Get Your IT Ready for Holiday Shopping

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Holiday shopping will have a new look this year. Many retailers are closing their brick-and-mortar doors for Black Friday, and the big “doorbuster” sales are moving online. With the busiest shopping period of the year going virtual, there’s going to be greater load on the business IT.

If your business wants to be part of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, prepare for a sudden surge in traffic volume. If your technology can’t handle the traffic, you’re going to lose revenue. A crashed system could be catastrophic for your bottom line, plus, it’ll hurt brand reputation and customer satisfaction long term.

Consider these strategies to get ready for the online crush of shoppers.

  • Latency
  • Error rates
  • Number of time-outs
  • Length of response time
  • Availability

Performing OK may not be enough to match the need of holiday sales. Based on the Salesforce findings above, it’s safe to say you could be facing 15–35% increased traffic.

#3 Optimize Your Site and Services Beforehand

In e-commerce, every second, even millisecond, counts. There are several things you can do in advance to make sure you’re putting your best e-foot forward:

  • Make sure that every page of your site and all your images are rendering quickly.
  • Identify where you are seeing shopping cart abandonment, and do what you can now to stem that drop off.
  • Revise site navigation to ensure it is as simple as possible for shoppers.
  • Allow users to buy without registering and to use as many different payment options as possible.
  • Remove unnecessary forms, sidebars, headers, and footers.
  • Make your site as mobile friendly as you can.

You also want to be sure that your order and inventory systems are in sync. Promoting Black Friday items and then selling out will sour customer experience.

#4 Prepare Your Troops, Too

Along with readying your technology, prep your people, too. Need more hands-on deck to handle order fulfillment and customer service? Get on that hiring and training now. Having IT support on call can help respond to any unexpected issues.

Need IT support preparing for the e-commerce influx? Our technology experts can prepare your business for more traffic and transactions. Contact us today at (515)422-1995!

Build Better Meetings

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Business meetings can be a double-edged sword. Often they are as likely to rally staff and build momentum as they are to halt progress and kill productivity.

Productive meetings are key to keeping team members on track and everyone on the same page. A poor meeting is as harmful to the progress of a project as losing multiple members of staff.

Finding the balance is important for good business. There are tools and techniques to make sure that your meetings are not standing in the way of your business.

Streamlined Scheduling

One of the biggest hurdles to planning a meeting can be simply booking a space. Finding an available room, with the right equipment, in a time and place which everyone can agree on can be a logistical nightmare. Repeated emails back and forth to agree on the venue alone can consume hours out of the day.

There are technical tools available to help. Outlook’s scheduling assistant can be a great place to start. The office package is designed to help you find a time and place convenient for everyone.

The software is a key, but underused, component within Office 365. Simply adopting a scheduling assistant can cut down meeting planning from hours to minutes.

With everyone fully connected and on the same page, every meeting is improved from the first minute. The scheduling assistant can be found under New Items > Meeting in the Outlook home tab.

Bringing in Outside Help

Of course, not all meetings are internal affairs. Often, a successful meeting involves staff members from third-party organizations, clients, and consultants too.

This is a prime area for technology tools to help. Tools such as FindTime and Doodle.com both serve as scheduling assistants to arrange suitable times and locations to coordinate meetings with multiple parties.

The process is simple, each party selects available or desired times to meet. This process is done independently and based on priorities for each user. When everyone has added their input a mutually convenient slot can be found for everyone.

With modern technology there’s no reason to spend hours, or even many minutes, wrestling over when and where to meet. Using the tools as they are designed cuts out a huge amount of overhead cost from meeting planning.

Idea Capture

The most common complaint staff have about business meetings is the lack of available participation. Many show up, yet just feel like audience members.

When staff members feel their contribution or input to projects isn’t valued, it can lead to a dramatic drop in morale and much deeper issues within the firm.

Tools such as GoWall.com are changing meetings for the better and giving staff members a bigger voice. The site provides attendees with the resources they need to contribute to meetings without disrupting the flow.

