- Why is small business IT support so important?
- Why is small business IT support near me so difficult to find?
- The best small business IT support solutions
- Moving forward with your small business IT support
Q: Why do small businesses need IT support?
A: Although you might assume that only larger enterprises need IT support, this resource is also important for smaller businesses for several reasons. As a small business, it’s even more important to get your name out and be noticed in the digital marketing space and a minor interruption in your online service can also cost you potential customers. Finally, cybersecurity protects your valuable intellectual property.
In May of 2022, Chinese hackers stole intellectual property worth trillions of dollars from 30 of the biggest multinational corporations in the world.
Among the stolen data were blueprints, diagrams, formulas, and manufacturing secrets that were not yet patented.
In 2021, ransomware attacks increased by more than 100% – with small-to-midsized businesses at the highest risk. Each attack can easily rob companies of hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
A recent study also shows that a staggering 93% of corporate networks can be easily penetrated by most hackers.
60% of all corporate data is now stored in the cloud, with 90% of large enterprises adopting a multi-cloud structure for their operations.
Whether you’re trying to protect your company’s intellectual property, avoid ransomware attacks, or transition to an entirely new way of storing data, it’s clear that IT support is essential.
You may think that you don’t need IT support. After all, you might be running a small company with only a handful of employees and a fully-remote business structure. Maybe you’re running a solo enterprise with just one employee (yourself).
In this article, we’ll explain why even the smallest companies need at least some form of IT support. Even better, we’ll show you how to get the small business IT support you need to strive for greater success, security, and productivity.
- Why is small business IT support so important?
- Why is small business IT support so challenging to find?
- The best small business IT support solutions
- Moving forward with your small business IT support
Why is small business IT support so important?
There are many advantages of IT support that are particularly relevant for small businesses:
- Cybersecurity
- Convenience
- Fast Growth
- Cutting-Edge Tech
- Less Downtime
Cybersecurity
As a small company, you might not feel like cybersecurity is a big deal.
After all, why would hackers target you?
Don’t they have bigger fish to fry?
While it’s true that hackers might target larger corporations with ransomware attacks, you can’t discount the possibility of having your intellectual property stolen.
Often, smaller startups revolve around innovative ideas. Sometimes, it’s this idea that represents the true value of a company – not its startup capital or assets.
Unfortunately, intellectual property is easier to steal than ever before. Many startups have had their ideas ripped away before they even had the chance to create a successful business.
With solid small business IT support, you can protect your intellectual property and ensure that your proprietary ideas generate profits for your company.
IT Support protects your company against intrusions and hacks from all angles – whether your employees are betraying you or you’re being attacked by your competitors.
Convenience
Why spend time on IT support tasks when you could be doing more important things?
As a small business owner, it’s always important to delegate your tasks effectively. If your talents lie in areas like marketing, negotiations, and leadership, it doesn’t make sense to waste hours handling lost passwords, network interruptions, and other minor inconveniences.
It makes much more sense to enlist the help of a small business IT support solution. With these tasks properly delegated, you can focus on growing your company and earning more significant profits.
Fast Growth
Speaking of growth, small business IT support can facilitate rapid business expansion with innovative technological resources.
If your long-term goal is to move up the ladder as quickly as possible, IT support is a must.
After all, most startup entrepreneurs want to move past the little leagues as quickly as possible and move into the realms of medium-sized businesses – or perhaps even major corporations.
Not only does IT support free up more time for you and your talented team, but it also enhances productivity with a range of effective tools.
With greater productivity and less wasted time, there’s nothing that can stop you from reaching your highest possible goals.
Cutting-Edge Tech
IT support staff are extremely knowledgeable, and they may be aware of cutting-edge technological tools that can completely transform the way you do business.
Without IT support staff, you might never become aware of these possibilities – giving you a major disadvantage against your competitors.
These tools can be used for cybersecurity, CRM, payment processing, and a range of other tasks that your business carries out daily.
Less Downtime
Even a few hours of network interruption and downtime can cost you tremendously.
With small business IT support, you can minimize these interruptions or avoid them entirely.
This can help you continue to serve your customers. Additionally, it helps ensure that your existing customers don’t jump ship in frustration because your services became unavailable at a critical moment.
