You might be interested to learn that 56% of businesses that hire IT services do so in an attempt to help expand their customer base. If your business is expanding and you’re ready to take on more customers, now is a great time to think about hiring an IT consulting services provider.
IT services cover a wide range of business needs, ranging from network stability to email setup and cybersecurity protection.
Your business may also need IT consulting services if you’re launching new products or moving into a new office or remote work environment. Some businesses launch new products that require customers to submit personal information.
An IT consultant can help you ensure that your business and the customer’s data files are safe from cyberattacks. Additionally, an IT consultant can help you set up your work technology in a new office or work-from-home setup.
So, what do IT consultants do for businesses and why should you consider using them? The article below will go into detail about all the different tech support services provided by IT consultants. Continue reading to learn more about this growing industry.
IT Consulting Providers Can Help with Cloud Services
One issue that many businesses run into is running out of space for hardware. Whether you’re using servers to store data, or having extra computers in your office to run specific software, it can be hard to grow when your physical space is confined.
IT consultants can help you with this problem. An IT consultant can help you set up cloud services for storage, platforms, or software. Cloud data storage is a service that allows you to move your data storage and computing to a third party.
This third party will handle your data stored off-site, so you don’t have to worry about running out of physical space.
When you hire an IT consultant, they’ll help you with every phase of acquiring cloud services. The IT consultant will likely start by doing an audit of your current cloud storage needs.
Next, the consultant will help you find a few reputable cloud service providers that meet your needs. Once you select a cloud service provider, the IT consultant can help your company move storage or platforms to the cloud.
Once you’ve made the switch, the consultant can help you manage the cloud services for the duration of the agreement.
An IT Consultant Can Help Reduce Downtime
Downtime refers to periods in which your company’s network loses connectivity. Businesses suffer when their network goes down.
If a business loses connectivity, it may lead to poor experiences for customers. Customers might not be able to log in to the business platform, make payments, or even load the business website.
There’s no telling how much revenue you could lose if your business experiences downtime.
Hiring an IT consultant is a great way to keep your network up as much as possible. The IT consultant can help you identify any risks in your network that could lead to downtime.
For example, you might not have a backup network set up to take over if your main network loses connectivity. Additionally, you might have put off some regular system maintenance that could pose a risk to network connectivity.
IT consultants can also help you figure out what to do if your network does experience downtime. You may want to set up backup storage and data recovery systems.
These systems will help you secure your data and reload it faster when your network is back up.
IT Consultants Can Help You Backup Data
As mentioned in the previous section, data backup is an important part of any IT service. You may need a data backup service if you’re worried about your company’s network going down and losing access to data.
Of course, there are other reasons to prioritise data backup. For example, a disaster like a fire or a flood could destroy your main source of data storage. An IT consultant can advise you on how to back up your data.
You may decide that you can back everything up on physical hard drives. Alternatively, you might work with the IT provider to figure out that you need to use cloud storage.
Either way, the IT consultant can help you secure your backup data. The IT consultant can also show you how to quickly get your data back in the right place if you lose your original data.
Your IT Consultant Can Help with Cybersecurity and Compliance
It’s hard to run a business and keep up with all the latest cybersecurity concerns. It’s even harder to stay up to date with rules around data and security compliance.
If you’re worried about cybersecurity or data compliance, it’s worth looking into an IT consultant. An experienced IT consultant will be up to date with all the latest strategies in the world of cybersecurity. They’ll also be familiar with relevant laws around data compliance.
The first thing an IT consultant will do is perform an audit of your current network security. They’ll identify any weak spots in your network and explain to you how hackers and criminals may be able to get access to your data.
After that, the IT consultant will likely set up certain security measures such as firewalls or passwords. Once your network is secure, the IT consultant can help you set up a schedule of ongoing maintenance.
Your security system must be able to adapt to new types of cyberattacks. For example, you may want to update your passwords every few months or perform stress tests on your security system.
It’s also important to follow laws about data compliance. Your business may be subject to certain laws regarding how to handle customer data and payment data.