The idea behind GoWall is very simple and highly effective. While concepts are communicated as part of a presentation or ongoing conversation, participants are free to contribute to an “idea wall” in real time. This shared wall contains ideas, contributions, and notes from all participants that add to the conversation.

Since ideas are shared between all participants, everyone can be inspired to contribute. This deceptively simple idea helps all members to feel they have a chance to have their voices heard and their contributions valued.

Worthwhile Meetings

Meetings can be a difficult topic in some workplaces. Some firms have had historic failures and huge losses in productivity as a result of too many meetings running far too long. In some environments, formal meetings have all but been banned already.

Using modern technology solutions, we can put the productivity back into meetings. Cut out the wasted time and get to the points that matter. With these simple yet highly effective tools, we can build meetings that create productivity instead of hampering it.

Trades Should Add Technology to Their Tool Belts

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There are many hands-on trades that haven’t traditionally needed technology. Yet modern tech tools help the plumber, carpenter, welder, or other trade improve productivity and competitiveness.

There are certain common tasks tradespeople face daily:

  • scheduling appointments with clients, suppliers, or inspectors;
  • tracking project deadlines and budgets;
  • communicating with project managers, customers, trades, office administrators;
  • paying employee salaries;
  • invoicing and tracking payables, receivables.

These can all be done with pen and paper, sticky notes, and forms in triplicate, but technology cuts the time spent and lets you focus instead on increasing your bottom line.

The Difference Technology Tools Make

Most of us carry small, powerful computers around in our pockets every day, whether it’s a smartphone or a tablet. Internet-connected devices give tradespeople access to tools to enhance productivity.

Let’s start with scheduling apps, as tradespeople are often on the move throughout the day. Signing up for a scheduling tool (e.g. Doodle) makes it easier to set appointments, and you aren’t involved in the booking process. Customers simply go to your website or link to the app and choose an available time that works best for them. You can even set it up to ensure you have buffers between appointments or prevent someone from scheduling a new, big project to start at the end of your day.

Integrating the scheduling app with your website helps customers reach you. Also, connecting also to a shared cloud calendar can help your team work together better. Everyone invited into the calendar can see who is out on a call, and where.

You can make changes to a cloud-based calendar on any connected device. Others will see the alterations in real-time. This helps you avoid scheduling conflicts. You can set a follow-up meeting with an inspector while you’re out in the field. The office secretary sees your availability in real-time to set up a new customer visit.

Your Trade Office On the Move

With cloud-based office software also available online, you can get more done out of the office. You don’t have to make a trip back to the office to enter your invoice slips and make photocopies of receipts. Instead, take pictures on your phone or tablet, and attach them to the project file in the cloud, or invoice directly from a secure cloud-based processing site. You won’t have to worry about any paperwork getting lost in the back of a truck or bottom of a toolbox.

The Microsoft Office suite, Google Docs, and cloud storage are available from iOS and Android devices. This lets you monitor project timelines, view budgets, and track invoices and payments in the field. Cloud-based accounting packages let you see cashflow or outstanding balances, and pay contractors or suppliers on the spot.

Cloud-based software also gives every employee access to business tools in the office. With a virtual desktop, they can collaborate easily (out on a job or in the office) and make changes in real-time. For instance, a contractor could access software to edit a building plan, then actually see the new design in 3D modelling software.

The great news is that technology is ever more accessible and easy to use. Embracing modern digital tools can improve customer service and trade business efficiency.

Your skill set may not extend to technology, but that’s where we come in. We can help you find the right technology for your business needs. Contact us at (515)422-1995 today!

7 Things You Need to Know About Ransomware

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Ransomware is a well-named type of cyberattack. Cybercriminals taking this approach kidnap your data. After accessing your network, they encrypt files and demand payment for the passcode. Here are the top seven things you need to know about this business threat.

#1 It Can Happen to You

Cybercriminals rely on your false confidence. Don’t think “it won’t happen to me.” Attacks on government, education, healthcare, or financial institutions get publicity. Yet organizations of all types and sizes are targeted.