Long periods of downtime lead to periods of unproductiveness. With no network, your employees have no choice but to twiddle their thumbs and wait (while still being paid, of course).
In addition, you might miss out on opportunities to gain new customers if your network isn’t available. For example, someone might click on one of your online ads only to be redirected to a broken website.
Whatever the case may be, network interruptions can seriously damage your reputation. Nothing says “unprofessional” like an unreliable network.
The Benefits of Cloud Computing for Small Businesses
Even as big tech shrinks in the United States with tens of thousands of layoffs, the cloud computing industry is still expanding.
But how is this possible if the entire economy looks like it’s heading for a major recession in 2023?
Easy:
Cloud computing offers incredible value as an IT solution – especially for small businesses.
That’s not to say that cloud computing isn’t losing momentum – because it is. According to CNBC, Microsoft Cloud Services is now growing at approximately 35% – which is down about 15% from previous years.
But the most essential point is that it’s still growing.
In a period of economic uncertainty, cloud computing is an obvious solution. It replaces more expensive hardware solutions, and it goes hand-in-hand with remote work.
Whether you’re running a small business or a major enterprise, cloud computing represents a welcome source of financial relief if you need to trim your budget and weather the coming economic storm.
And within the cloud computing world itself, there are multiple tiers of services. If a company cannot afford the “premium package,” it can downsize to the standard service.
This means that although cloud computing might not be growing at its previous rate, it’s certainly not going away.
For small businesses, cloud computing also offers another significant benefit:
You no longer need to hire in-house IT staff.
Instead, you can enlist the services of a remote IT support team that guides you through your cloud computing solutions rather than actually showing up at your office and tinkering around with your ethernet cables.
And now that we’re on the subject of remote businesses…
IT Support Can Help You Switch to a Remote Business Structure
Reliable small business IT support helps you make the transition to a remote business structure in a much more seamless manner.
Almost every company is considering the possibility of remote or hybrid work for its employees. That said, making the switch isn’t always easy and you might encounter many IT issues along the way.
Instead of stumbling through these problems and solving them by trial and error, you can make it easy on yourself by simply asking your IT support team for help.
Often, these IT specialists also operate remotely – making it even easier to contact them and get the advice you need.
This helps you lower your small business IT support cost even more as you leave your physical workspaces behind, embracing not only cloud computing but also remote workers and remote IT support for your small business.
Small Business IT Support Helps You Evolve Faster
At the end of the day, one of the most important benefits of running a small business is the chance to take advantage of new niches and opportunities that larger enterprises aren’t even aware of.
Often, these new opportunities revolve around new technology. New niches are constantly popping up – and each one can be filled by a potentially successful small business.
Small business IT services ensure that you make the most of your status as a small business, evolving with changing technology and bravely venturing into uncharted territory.
Without solid IT support, many small businesses would not have the ability to bring such innovative new ideas to the table.
Why is small business IT support near me so difficult to find?
Small business IT support is often difficult to find because entrepreneurs tend to wait until after an issue has occurred before seeking help.
In other words, they don’t have a dedicated IT support team in place, and they might not even have software that makes IT easier to deal with.
After an issue arises, these small businesses are suddenly forced to scramble for anyone who can provide them with solid advice and guidance.
This might involve reading online articles, watching YouTube videos, or desperately reaching out to the first IT support team they can find.
The real problem is simple:
You might have no idea what is causing your issues. You might see that your network is down, but you might not know whether the core root of the issue lies with your router, your ethernet cables, or the network provider.
In other words, you might be asking for advice on how to fix something that isn’t even part of the problem.
This can lead to hours or even days of wasted time as you contact an IT specialist and troubleshoot the issue only to find that the real problem lies elsewhere.
Throughout the entire process, you might be losing time that you could be spending on growing your business. You might also spend considerable funds that could be invested into new marketing campaigns, supplies, or other important business expenses.
So what’s the moral of the story?
Isn’t it obvious?
Get a dedicated team of IT support specialists!
But wait – what if you can’t afford a team of IT specialists who are ready and waiting for your call at a moment’s notice?
