Today, having some form of IT support for your business is a requirement, not an option. Your company cannot stay competitive without it. When choosing IT support, you want to opt for excellent service instead of the bare minimum.
Truly excellent IT companies offer more than the basics, and they won’t charge you outrageous fees for their support. At a minimum, your IT choice should include the following six services. If they don’t, you might want to consider a different provider to ensure that your company will be getting the quality of help that you need.
1. Microsoft 365
Microsoft gave the tech industry a much-needed update by recently replacing their classic Office 365 with the new Microsoft 365. This offering allows users to customize their experience and make their software functional for both personal and office use. With so many people now working from home, this flexibility is being put to good use in the business world.
Exciting new software features include an improved Microsoft Editor service, Money in Excel function and enhancements to the Teams features. Your IT company should offer up-to-date services, including this improved software.
2. Software as a Service
Software as a Service (SaaS) is an economical way to keep your company current with the latest software while at the same time reducing your financial output and lowering your maintenance needs.
You can pay a monthly fee for access to a service that automatically updates rather than buy the program as it is when you purchase it. This change means you can use the latest in software with minimal impact on your budget—you won’t have to buy a new version of your software every time it updates and then spend valuable time reinstalling it.
3. Infrastructure as a Service
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) runs the way SaaS does except it offers you hardware, certain software, maintenance and more for a monthly fee. Instead of continually buying expensive new devices, you pay for the service.
As a result, you do not own the hardware, freeing you from a long-term commitment and expense. Infrastructure as a Service allows you additional flexibility since you can update to get the latest computing equipment without needing a huge cash infusion.
4. Telecommunications
In the last few decades, doing business efficiently means using your telecommunications network efficiently. The days of using only landlines to contact consumers are long gone. To stay modern, you need a coordinated operation that includes your landlines, cellular phones, voice mail, email, teleconferencing, instant messaging, etc.
Most companies do not have the manpower to handle this huge range of communication technologies by themselves. The installation and maintenance needs can be daunting. An excellent IT company takes care of all these communication methods, often bundling them into one platform.
5. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is not as exotic as it sounds, although it has exciting implications for businesses. It largely refers to software programs that use sophisticated algorithms to process huge amounts of data.
As they do so, they are able to adjust and “learn” or adapt as a result of processing this data. In fact, these programs can make decisions independently of the programmers who created them. They are a valuable tool for any company.
You may be a little leery of letting such a program have so much power when it comes to your business, but AI functions take a supportive role. It doesn’t have the capacity to take over your programs or otherwise “run” your business.
6. Managed IT Services
If your company doesn’t have an IT department, or if you keep only one or two technicians in house, you can benefit from hiring a managed service provider (MSP). Essentially, these are IT companies that contract with businesses to handle their IT needs, including on- and off-site networks.
Maintaining a full IT department is expensive and not in the budget for many businesses, but you can enjoy superior and affordable IT management with an MSP. They perform the tasks of an in-house team, but will cost you less in the long run and have more resources at their disposal.
Managed service providers take care of many IT needs, including:
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- Hardware maintenance and management
- Help desk services
- Cloud storage
- Computing service
- Network security
- Software licensing
For many enterprises, using an MSP solves IT issues before they affect your operations, allowing you to focus on helping your company find success.
Your IT supplier should make your life easier while saving you money, increasing customer satisfaction, and enhancing your employees’ work experience. Get familiar with what services and solutions they can offer you to ensure that your unique needs will be met.
To learn more about what AxiaTP can do for your business, contact us today.