#2 Ransomware Spreads Fast

Ransomware is malware, malicious software that can reach throughout a network. So, if Jane from accounting opens a ransomware file, every single computer on your business network could be infected. The virus can spread between businesses, too. Consider the debilitating WannaCry ransomware attack of 2017. Within four days of its first detection in Europe, the strain had spread to 116 countries.

#3 Ransomware Targets People

A common method to send out phishing emails in the hope of having people enter their access credentials. Targeted business communication emails work, too. The attacker gets to know your business first. Then they send an email impersonating a colleague, supplier, or customer asking you to take action or update contact details by clicking on the link or downloading a file.

#4 Ransomware is Costly

Once the ransomware is installed on your system, it locks down your files. To regain access to the files, you need the password or decryption key the attacker supplies when you pay up; that’s if they keep their end of the bargain once you pay the ransom. These are crooks you’re dealing with after all!

In Coveware’s analysis of Q3 2019, the average ransom payment increased by 13% to $41,198 as compared to $36,295 in Q2 of 2019. And that’s just the cost of the ransom. Indirect costs include the cost of downtime, lost revenue, and long-term brand damage. There’s also the expense of removing the ransomware, forensic analysis, and rebuilding systems.

The average ransomware attack in Q3 2019 resulted in 12.1 days of downtime. – Coveware

#5 Ransom Requires Cryptocurrency

Ransom payment is usually made by bitcoin or another cryptocurrency. Your business needs to buy cryptocurrency with actual cash, then transmit the ransom. They choose cryptocurrency because it’s very difficult to trace. It doesn’t help you that bitcoin is not something you can charge back like a credit card.

#6 A Recovery Plan Helps

Planning in advance can help you respond more reasonably. Document plans to disconnect infected computers from the network as soon as possible. Also, power down any machines that could be vulnerable to avoid spreading contagion.

You should also discuss in advance whether or not your business will pay a ransom. Weighing the costs and benefits without a deadline on the decision can help you react more strategically.

#7 You Can Take Action

You don’t have to sit around worrying and waiting for a ransomware attack. There are many things you can do to help prevent this type of attack:

  • Filter traffic, preventing it from coming into your network in the first place.
  • Scan inbound emails for known threats, and block certain attachment types.
  • Use antivirus and anti-spam solutions and regularly upgrade and patch vulnerable software.
  • Educate all users about social engineering.
  • Allow remote access to your network only from secure virtual private networks.
  • Back up your data to more than one location so that you can restore any impacted files from a known source.

Ransomware is a lucrative, relatively easy mode of attack for cybercriminals. They could target your business. Contact us today for help implementing the best protection practices to keep your data safe. Call us at (515)422-1995.

Don’t Get Hooked By a Whaling Attack

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The executives of your company are the big fish in your sea. Yet cybercriminals think of them as whales. In fact, whaling is a new cybersecurity threat targeting the C-suite level.

You’ve likely heard of phishing attacks. Phishers use scam emails or spoofed websites to obtain user credentials or financial information. This might be an email that looks like it is from your bank asking you to log in and update your details, or a supposed tax alert needing immediate action.

A vishing attack is another fraudulent attempt to steal protected data, but the cybercriminals are going to use the phone to make contact. They might pretend to be a vendor needing to confirm account details for bill payment.

There’s also spear phishing. In these cases, the attackers do their homework first and target a specific company. They scour directories and employee social media to gather information to gain credibility.

Now, there are whaling attacks, too. The high-value target is a senior-level employee. The fraudster typically also impersonates one of the target’s C-suite counterparts.

What You Need to Know About Whaling

A whaling attack uses the same methods as phishing but focuses on top-level targets. The goal is to get “whales” to reveal sensitive information or transfer money to fraudsters’ accounts.

Whale attacks are intentional. Phishing can see attackers baiting hundreds of hooks to get nibbles. In whaling, information gathered in advance adds credibility to the social engineering. The target has higher value, so it’s worth their time to appear knowledgeable and make a request to and from someone important.

The sender’s email address will look convincing (e.g. from smithj@companyx.co instead of smithj@companyx.com). The messages will have corporate logos and legitimate links to the company site. Because humans want to help, the communications typically involve an urgent matter.

