The Top 10 Benefits of Using an IT Support Company

As technology continues to change, IT support companies have been a core part of meeting growing needs. IT systems are becoming increasingly complex as multiple types of software, licenses, devices, and other digital tools are used to maintain businesses. With global IT spending projected to reach $4.6 trillion in 2023, the reliance on IT teams will only continue to increase. This week we’ll discuss what an IT support company does, some of the top benefits, and how to choose the right one.

What is an IT Support Company?

An IT support company provides outsourced technical services to businesses to manage and troubleshoot their IT infrastructure. That is done through a team of IT professionals with experience across multiple industries. They’re familiar with most types of technology challenges, expenses, and threats, allowing them to offer a lot of value for the cost without having to hire a full-time internal IT team.

What Does an IT Support Company Do?

IT support companies offer services that include troubleshooting, system monitoring, network management, cybersecurity, IT training, disaster planning, and more. They can ensure services are maintained and problems are handled as they come up. It also involves setting up proactive measures to reduce the chance of major issues that can cause downtime and potential legal problems when not meeting compliance.

Top 10 Benefits of an IT Support Company

1. Experienced IT Support Staff

Training and maintaining IT support staff can take a lot of time without guaranteeing they’ll be the right fit for a business. With 60% of configuration-related downtime events being caused by internal IT staff, staying in-house also increases the chance of a costly mistake. Depending on the size of a business, downtime can cost hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars per minute, making uptime critical. Those risks can be lowered by using an experienced IT team.

2. Cost-effective Solutions

Partnering with an IT support company is one of the best ways to spend an IT budget effectively. Pricing models are designed to fit any business’ size and budget. It’s easy to let expenses get bloated by paying for the wrong solutions or services that are no longer needed. Organizations can focus their time and energy on other tasks by outsourcing technology and license management.

3. Reliable Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is an ongoing challenge for many businesses, regardless of size. With a steady stream of new threats, three more might appear once one is stopped. Cutting costs by ignoring the risk of malware, ransomware, phishing, DDoS attacks, and other tactics is a gamble. Having a reliable cybersecurity team, which an IT support company can provide, reduces the chance of incidents, and keeps employees better educated on its importance.

4. IT Compliance

Maintaining IT compliance is vital to many financial and medical industries, where there are regulations on how money and private data are stored and handled. While not all IT support companies provide compliance services, such as HIPAA, NIST-800, CMMC, SOC-2, and PCI, those that do offer better IT services and protections. Non-compliant businesses can face expensive legal battles, loss of reputation, and could be forced to shut down.

5. Proactive IT Support

With downtime, IT errors, and data breaches being costly to businesses, proactive IT support is one of the best ways to prevent losses. That means reducing the chance of issues before they happen rather than reacting to them after the damage is already done. While preventing all complications is impossible, a good IT support company can minimize problems and reduce how much time they impact services.

6. Disaster Planning and Recovery

Disaster planning and recovery are also crucial in a proactive IT support strategy. With problems coming from sources that can’t always be stopped, like an employee opening ransomware, even the most secure companies can’t prevent every IT issue. That’s why disaster planning is vital. A response plan can help reduce the damage and the lost time.

7. IT Consultations

IT isn’t always easy to discuss or understand. Even if you know your business well, there are a lot of solutions that most owners haven’t considered. Often there are security gaps that aren’t obvious, leaving many more vulnerable than they realize. Other times, there might be wasted resources or poorly integrated software. To discover new opportunities, an IT consultant can look at your technology and workflow. That can increase productivity and improve protection against cyber threats.

8. Vendor Management

Managing vendor relationships can be a headache, especially as companies like Microsoft lock clients into annual contract commitments. With complex terminology and many ways to bundle software and features, it’s causing businesses to pay too much for extra services they don’t always need. An IT support company can act as a go-between to ensure that businesses are getting the best value for their budget while tracking renewals and contract terms.  

9. Routine Software Patching

Software patching is an ongoing problem for many businesses. While it can seem unimportant and become a lower priority, outdated software often has security vulnerabilities already fixed with a patch. The longer it goes unpatched, the more the security holes can spread to even novice hackers. That can greatly increase the chance of data breaches, hacked websites, and other issues that can harm an organization.

10. Network Management

Businesses with more complex network needs often need help managing and configuring them correctly. It’s essential for productivity that it’s set up to allow for higher speeds, device interactions, and user permissions. And on the security side, only the intended people should have access to specific networks and systems. Poorly configured networks can increase the chance of data breaches through unauthorized access.

How To Choose an IT Support Company

Picking the right IT support company is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly, as discussed in one of our guides. Here are some steps to consider:

• Gather information ahead of time. That should include the number of users, software used, current IT problems, IT service needs, and budget.
• Prepare a list of questions and concerns.
• IT consultations can offer insight into your technology needs that aren’t as obvious. That can range from ways to improve productivity to fixing security issues.
• Decide whether you need on-site support or if remote is enough to meet your needs. Distance becomes a factor for on-site services.
• Check online and collect the names of multiple IT companies that might be a good fit. Go with ones that have closer offices if you need on-site services.
• Narrow down the list to your top 4 or 5 IT support companies, then plan to contact each one.
• Create a request for proposal (RFP) and have each one fill it out. That makes it easier to compare services, costs, and approaches.
• Compare prices. Cheaper doesn’t always mean worse, but it does increase the chance they’re cutting corners. When comparing costs, look at the included services and quality of work.
• Communication is important. What may seem obvious to one side may not be to the other. Be upfront and patient with questions, concerns, and needs.
• It’s never too late to discuss costs or other factors. Most IT service providers have flexibility in their contract structures, so don’t hesitate to speak up.

While not every step is mandatory, the more time you spend choosing the right IT support company, the better the result will be. Technology isn’t easy, and every business has a different approach. The goal is to find one with high-quality services that fit your budget and can be trusted with your IT long-term.

Conclusion

There are many reasons to outsource your IT needs to an IT support company, as discussed in our top 10 benefits. By partnering with a service provider, anyone can get cost-effective solutions, proactive IT support, vendor management, cybersecurity, and more. Furthermore, partnering with a team of IT professionals ensures businesses stay updated with technology trends, compliance changes, and shifts in customer demand.

Choosing the right service provider can seem daunting, but it is well worth the time for anyone needing an IT partner. As part of the MSP 500, which honors top IT service providers nationwide, ITonDemand is a leading IT support company to consider. With locations across multiple states and flexibility for fully remote clients, you can trust us with all your technology needs.

If you need a consultation, price quote, or more information about our IT services, get in touch via our contact form or call us at +1 (800) 297-8293