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Tech at the core of most businesses today, from brick and mortar establishments to online business. When tech goes down, your business runs the risk of losing data, clients, and the most precious commodity of all–time.
The good news?
This doesn’t need to happen to you.
The following is a list of 6 common IT support mistakes, and how to prevent them.
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- Insufficient security
According to an article in NerdWallet, 47% of small businesses suffered at least one cyberattack in the past year. Given this probability, the first priority for your IT support should be security. Whether you have dedicated in-house staff or you hire outside IT support, tasking someone to provide adequate protection for the hardware, software, and devices your business uses will be the smartest investment you make.
And when you consider that over 20% of most organizations’ information is in the cloud, it is essential that in addition to securing your hardware, online security is critical for survival.
Dangers of data loss or damage from a power surge combined with the double threat of hackers and viruses make your organization vulnerable on every level.
The importance of proper tech support to protect your company, data and clients cannot be overstated.
- Inadequate tech support
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Whether you’re bootstrapping a start-up with minimal funding or your business is not quite in the black for whatever reason, you may have skimped on IT support, and it can come back to take a very big bite out of your business.
When you consider that minor problems cost several lost days to your business, and major problems can wreak havoc and jeopardize your entire operation, you need to somehow make room in your budget to either have a tech specialist on hand or on call. Find ways to cut costs to ensure you have the support you need.
Also, check out networks and forums that can help you fix smaller issues and direct you to affordable IT support specialists.
- No Backup Plan
Data is to a business what air, water, and food are to humans.
Meaning:
Without a proper backup system in place, your business could be destroyed. If you have a hard drive that fails, it is possible for a skilled technician to recover your files. But if the data is lost and it was not backed up properly…you may be headed for bankruptcy or dissolution.
With the right strategy, this disaster is perfectly avoidable. By working with proficient IT consultants, your company can learn exactly what it needs to protect valuable data from loss, and then put in place a strategy that works within your budget and needs.
- Assuming the Original Equipment Manufacturer is best for support
Oftentimes, people assume that the manufacturer of their equipment is the best authority for support. This is not a great plan.
Why?
The support services of the equipment manufacturer only deal with the equipment that they in fact manufacture. Unless your equipment company-wide is from one manufacturer, this can mean that you have multiple support providers, and that can cause a lot of problems. You now have a random collection of support services that are not unified in any way. It’s far better to contract a third-party provider that can handle anything and everything IT support related for smooth operations across the entire organization.
- Upgrading equipment too often, or not often enough
There is a delicate balance to handling the upgrading of hardware for your company. If you don’t upgrade often enough, you may experience significant downtime.
On the other hand, if you upgrade too often, you’re suddenly spending more than you can afford to spend on your computer equipment. You may be getting advice from the original manufacturer to update frequently because that is how they increase their profits and up sales of their equipment. Don’t get suckered by these sales pitches. Instead, rely either on your in-house tech support or your contracted team to guide you through decisions before you either spend too much on equipment, or cut corners to save money and wind up with equipment that is sluggish, inefficient, and outdated.
Technology has come a long way in the last decade, and so has the field of IT support. Whoever is handling your business’s tech support needs, they should have a team they can consult with and rely on for backup. There is nothing more stressful than going it alone when serious problems are underway. Getting the insight and input from other members of your team is critical when you are up against deadlines and you have potentially serious issues you are trying to deal with.
With all of these strategies in mind, you are being proactive in protecting your business’s assets and avoiding so many of the pitfalls that can happen when you’re flying without a net. After all…being a success story sure beats being a statistic.