Your IT consultant will be able to tell you which laws your business has to comply with. They’ll also be able to show you the measures you need to take to ensure compliance. You may have to invest in data protection technology. It’s also possible that you’ll need to limit the number of employees who can access the data.
You Might Need an IT Consultant for Managed IT Services
Managed IT services are standard IT services that are provided by a third party. Some businesses choose to hire an internal IT department. This can be very costly.
It will require you to hire multiple people, pay them a salary, and possibly provide benefits. If you don’t want to go that route, you can use managed IT services.
A managed IT service provider will take care of all the little IT issues that your business might need help with daily. You’ll likely pay a fraction of the cost of hiring multiple employees for an IT department.
One of the benefits of an IT consultant is advice. They’ll help you figure out exactly which managed IT services you may want to outsource to a third party.
For example, your IT consultant may tell you that it would be wise for a third party to handle all your hardware setup. Whenever you add a new employee, the IT service provider can help ensure their computer is set up and secure.
They’ll also help make sure the computer has all the software that your business needs. Finally, the managed IT provider can also ensure the new employee can log in and create accounts on every platform necessary.
IT Consultants Can Help You Save Time and Improve Your Focus
Do you ever feel like you’re trying to run a business and be an IT expert at the same time? It’s hard for a business leader to focus on running the business when they also have to worry about handling IT issues.
The same is true for any other employee you have who is being asked to handle IT issues. Plus, the person handling IT in addition to their regular job is probably not doing great IT work.
It’s not easy to do a good job with two different responsibilities at the same time.
Hiring an IT consultant can take some of the pressure off. You won’t have to worry about dealing with IT issues in addition to your other daily work. The IT consultant will also likely do a better job of fixing IT issues than you or another employee can.
The IT provider will be able to focus on IT issues in a way that you and your employees cannot.
An IT Consultant Can Help You Set up a New Workspace
Many companies chose to move to a remote work environment over the past few years. Some of these companies have continued working in a remote environment, while others are going back to the office.
If your company has experienced a change in workspaces over the past few years, it might be a good idea to hire an IT consultant. An IT consultant can also help you out if you’re thinking about moving to a new office space or remote work environment.
The IT consultant will likely start by helping you identify all the needs for your new work environment. You’ll probably need to set up a network that can handle the amount of bandwidth you’ll be using.
You’ll also need to take steps to secure the network. Next, you may want to think about the hardware you will be using. If you’re going to provide each employee with a computer, it’s important to figure out which software you need to load onto the computer.
You should also figure out what kind of security system you’ll need on each computer. Remote workers may have different hardware requirements than people who work in the office. Fortunately, an IT consultant can help you think through all of these issues.
When it comes time to move into a new workspace, the IT consultant can help coordinate setup. They’ll be able to tell you how to best set up your network and hardware for simplicity and security.
Additionally, the IT consultant will be able to test everything to make sure it works the way you want it to. Finally, you can use the IT provider for ongoing support as you get settled into your new work environment.
IT Consultants Can Provide You with Expert Insight
Some business owners never think about using IT services because they think their situations are too unique. No matter how unique your IT situation is, it’s likely that an IT consultant has experienced something similar before.
The biggest benefit of hiring an IT consultant is that they can provide you with advice based on years of experience. The best IT consultants can quickly identify issues and prescribe effective solutions. Whether you lose all your data in a freak accident or you can’t seem to get your network to stay online, an IT consultant will be able to find a solution.
Not only that, but a good IT consultant should be able to recommend other IT products or services that have helped businesses like yours. They’ll know which companies have a good reputation and can make better recommendations than you’ll find online or from other business leaders.
Reviewing Everything You Need to Know About IT Consulting
Now that you’re familiar with how IT consulting services can help your business, you can start looking for the right IT consultant. Be sure to ask the consultant about the different services they can provide, and how much time they’ll be able to dedicate to your business.
When you’re ready to move forward with IT consulting services, get in touch with the IT experts at Servicad.
