Cybersecurity is one of the top IT issues of our times, so you’d expect businesses to have adequate protection in place. Well, new research shows that 62% of small businesses have no in-house capability as far as cybersecurity is concerned. This is an important role for managed IT services.

As a business owner, have you ever considered looking into business IT services? Here’s how to tell if it’s the right investment for your company.

Do You Need Business IT Services?

It’s hard to imagine any business not having some dependency on IT. Simple accounting software, telephony, and email are part of every business operation. Add to this a payroll system, customer relationship management, or e-commerce, and very quickly, you have a modern business with IT dependency.

Technology is not your core business. Your core business is making or selling things or services, but technology is vital for your continued success and survival. If you don’t make sure technology is working to support your business, then it’s not sustainable.

Once you have technological dependence, you have to decide whether to support IT with an in-house capability or use a managed IT service. That’s a commercial decision.

You Don’t Have a Disaster Recovery Plan

Recognizing that your business has a dependence on technology leads to the inevitable disaster question: What would you do if you lost your IT capability tomorrow? Have you got a disaster recovery plan?

If you’re at sea trying to answer this question, you may need a business IT service. It’s questions like this that business IT services face every day.  A managed IT service can develop a plan with you.

With a plan in place, you can rest easy. If disaster strikes, you’ll be fine. The plan is implemented and your business continues to operate.

You Need to Save Money

Maintaining an in-house IT capability can be expensive. Recruiting and keeping the IT people you need to support a small business is possible, but a managed IT services business has economies of scale. They’ll be able to do it more cost-effectively.

Once you recruit IT people, the technology changes so rapidly that they’ll soon become out-of-date. Training is a continuous need that also costs money and time. Technology is the core business of a managed IT service, so maintaining up-to-date knowledge and skills is what they’re about.

You Need to Be Competitive

Technology is so often a source of competitive advantage. E-commerce, artificial intelligence, and social media marketing are just three areas of fast-moving technology that can make the difference between success and failure in business. If you need to respond to competitive challenges, a business IT service may be able to help you.

You Need Cybersecurity

The threat of cybersecurity is hitting the business world and getting media publicity. You have regulatory obligations to meet. You also face a reputational risk if you can’t respond effectively to the challenge.

By working with a business IT service partner, you can get up to speed quickly with what you need to do to protect your data, customers, and business.

It’s a Business Decision

Can you afford not to have business IT services in place? It’s a commercial decision. It’s also about feeling that your business is protected from risks and is sustainable.

Start a conversation with us about managed IT services today.