The professional world has been changing rapidly lately. As more companies than ever before deal with the realities of taking their operations fully virtual, those without proper continuity plans for their IT needs have been left scrambling for adequate solutions. Companies are unknowingly leaving their businesses exposed to a number of risks.
Even if your business continuity plan had been a success until this year, you might be experiencing new issues with your IT provision. Does your IT provider have the ability to continue meeting the needs of your business, even during periods of crisis? Whether it’s getting through current circumstances or even looking ahead to future times of threat, you need to be sure you have an IT back-up in place for your business to remain operational.
On the IT service side, this means finding a way to conduct safe, onsite visits or getting proactive with remote support services. Maintaining the level of support you need and making sure that service level agreements don’t start to slip is important. A lack of effective IT solutions can have a number of negative consequences on your business.
Increased Security Incidents
When an IT service provider fails to deliver the support that your business needs, you will end up with numerous flaws in your network. For a while, this may go undetected,but it provides an easy point of entry for hackers looking to commit a USA crime, steal data and enact scams on your organization.
Just as you would never leave the doors of your house unlocked when you go out, you shouldn’t be leaving your business digitally exposed and vulnerable to threats from outside forces.
Cyber criminals operate in increasingly sophisticated ways, and they are well aware of the fact that most businesses have had to make hurried adjustments to remote IT set ups to enable home-based working. The high likelihood of inadequate security in these companies means that many have become a target for cybercrime.
When data is stolen, it can be catastrophic—not only could your company face lawsuits and huge regulatory fines, but such an incident can cause untold reputational damage. In fact, Forbes has uncovered the fact that the average cost of a data breach is highest in the US and can total $7.91m.
More Downtime
Without the right managed service provision in place, you are likely to experience a lot more downtime. According to statistics from Gartner, the average cost of IT downtime is a staggering $5,600 per minute. Can your business really afford that? At a time when most businesses are already struggling to come through the pandemic and maintain both productivity and revenue, this could be a huge disaster.
Lack of Strategy
Now is the time for a strong strategy with your IT service provision if your business is going to make it through the current crisis. Remote working has been accelerated by the pandemic and social distancing regulations, but it is definitely here to stay.
More and more of the workforce wants the flexibility to be able to work from home. Using automation, getting the most out of video conferencing, and employing cloud-based SaaS systems and other access-anywhere provisions is key. Coming up with the correct strategy now might save your business from making costly mistakes further down the line.
Getting Help from A Managed Service Provider
If your business needs a technology-first approach to get them through the current situation, pairing with a managed IT company is key. Not only will you benefit from the security and reliability of secured IT services, but the right company can help you to develop new strategies for your business going forward.
Planning for possible disruption is a huge part of future-proofing your business. Rather than being derailed by cyber attacks, unnecessary internet security issues, or costly downtime, you can use your IT strategy to help your business become stronger. The right MSP will help to critically evaluate the state of your current IT landscape and remote infrastructure.
Infographic provided by CircuitVision, a telecommunications network management company
