3 Important Aspects of IT Support for Miami Small Businesses

3 important aspects of it support for miami small businesses

it support for miami small businesses Although it’s not the most engaging aspect of running a business, IT support can have a big impact on your overall success. In this blog we’ll cover three important aspects of IT support for Miami small businesses.

According to this article, small businesses need knowledgeable, trusted technology partners who are proficient with current technologies and willing to help learn their industry’s operations requirements.

Personalized assistance

No reputable IT support agency thinks it offers a cookie-cutter service. Since each client has a different situation based on its technology, its resources, and its employees, IT support must be personalized. As a result, you’ll know that the recommended solutions are picked specifically for your business.

IT strategy planning

All businesses need an IT strategy, even if they don’t rely on technology much. If you’re not thinking ahead, then your IT will become outdated quickly.

A good example of this is migrating to cloud computing. According to a recent CIO article, businesses need to plan this out ahead of time:

“Chances are, security will be a shared responsibility between cloud provider and client company. Most companies approve of that, because it affirms that they do not lose control just because they move to the cloud. Figure out ahead of time who does what so that there are no unwelcome surprises (or breaches) down the road.”

This is where IT support comes into play. We’ll make sure your migration to the cloud, or any other transition you’re considering, goes smoothly.

Off-site and on-site service

Cost-effective IT support uses a combination of off-site and on-site service. Thus, most common errors are solved off-site and the occasional severe problem is taken care of on-site.

Your business benefits from this the most. Since off-site support is efficient, your IT support doesn’t cost as much. Additionally, the savings get passed down directly to our clients.

Outsourcing IT support is a great way for businesses to cut back on expenses and maintain a high quality of service. To talk more about IT support for Miami small businesses, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.

IT Support for Miami Small Businesses: Finding the Balance Between Security and Convenience

it support for miami small businesses finding the balance between security and convenience

it support for miami small businesses In our IT support for Miami small businesses, we try to find the right balance between security and convenience. In this blog we’ll explain why the two are inversely related to each other and how that relationship might put your network security in jeopardy. According to this article, Every business has different IT support requirements. That makes defining what you really need an important part of the selection process.

Network security isn’t something that just randomly falls into place. You have to invest in your infrastructure and come up with a plan to protect your network.

As you can probably tell, doing this isn’t convenient. At least not in terms of increasing your productivity or sales. Still, you need to accept the inconvenience to secure your network and protect your data.

There’s a trade-off between security and convenience, and both extremes aren’t desirable. If you kept investing in network security, then there would come a point where it would start disrupting your business operations.

According to a recent Harvard Business Review article, you need to tolerate a certain level of inconvenience to protect your information:

“Security and convenience are inversely related. The greater the security provided by a control, the less convenient it is for affected individuals. For example, just as adding locks requires extra keys, increasing password complexity results in additional memorization and typing. An organization’s willingness to tolerate inconvenience has a profound effect on the security of its information.”

Each business needs to find out how much convenience it’s willing to give up for the sake of security. No two situations are alike, so the balance will be specific to your business.

We help our clients find a balance that’s optimal for their situation. Our goal is to make sure that their network is secure and their data is protected, but they can still carry out their business operations without too many disruptions. We’ll monitor the balance of convenience and security as time goes on.

To talk more about IT support for Miami small businesses, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.

5 Important Factors To Consider Regarding Computer Support Companies in South Florida

5 important factors to consider regarding computer support companies in south florida

computer support companies in south florida Computer support comes in different shapes and sizes. Here are some factors to look for when considering computer support companies in South Florida. Computer support companies and services specialize in troubleshooting and fixing a wide variety of primarily software-related personal computer issues and network connectivity problems as well as some hardware issues.

Integrity

We’ll start off with integrity since we think it’s the most important. You don’t want to trust something as important as computer support to just anybody, so it’s important to know who you’re dealing with.

To research a company’s integrity, look for their ratings and reviews. If other clients have had good experiences with them, that’s usually a good sign.

IT Support

IT support is kind of a vague term, and you want to be completely sure of what services you’re receiving. Ask about thinks like network support, computer repair, and data backup. If nothing else, you can choose a computer support company just based on the specific services they offer.

Office 365

Office 365 integration is very important for small businesses. You want to be sure that your computer support company assists you with Office 365 so you can take advantage of the new programs.

Cloud Computing

One of the new features of Office 365 is cloud computing. Many businesses are now turning to cloud computing in an effort to back up their data, improve collaboration among employees, and increase business productivity.