Whaling attacks are on the rise. In 2016, Snapchat admitted compromising employee data after receiving an email, seemingly from its CEO, asking for payroll information.

In another high-profile example, Mattel nearly transferred $3 million to a Chinese account. Company policy required two signatures, but the attackers (taking advantage of a recent shakeup) faked the new CEO’s signature. The second executive went ahead and added a signature. The only thing that saved the company was that it was a Chinese bank holiday.

Protecting Against Whale Attacks

As with phishing or vishing, the primary way to protect against whaling attacks is to question everything. Train your key staff members to guard what they share on social media. Encourage them to question any unsolicited request. If they weren’t expecting an attachment or link, they should follow up. If a request is unusual, they should trust their spidey-sense and proceed with caution.

It’s also a good idea to develop a policy for handling requests for money or personal information. By requiring that two people must always weigh in, you’re more likely to catch a scam before it’s too late.

Also, train all your employees to look carefully at email addresses and sender names. They should also know to hover over links (without clicking on them) to reveal the full URL.

Security awareness is crucial. It’s also a good idea to test your employees with mock phishing emails.

Need help training employees or testing social engineering? Contact our experts today, call us at (515)422-1995!

Beat the IT Burden

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Technology today allows us to accomplish more tasks faster than ever before. Paperless documents, remote collaboration and video conferencing have all lowered the costs and increased the speed of everyday business at an extraordinary rate.

The benefits of modern IT does however, come at a cost. Consistent maintenance has become a critical component of almost every business. The IT department is now as important to the functioning of a firm as sales, marketing, or management. The advantages that come with modern technology more than outweigh the drawbacks. It’s up to you as a business owner to balance both. In today’s highly competitive business environment the latest tips, tricks, and tools are essential to keeping ahead of the competition.

The Cost of Great IT

While well maintained IT is a powerful asset; poor, crumbling IT can quickly turn into a liability. Machines, servers and desktops need to be kept up to date with the latest operating system and security patches as a matter of priority. Data requires consistent back-up too.

Poor security and data backup measures put both your own and your customer data at risk from attack. Regular security updates close vulnerable gaps, while backups protect valuable data. Strong security protects your liability against losing your own and your customer data.

Determining what is and isn’t good IT practice for your firm takes the experience and knowledge of a professional. Good security involves more than one managed system to protect your assets. Good data backup is ideally done daily, involving more than a single copy in an off-site location. Without taking these steps at a minimum, a business is as little as one glitch away from a complete critical failure.

Managing Internal IT

The IT demands of every firm changes on a near-daily basis. Software is often added or removed, user accounts need to be added, removed, or changed and permissions require modification to suit ever-changing requirements. The time requirement of daily IT changes alone is more than many departments can handle.

Many small firms deal with accounts, permissions, and software at an individual level. Wherever this is the case, complications inevitably happen. Software and services get lost and forgotten in the system, often polluting other packages and causing IT issues throughout the firm. User accounts are often left on the system months or years after an employee has departed.

For reliable and secure IT management, managed group policies prevents bad systems. IT management allows staff to get on with their work without technology getting in the way. Data is managed at a department level, accounts are removed for staff that depart the business and software is installed by professionals. Using this approach the liability of the firm for IT failures is dramatically reduced.

Managing IT Without Added Burden

One of the major complaints about setting up well managed IT is the overhead that it adds to the firm. Staff costs, additional management, and the office space of an IT department is a daunting financial burden to add.

Staff costs alone can make building an equipped IT department prohibitively expensive. Qualified, dependable, knowledgeable IT staff demand a high salary and costly benefits. In addition, equipment costs and lead time to get up and running on your business systems drive the costs even higher. Some firms simply don’t have the space required to add an entirely new department to the business.

That’s why, for many businesses, outsourcing is the most effective way to update their IT without increasing business overhead. Outsourcing provides modern IT for a simple, fixed monthly cost. Removing the distractions of managing an entirely new department allows the business to focus on doing the job they do best.

