If you have a tech problem, just call IT support. Right? Wrong! The only safe and cost-efficient IT strategy is proactive, not reactive. Addressing issues before they occur will slash downtime, cut costs and head off potentially disastrous outcomes.
The printer that breaks just when you need it. The laptop that won’t cooperate right before a major presentation. The server outage that wipes a bunch of unsaved files. The email breach you caught just in time. These daily tech hazards are a reality in many workplaces. But that’s what IT support is for, right?
Wrong! If your current support partner is constantly stepping in to fix your technology, that’s a very real sign that your IT strategy isn’t working. While the unexpected can always happen, many of the problems you experience can be avoided by taking a proactive approach.
Perspective shift
Not all that long ago, tech support was reactive. Your office’s IT systems would be installed and then basically left to run until an upgrade was needed. In the meantime, if anything went wrong, you just called IT support and they came round to fix it. Simple enough, but not very efficient.
Thankfully, things have changed a lot in recent years. More and more businesses are realising that the reactive approach to IT support means more downtime, more call-out costs and a lot less productivity. The key to a really effective tech support strategy is PPP: Proactive Problem Prevention.
Getting ahead
Proactive tech support is very different to the old, reactive sort. In the proactive scenario, your IT department or chosen support company is a partner rather than just a service provider. As you and your team are getting on with your jobs, they are working away in the background to monitor and maintain your network. They’re carrying out software updates, watching out for security threats, and making sure everything is in tip-top order so nothing happens to ruin your day.
From the outside, this might look like a more costly approach. You might think – and some business owners still do – that it’s better just to call in the specialists when an issue arises. Why spend extra money on support services if everything works well enough most of the time? As the old saying goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
This view might seem appealing, especially if you have a limited budget, but it’s a false economy. Not only is the cost of proactive IT support a lot easier to predict and budget for, it also makes your team much more productive by massively reducing downtime. You won’t lose time or work to hardware failures or server outages. And with cybercrime growing more sophisticated and aggressive by the day, a proactive and agile security strategy is the only reliable way to avoid the massive cost of a major data breach.
Preventable tech problems are a drain on your business, and they can even lead to catastrophic outcomes. If your current tech support partner isn’t as proactive as they could be, or if you want to find out just how much more efficient IT support can be, Perigon One can help. Just get in touch for a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your business’s needs. We’ll be delighted to hear from you.