The best small business IT support solutions
It should be obvious that a dedicated team of IT professionals is impractical for small businesses.
It is too expensive – plain and simple.
In addition, you might be transitioning to a fully-remote office. In this situation, a team of IT professionals would have nowhere to work.
Fortunately, several more affordable IT solutions are perfect for small businesses:
- Tech Solutions: Tech Solutions offers on-demand IT support whenever you need it. This saves you from having to hire an IT team full-time, and it means that help is always a phone call or an email away. This company’s Remote IT Help plan is tailor-made for small businesses – especially those transitioning to a remote-focused operation.
- Webflow: Webflow is a website builder that makes creating your online real estate easy and quick. No coding experience is necessary, which allows you to bring your ideal website to life without wasting weeks trying to learn how to program. This website builder is especially helpful for small businesses, as it allows you to monetize members-only areas, engage in eCommerce, and use solid SEO strategies to stand out from the crowd.
- Hostpapa: Hostpapa is another website builder that gives you a complete range of additional services, including domains, hosting, and email. According to Hostpapa, you can create a professional website for your small business in just minutes. They also take security very seriously, which gives you peace of mind as you protect your intellectual property. Finally, Hostpapa prioritizes high-speed networks, creating a solid user experience for your customers.
- Paychex: If you need to pay your employees seamlessly without worrying about accounting errors and miscalculations, Paychex is an obvious choice. According to this company, you can run payroll in just two clicks after getting the entire system set up. Another solid feature here is the 24/7 customer support that is based entirely in the United States – giving you plenty of IT support if you ever run into any issues. This company also has a team of over 200 compliance experts that will help you make changes if state or federal employment laws evolve.
- Gusto: Not only does Gusto handle your payroll, but it also handles your HR. This includes reporting, timesheets, insights, employee benefits, onboarding, and much more. It’s an all-in-one team management tool that can seriously simplify your activities as a small business – especially if you have a larger team. One thing that stands out here is the fact that you’ll get access to plenty of data that can help you make solid, informed decisions as you move forward.
- Alliance Virtual Offices: Alliance Virtual Offices has been helping numerous small businesses transition to a remote or semi-remote structure during the pandemic. Their Virtual Offices include real, physical space you can book for meetings and team-building – perfect for hybrid-remote work systems. Alliance Virtual Offices also offers virtual addresses that let you register an LLC in any state – allowing you to take advantage of potential tax benefits. In addition, Alliance’s Live Receptionists also simplify customer service by answering your business phone line while you’re busy growing your enterprise.
These are just a few IT solutions you can take advantage of as a small business. Each business is unique, and your needs might require slightly more specialized solutions.
But the main point here is simple:
You don’t need to spend a fortune on small business IT solutions – not when there are all kinds of new businesses popping up that specifically cater to small businesses.
With these small business IT support solutions and a remote-focused operation, you can reduce costs and continue to grow at breakneck speed.
Where Can I Find small business IT support solutions near me?
Whether you want to protect your company’s intellectual property, begin to transition towards cloud computing, or make the switch to a remote work environment, IT support is always a solid option for small businesses.
It’s easy to feel disheartened when you realize that a dedicated IT support team isn’t quite as affordable as you thought.
But remember:
There are many other options available specifically geared toward small businesses.
And even though the economy is beginning to slow down, cloud computing and other related industries continue to gain popularity. It’s easier than ever before to start, operate, and grow a small business with so many technological solutions.
Choose the correct options, and you can handle IT support, customer service, accounting, and a range of other options while running a successful remote or semi-remote business.
Further reading
- Modern Business Solutions: Boost Efficiency, Maintain Flexibility
- Unlock Your Business’s Full Potential With E-Marketing
- Leveling Up Your E-commerce Operations? These are the Most Effective Tools for E-commerce Imaginable
If you’re searching for even more tools and resources for your small business, be sure to check out Alliance Virtual Offices.
We provide Virtual Offices, Live Receptionists, and many other remote-focused solutions that can make your life as a small business owner much easier.
If you’d like to transition to a remote business structure, lower tax obligations, and handle customer service with ease, reach out today to learn more about Alliance Virtual Offices.