What We Do

By trusting your IT to us, we ensure that your systems are up-to-date, secure, and fully backed up. We can keep you competitive by allowing you to accomplish more than ever before.

Along with day to day IT management, monitoring, and setup; we can assist your transition to paperless documents, setup remote working, and provide IT assistance to set up the latest technology that will enable you to succeed.

Allow us to help you do more than ever before. Bring your IT demands to us and we’ll provide you with the modern IT you need to let your business thrive. Call us at (515)422-1995

 

Locking Up Cybersecurity with a Managed Services Provider

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Cybercrime is not the most costly of illegal activities. That dubious distinction goes to government corruption, followed by drug trafficking. Cybercrime comes in third. Yet cybercrime does take the top spot when it comes to numbers of victims. A managed services provider can help.

Cybercrime has hundreds of millions of victims. Two-thirds of people online have experienced personal information theft or compromise. A 2018 McAfee Security study suggested that represents more than 2 billion individuals!

If any of those people works at your business, it could mean trouble for your security, too. Why? People tend to think they have too many passwords to remember. So, they use the same login information again and again. That means a criminal could leverage employee data to access business systems, too.

Cybercrime is a global problem for both individuals and businesses. The bad actors, after all, can make big bucks from their crime with low risk of discovery. The global cost of cybercrime is an estimated $600 billion a year. And no one and no business is immune.

More people are going online. Businesses are becoming more reliant on digital transactions. Cybercriminals are quickly adapting. They’re motivated, but are you?

Securing Your Business with an MSP

It’s safe to say your Information Technology team has a lot to do. Everyone at your office is working hard, but is cybersecurity getting the attention it deserves? Ultimately, there is no better way to keep your systems secure than with managed services.

A managed services provider (MSP) helps your business stay ahead of security threats. Finding out about risks or vulnerabilities after the fact is no good. That’s like closing the barn door after the prize stallion has already bolted.

An in-house cybersecurity team providing 24/7 protection isn’t workable for most businesses. It’s cost prohibitive for most small and mid-sized businesses.

Working with an MSP is a more affordable alternative. You avoid investing in the latest technology and building up an on-premises infrastructure. Instead, you pay a consistent fee for the MSP to handle technology patching, monitoring, and assessments.

The MSP uses well-tested, leading-edge tech to stay on top of cybersecurity threats. This strategic partner can:

  • set up security on your infrastructure;
  • oversee your company’s security systems;
  • ensure regulatory compliance;
  • track threats 24/7;
  • maintain strong data protection.

An internal IT team oversees many areas, but the MSP focuses on continuous monitoring. It keeps up to date on the global threat landscape and any industry vulnerabilities.

Still not convinced that paying an MSP is worth it? The average cost of a lost or stolen record was $148 per record in 2018. You might view working with an MSP as paying for insurance. With ongoing monitoring an MSP helps your business avoid security breaches. And their devastating costs (including to productivity, compliance, revenues, and brand reputation).

This extension of your security staff helps maximize resource efficiency. And their day-to-day focus is on reducing risk and minimizing damage from cyberthreats. With an MSP you add dedicated security experts to your team. Secure your technology while gaining advanced threat intelligence and customized security strategies.

A managed services provider identifies vulnerabilities and secures your business environment. Stay ahead of cybersecurity threats with an MSP. Find out more today!

Call us at (515)422-1995

Island Hopping: Not Always a Good Thing

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The phrase “island hopping” conjures up positive images. You might think of cruising beautiful sandy beaches on a tour of tropical islands. Too bad cybercriminals have given the term a new, less pleasant spin.

Island hopping is an increasingly popular method of attacking businesses. In this approach, the cybercriminal targets a business indirectly. The bad actors first go after the target’s smaller strategic partners. So, vendors or affiliates, who might not have the same level of cybersecurity, become stepping stones to hop.

Attackers might hack into smaller businesses handling the target’s HR, payroll, accounting, healthcare, or marketing. Then, they take advantage of the pre-existing relationship to access the final destination.

