2021 saw around 5.4 million new businesses either launching or preparing to launch. Some of these businesses will function as brick-and-mortar operations, while others will adopt an online-only approach.
Regardless of the type of business, though, all of them will depend on IT support to some extent.
With e-commerce making up over 14 percent of all retail sales, businesses can’t afford to ignore it or the IT demands that go with it.
With IT professionals commanding huge salaries, many small businesses opt for outsourced IT support services. One overlooked perk of these managed IT services is that they’ll prove handy when you move office locations.
If you’re a business residing in the greater Los Angeles area, keep reading to learn about the benefits of partnering with an outsourced IT support Los Angeles based company during your move.
Cybersecurity Goes with You
One of the biggest concerns for every business right now is the problem of protecting customer information and in-house data. This is a particular problem for small businesses that can’t afford a full-time cybersecurity expert.
A key advantage of outsourced IT support is that you can get access to a cybersecurity professional. They can help you upgrade your hardware and software with data protection in mind. Plus, you can get network security to help avoid or identify intrusion attempts.
When you move offices, you must disassemble your entire on-site IT infrastructure and reassemble it at the new offices. If all of your cybersecurity is an in-house operation, that can leave you vulnerable until everything is up and running.
With outsourced tech support services, all of that security is waiting for you as soon as you get back online.
Redundancy
Smart businesses back up their data in at least one place, but preferably two. That habit becomes even more important when you move your offices.
Like it or not, things happen during a move. Someone drops a box. A piece of equipment gets too close to a magnetic field.
All of a sudden, your carefully saved data doesn’t exist anymore or needs the services of a data retrieval firm. While damaged hardware is never good news, the loss of data is often a worse blow.
Losing in-progress work for a client or an in-house project can set you back weeks while you try to cobble together pieces of the project or simply re-do the work. If you run e-commerce operations, you can potentially lose all kinds of recent transaction information.
Data backups are one of the more valuable IT services you can outsource. Not only do you get ongoing protection of your data while you stay put, but it also serves as a redundancy during the move. If your equipment gets damaged in the move, you can simply download what you need from the off-site backup.
Get Back to Work Fast
Moving to a new office space is a profoundly disruptive process for every employee. It’s particularly frustrating for employees when they come back and must wait on the IT person to run updates on software, operating systems, and anti-virus programs.
Rather than go in for all locally-installed software that you must manage and update, some businesses opt for cloud-hosted applications or even full virtual desktops. Many Los Angeles IT services will even help you set up your cloud environment.
Since all of the software effectively runs in the cloud, your employees just fire up their computers and get back to work immediately. All of their applications and, with luck, all of their data show up as soon as the machine finishes powering up.
Doublechecks Your Work
You’ve moved into your space and taken on the Herculean task of getting all of your IT equipment set up and operating. Everything functions alright, so there’s no need to worry. Hey, it might prove true.
In reality, you don’t really know if there’s a problem until someone points out that something isn’t working the way it used to work at the old office. Even worse, most problems with IT don’t occur with only one possible cause.
If you have managed IT services, though, they can often identify problems remotely through network monitoring. In other words, they can see where something on the network takes too long or demands too much bandwidth.
This can help you narrow down problems and fix them, particularly if they’re hardware installation issues. If they’re software or firmware issues, that may still take a service call to sort out.
Move Assistance
Let’s say that you’re moved into your new office. All of your IT hardware is up, connected, and running. Everything is great, right?
Well, maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. If you did that work yourself, there is always the chance that something didn’t get configured the right way at the new location. Maybe you didn’t pick the optimal location for WiFi routers or mesh network nodes, so the signal remains weak in parts of the office.
Without the right tools, pinning down problems in an IT infrastructure can prove maddeningly difficult.
Fortunately, some managed services will help you with the move itself. They’ll take on the task of helping you design the new layout, determine cabling and power needs, identify the best place for a server room, and optimize any videoconferencing equipment.
Unlike a DIY setup, you can start your first day at the new office confident that your IT infrastructure will meet your needs right out of the gate.
Outsourced IT Support and Your Next Move
Operating any business these days means at least partial dependence on information technology. Yet, a move to a new office can make that dependence feel particularly onerous.
If you work with outsourced IT support company, though, it can make your next move much easier.
An IT support company in Los Angeles can keep your data safe in backups, have your cybersecurity waiting, and even help you set up your cloud services. Pick the right service and they’ll even help you design and install your system at the new office.
Be Structured Technology Group offers outstanding IT services in Los Angeles.
For more information, contact Be Structured today.
