Best ways to support small business IT

Small businesses form the backbone of our economy, contributing to job creation, innovation, and community development. While it may seem that medium and large businesses are the core and bring in the most revenue and clients, small businesses often prioritize personalized customer service, building strong relationships within their communities.

It is imperative for small businesses to continue to evolve and grow. Therefore, their technological landscape must be optimized to facilitate this growth.

Here are a few facts:

• 46% of all cyber breaches impact businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees.
• 27% of small organizations do NOT have IT support.
• Small businesses are a major target for hackers.
• The cost per minute for small business IT downtime is around $427.

(getastrar).

So, what are the best ways to support small business IT infrastructure to ensure a smooth work process, data protection, and continuous growth?

Who Can Benefit from IT Services?

Managed IT services can benefit small businesses of all types, whether retail, professional services, healthcare, or non-profit organizations. Limited in-house IT resources create various challenges, complicating the management of infrastructure, security, and cloud services.

Without proper IT support, small businesses risk security breaches, downtime, and loss of productivity. A lack of adequate disaster recovery planning or unpatched systems can give way to serious financial and reputational damage, potentially crippling the business.

That’s where managed IT services for small businesses come in. These services help mitigate those risks effectively, ensuring you can focus on growth without stressing over technological roadblocks.

First, let's discuss what IT Infrastructure is.

IT infrastructure is the combination of all technical components required to support all operations of a business's technological environment. This includes but is not limited to the following:

• Hardware
• Software
• Networks
• VoIP
• Servers
• Routers
• Databases
• Cloud services

Essentially, the goal of IT infrastructure is to ensure that a business's IT is reliable, secure, and scalable to support a company’s objectives as well as growth.

Why is a small business IT infrastructure just as important as that of a large firm?

Efficiency:

In many small businesses, firms sometimes operate with limited resources and manpower. Optimized IT infrastructure will assist companies in streamlining operations, automating tasks, and improving overall efficiency, allowing small businesses to compete more effectively within the market.

Cost-effectiveness:

While larger firms may have larger budgets to invest in IT systems, small businesses can achieve cost savings by employing scalable IT solutions tailored to their specific needs. By focusing on essential technologies and avoiding unnecessary expenses, small businesses can maximize their ROI as well as distribute their resources more strategically.

Security:

As stated before, small businesses are increasingly targeted by cyber threats. Unfortunately, many lack the technological resources to implement security measures. When a small firm has IT infrastructure, this will include essential security controls such as firewalls, antivirus software, data encryption, and regular backups that will assist in protecting sensitive data and minimize the risk of data breaches.

Customer experience:

In today's digital age, clients expect a smooth experience when it comes to customers when interacting with businesses online. IT infrastructure allows small businesses to deliver efficient customer service, optimize their websites and digital platforms, secure customers’ data, and leverage data analytics to understand customer preferences.

How, as a small business, can I implement a robust IT infrastructure?

Growth is important for your small business. In today’s digital landscape, technology has become the backbone of ensuring a smooth work process, secure data, and maintained seamless communication with clients and team members.

Do not let a lack of IT resources hold you back from your company’s success.

As a business owner, you must focus on various tasks outside the technical landscape. When a business tries to handle IT tasks, not only does this take away from the focus of other obligations, but you may not know the best IT choices for your company.

Businesses must focus on various tasks outside the technical landscape. However, delving into IT tasks can divert attention from core obligations. And let's face it, navigating the world of IT might be challenging. It's about more than just knowing the best IT choices; it is also about recognizing that the IT landscape is complex and ever-changing. Without specialized expertise, making missteps can easily impact your business's efficiency and security.

This is where managed service providers come in. Allow a team of IT experts to assist you with setting up a robust IT Infrastructure and managing everything that comes with it.

How can Managed Service Providers assist with small business IT?

Setting up your IT Infrastructure:

As stated before, many technical aspects need to be set up, whether it is servers, equipment, software/hardware, voice over IP (VoIP), Multi-factor authentication, firewalls, etc. MSPs will ensure that you have everything you need for the growth and smoothness of your work processes.

Proactive Monitoring and Maintenance:

MSPs continuously monitor the health and performance of small business IT infrastructure. Specifically, for Infiniwiz, we identify and resolve issues before they escalate into major problems. This approach helps minimize downtime and ensures that systems are running smoothly. Some of the monitoring services that we offer include, but are not limited to, workstation monitoring, ISP (Internet Service Provider) monitoring, backup monitoring, and privileged access management.

Network Security:

MSPs like Infiniwiz will implement security measures to protect small businesses from malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, and data breaches. This includes but is not limited to setting up DDoS mitigation, Dark Web monitoring, security awareness and training for employees, firewalls, antivirus software, and implementing best practices for data encryption and user authentication.

Data Backup and Disaster Recovery:

MSPs provide data backups to safeguard small businesses against data loss. Data loss can occur for many reasons, including hardware failures, natural disasters, or cyber-attacks. We will also assist you with disaster recovery plans to ensure that your systems and data can be quickly restored in the event of an emergency.

Check out our blog, “Infiniwiz Advice: Why You Should Choose a Plan Rather than Stress,” to learn more about how Infiniwiz assists with company plans.

Cloud Services:

MSPs will assist small businesses with cloud computing to increase flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency. More specifically, MSPs like Infiniwiz will migrate all of your data to the cloud while also managing it. Cloud services allow companies to handle tasks through virtual means, anywhere they are. For example, Infiniwiz assists clients by managing their file sharing and ensuring a secure and seamless process with minimal disruption. We also manage Email Platforms where we take care of licensing management, user creation and deletion, spam filtering, encryption, multi-factor authentication, backup, archiving, and regulatory compliance.

Check out our cloud services blogs on how Infiniwiz can assist your business in migrating to the cloud and how we help with its management.

IT Consulting and Strategic Planning:

MSPs will give you expert guidance and technical advice to businesses. Specifically for Infiniwiz, we help guide, strategize, and implement tech solutions for business efficiency and innovation. Whether it is technology business reviews, disaster recovery planning, etc., MSPs help identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and leverage technology to achieve business goals.

Check out our blog, “What is IT Consulting?” to learn more.

Help Desk Support:

Managed Service Providers will also provide small businesses with help desk support. At Infiniwiz, we offer 24/7 assistance and troubleshooting for IT issues and user inquiries. This will ensure that employees can stay productive and focused on their core tasks without being hindered by technical problems.

Overall, the growth, development, and success of small businesses are imperative no matter what industry. Therefore, it is important that all firms’ IT infrastructure is optimized to ensure that businesses can reach the pentacles they want to reach. Managed service providers like Infiniwiz are here to help you manage IT infrastructure, enhance security, streamline operations, and achieve your business goals. If you have any more questions on how to ensure your business has the best IT support, feel free to contact us!