Humans are trusting. Cybercriminals exploit that. With island hopping, attackers leverage the trust established between strategic partners.

It’s quite simple: attackers gain access to Company A and send a counterfeit business communication to Company B. Company B, knowing the sender, is less likely to question a download link or opening an attachment.

After all, it’s not coming from a stranger; it’s a message from perfectly pleasant Jenny at Company A. You may have in the past already shared logins to various sites/portals, or passwords to unlock zip files.

The Rise of Island Hopping

This is not a brand-new form of attack. In fact, it’s named after a military strategy which the United States used in World War II to establish a stronghold in the Pacific Islands.

Perhaps the best-known island-hopping cyberattack was seen in the United States in 2013. Retail giant Target was the aptly named target of a point-of-sale system breach. Hackers stole payment information from 40 million customers. The first “island” in the planned attack was Fazio Mechanical Services. The heating and refrigeration firm suffered a malware attack shortly before Target’s breach. Fazio’s hackers stole email credentials needed to access the retailer’s networks.

As enterprises continue to strengthen their cybersecurity, it’s predicted that island hopping will gain momentum. According to Accenture’s Technology Vision 2019 report, less than a third of businesses globally know how strategic partners secure their networks. A majority (56%) rely on trust that business partners would uphold security standards.

Preventing Island Hopping

You may be one of the islands to hop or the attackers’ final destination. It depends on your business size and industry. Either way, your business is vulnerable to malware attack, infected systems, or a data breach. Plus, if you’re the stepping stone, you’re likely to lose the target company’s business, too.

How do you prevent island hopping? First, secure your own networks and systems:

  • Follow best practices to detect and identify vulnerabilities and reduce risk.
  • Educate your employees about the dangers of business communication scams.
  • Raise awareness of phishing schemes and social engineering.
  • Require two-factor user authentication.
  • Change all default, generic, or predictable passwords.
  • Keep security up to date (patching and system upgrades are mandatory).
  • Control who can access your networks and servers.
  • Protect all endpoints (including employee devices in a Bring Your Own Device workplace).

When it comes to cyber island hopping, your business doesn’t want to be a layover or the final destination. Keep your cybersecurity borders tight to avoid unwanted visitors.

Want to make your business inhospitable to island hoppers? Work with a managed service provider. They can help assess cybersecurity, provide a plan to reduce risk, and upgrade technology. Let us support your efforts to fend off unwanted tourists.

Give us a call on (515)422-1995.

4 Common Compliance Issues You Might Be Missing

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Information security is on every business’s radar these days. Data drives so much of what we do. Looking to contain the risks, many sectors have established IT compliance regulations. Whether meeting a standard or not, don’t overlook these common areas of concern.

Governments and regulatory agencies have established compliance standards for the financial, legal, healthcare, and energy sectors. Other organizations abide by best practices for data protection and improving system security. Whether mandated or not, the goals remain similar:

  • Improve security protocols.
  • Identify vulnerabilities.
  • Prevent breaches.
  • Reduce losses.
  • Increase access control.
  • Educate employees.
  • Maintain customer trust.

Shortcomings can mean compliance concerns, industry fines, customer churn, and brand reputation damage. Being proactive about these four common issues can benefit companies in any industry sector.

Common Issues that Thwart Compliance

Companies with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies save $350 annually per employee, according to CISCO, but cost savings aren’t the only reason organizations are embracing BYOD. Letting people use personal mobile devices at work improves productivity and engages employees.

Yet allowing BYOD in the work environment can make the organization more vulnerable. There is greater risk of:

  • spread of malicious applications or viruses;
  • employees accessing business materials using unsecured Wi-Fi;
  • people who have left the company continuing to have access to proprietary systems.
  • None of these are good from a compliance point of view.

Personal portable devices may not have the same access controls as business computers, which makes them more vulnerable if lost or stolen.

This brings us to a second common compliance concern: physical security. A business may do a brilliant job of securing its devices on-site. It has firewalls, patches security regularly, and asks employees to update passwords, but what happens if a laptop, mobile phone, or USB drive is stolen or lost?

