum coverage plan for your managed services. By signing up for only, for example help desk and minor fixes, you aren’t going to be getting the best value you could from your MSP. Working with your MSP should be a business arrangement that can help you to grow and improve your business, rather than just putting out IT fires.
3. Not investing in adequate security training and software
According to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) an average of 164 cybercrime reports are made by Australians every day, or approximately one every 10 minutes. Additionally, ransomware has become the biggest threat, and malicious emails (i.e. phishing emails) were among the highest reported incidents.
What this shows is that cyber security should be a high priority for any business, and security training for business employees should be non-negotiable for businesses who want to keep their company and customer data safe and protected.
Another non-negotiable is investing in adequate security protection appliances such as unified threat management devices (UTMs). Many businesses are put off by the cost of these appliances as they can be quite expensive, but these all-in-one security solutions will prove their worth when faced with security threats for your business.
4. Not utilising your MSP for procurement
Many business owners are happy to make purchases of items such as computers, printers etc themselves, based on recommendations. But the only recommendations you should be taking when purchasing IT equipment is from your MSP.
While you may be able to get some great deals on cheap laptops at your local big-box retailer, your MSP will be able to recommend the right hardware and software systems to perfectly suit your requirements, and often have special relationships with vendors to ensure a great deal when purchasing your equipment.
Another common mistake business owners make is not purchasing the right software to suit their needs, for example purchasing personal use Microsoft Office instead of Commercial Use which has a different set-up and license agreement. Your MSP will be able to navigate these options for you and help your business make smarter software decisions.
Choose to work with the IT experts, GPK Group
So, if you are happy to avoid hacks and shortcuts when looking at IT services, Brisbane businesses choose to outsource managed IT services to the managed services experts, GPK Group.
At GPK Group, our portfolio of Managed IT Services offer Australian businesses an extensive and modern IT solution to manage your business’ unique IT needs. GPK Group are experienced in working with Australian businesses, big and small, and offer the IT solutions that Brisbane businesses need; contact us today on 1300 000 475 or click here to learn more.