VoIP

Microsoft Lync, a new Office 365 program, helps companies implement a VoIP solution. VoIP improves upon the landline phone system by offering better call quality for lower prices.

Disaster Recovery

And finally, businesses should only choose a computer support company that assists with disaster recovery. In order to ensure business continuity, you need to practice disaster recovery preparedness and be ready to restore your data in the case of data loss.

It’s important that your computer support company in South Florida offers all of the aforementioned services. Otherwise, their computer support package would be incomplete.

To talk more about computer support companies in South Florida, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.

In-Person IT Support for Your Miami Small Business: When Live Interaction is Better

in person it support for your miami small business when live interaction is better

it support miami

If you’ve been considering IT support for your Miami small business, you’ve perhaps been wondering how personal that support would be. While it’s true some IT support is remote, you probably expect face-to-face interaction if you’re used to such things. You’ve perhaps had an in-house IT team for years where the support team always worked directly with you in order to assure everything gets done accurately.

The only issue you might have experienced is your IT team not knowing about the realities of what’s really going on out in the real world. When you have a team working as consultants, there’s a guarantee of wider experience based on what they’ve seen working for dozens of different companies. IT issues differ in every place, and all the major threats out there require knowledge based on what other companies experience.

According to this article, there are a few questions you should ask when hiring your company’s first IT support person. For example, You need to be sure the person you hire can easily, clearly and patiently communicate with your employees when tempers flare over tech that won’t cooperate or simple user error.

This is the kind of advantage you have when you use our IT support here at 4 Corner IT. We work strictly as consultants while providing the same personal interactions as you had with your old IT team.

What will we do if we have to visit your company headquarters to help you with an IT problem? We’ll make sure your company runs efficiently at all times.

From On-Site Servicing to Personalized Support

Anything you need done in person, we’ll be there, whether it be servicing your computers in person, installation of hardware and software, or providing strategies for business and technology. With our extensive knowledge from the field, we assure you’ll receive the best repair knowledge and technology advice in the industry. However, we only provide IT services you really need rather than pushing something unnecessary.

Even more so, our personalized support for your employees is something you’ll appreciate. When you’re too busy to help your own employees figure out IT problems, or new technology, we’re there to help them with manual assistance.

Of course, when you prefer remote assistance, we’re also available at any time of the day.

Contact us here at 4 Corner IT and we’ll show your Miami-based small business how great our IT support is so everyone is on the same page.

Outsourced IT Support is a Leg Up to the Playing Field

outsourced it support is a leg up to the playing field

The thing about your internal enterprise IT support is that the latter is always a cost center and somewhat like a 25-pound weight around your otherwise lean midsection.

Who hasn’t cringed under the gimlet eye of the IT manager, who, in response to a suggestion or request for more data access has replied, “No, we can’t do that now.

Our system is maxed out because of the monthly usage reports we in the IT department need”?

OK, that’s somewhat of an extreme example, but it does conjure up familiar memories of the old-time IT support. It was like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz being warned not to look behind the curtain. You don’t know exactly what’s going on there, but you certainly know that when the system is down, it’s still gnawing at your bottom line.

Then there’s the effect of equipment aging when amortization deteriorates past depreciation and into another looming capital investment liability. All the while, everything you do and all the business records you have accumulated during the past ten years are in the form of digitized zeros and ones. Sure, everything is backed up, but what if your backup goes belly-up because of an act of God or the negligence of man?

You’re aware of your own playing field, because you’ve been competing out there. It’s like a three-legged race, and what you’re tethered to is both your cost of doing business and your lack of agility as equipment ages in the face of stiffer and increasing competition by hungry competitors, who are increasingly relying on and employing outsourced IT.

A great example of how effective the use of outsourced IT is our air traffic control system. Imagine if every airline had to do it’s own traffic control. For a start, we’d need private airports for each, and the redundancy and confusion would be unimaginable. Likewise, our air traffic control system is a classic example of leveling the playing field. All airlines, regardless of size and revenues, benefit from outsourcing a service to which each airline has immediate and equal access.

Analogies and metaphors notwithstanding, it may be time to take your IT support out of the realm of a significant cost center where you pay to be somewhat encumbered. Why not make your IT support a scalable and predictable expense? It is scalable in the sense that you pay for what you use, and it is predictable because you know its monthly costs without having to factor in breakdowns and training curves.

Here at 4 Corner IT we can give you that aforementioned leg up with a customized outsourced IT management program. We’ve been there a long time and are still doing that today.

Contact us and see how outsourced IT services can help you drop the burden of high IT costs.