All devices accessing business systems and networks from off-site should use encryption. With remote monitoring and management, IT staff can control security configurations regardless of the end-user environment. Mobile device management allows your IT team to secure, locate, or erase any mobile device used for business.

Counting on Others for Compliance

Another area of concern is third-party connections. Again, your business may be top of the class as far as the five core functions of cybersecurity – Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover – are concerned, but what if your vendor’s security isn’t up to snuff.

Do you have business partners that are storing your sensitive data? Or does a supplier have access to personally identifying customer or employee information? Third-party risk is a real thing – ask Target. Cybercriminals stole data for 40 million debit and credit cards via the retailer’s HVAC company.

Cybercriminals could use a third party’s lax security to target you. Make sure that your vendors are taking cybersecurity as seriously as you do.

Even in your own business environment, cut the number of people who have access to sensitive data. Obviously, you’ve hired people you think you can trust, but you can still better ward off the insider cybersecurity threat by:

  • educating employees about the importance of strong passwords, securing devices, and physical security;
  • informing people about social engineering (e.g. phishing emails or fraudulent business communications);
  • limiting personnel access to data, network, or systems based on necessity;
  • having a policy to revoke access permissions and reclaim devices from any employee leaving the company.

Ensuring compliance takes technological know-how and awareness of the evolving threat landscape. This vigilance, communication, and education require time and effort. Put the right policies and procedures in place with our help. Contact us today at (515)422-1995!

Is Your Tech Partner a Team Player?

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Business is about relationships. One important relationship today is with a technology partner. This partner will consult on hardware, software, security, and other IT concerns. You can focus on other business priorities, but is your tech partner actually a good team player?

There are a lot of businesses that call themselves technology partners. The term can be broadly defined.

Technology vendors who sell specific hardware or software solutions will promise a partnership, but they will focus on a relationship that benefits their business goals.

For instance, they will generally try to steer you toward buying the products that they themselves make. Vendors will also bill your business for support when you need it. Yet that creates a conflict of interest: they profit from your inconvenience. That’s not the type of partner you want on your team.

A True Partnership with your MSP

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are another type of technology partner. They look to add value to the team.

In MSP partnerships, your business pays a monthly fee to keep everything working. Your MSP manages your IT and protects your end-user systems. You are paying them to prevent problems before they happen. Unlike reactive vendors, MSPs work to enhance business security and compliance.

Partnering with an MSP adds experts to your team who learn your business needs and look to improve efficiency and flexibility. Besides the convenience of predictable pricing, an MSP will also suggest ways to help reduce IT costs. MSPs have relationships with many different vendors, so they can get the best price when offering you access to new technology.

In introducing new hardware or software, or making upgrades to streamline processes, an MSP is usually brand agnostic. Sure, they may have favorites due to good experiences with a particular brand, but they will still put your business needs first and always find the best solution for you. They’ll want to explore how the work gets done, get to know the IT environment, and seek employee input.

The MSP experts will sit down with you to find out the business challenges that need to be addressed. Then, they do the research and propose the best solutions for your users and environment. To continue the sports analogy, MSPs have more than one single play in their playbook: they draw up the tech strategy that best suits your business needs.

The MSP is also in it for the long haul. A vendor may be looking only to be a partnership that leads to product or service sales and tech support calls. The MSP model is built on collaboration and communication. These are IT experts who thrive on seeing their clients develop, optimize, and succeed.

Plus, MSPs can join forces with businesses of any size. They’ll bring the same team play to the IT playing field for small and midsized businesses as they would for enterprise-sized organizations.

Key Takeaway

In gauging whether your technology partner is a team player, consider the relationship benefits. You may get the technology you think you want from a vendor, but they are also focused on profiting from the partnership.

Your MSP takes the time to learn about user experience and business objectives to ensure their solutions and services add value. Instead of benefiting from things going wrong at your business, your MSP partner has an incentive to prevent problems from ever happening.

If you want a technology partner who will find the right solution for the benefit of the team, give us a call at (515)422-1995.

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