5 Signs Your Chicago Business Needs Help from an IT Service Company

In a city that headquarters over 400 corporations, it’s no secret that Chicago business is booming. And in a world that has become mostly digitized, it’s more important than ever to manage your business’s IT in smart, efficient ways so you can keep up with the latest market trends. 

Unfortunately, many business owners who try to manage their IT on their own are missing out on implementing huge components of a secure IT plan. They don’t have access to the time or resources it requires to protect and maintain their technology, which could lead to detrimental results in the event of an IT disaster or cyber attack. 

Your IT needs to grow as your business grows, and it’s important to strategize your IT practices just as you would your business practices. If you find your business exhibits any of the following five signs, you’ll want some help from a managed IT service company in Chicago:

You Don’t Have A Cybersecurity Plan

Last year a Chicago-based medical records company called Allscripts had their computer systems hacked, causing a HIPAA breach. Thousands of clients were unable to access their records. As a result, one client—an orthopedic clinic in Florida—sued Allscripts for interrupting business and causing them to lose revenue. In Addition, Allscripts settled with the US Department of Justice, paying fines of over $145 million dollars!

As technology expands, hackers and viruses adapt causing a security breach. These cybersecurity threats are not only threats to your business’s private information but to your customers’ as well. In fact, you are actually required by law in Illinois under the Personal Information Protection Act to maintain sufficient security measures to protect private information. So in Chicago, IT compromises could get you in a legal bind.

Considering the legal implications an IT disaster could have, it’s easy to see why establishing a cybersecurity plan is essential for any business. If the right hacker finds a weakness in your security, your business could come crashing down in a matter of hours as you lose customers’ trust. Not to mention that in the event of an IT mishap, you could lose a hefty sum of money trying to repair the damage.

With the right managed IT service provider in Chicago, you can rely on professionally trained teams to maintain your systems and implement protective measures that comply with state law. IT service companies can create a watertight cybersecurity plan that protects against the latest forms of malware lurching on the Internet, ensuring you don’t have to deal with legal consequences in the event of a malware attack.

Your Business Is Being Interrupted By Tech Troubleshooting

Most modern businesses rely heavily on technology to help streamline practices and services. But when errors occur, it can take substantial resources and time to fix them. Without a professional team to regularly maintain your IT systems, you’re having to take time away from running your business to attend to these issues.

As a business owner, you shouldn’t have to spend excess amounts of time troubleshooting your IT. And yet, many businesses who choose to manage their IT on their own end up spending hours of staff time fixing technological issues and experience longer periods of downtime. This can take a considerable toll on business success in the long run.

Outsourcing IT management to a managed IT service company in Chicago can ensure your business is equipped with a full IT staff who is wholly dedicated to supporting your business’s technological needs. They are the ones who can shoulder the burden of technology troubleshooting so that you don’t have to.

This support can be invaluable to your business, and it can ensure that your customers and staff feel confident that their information is safe in your hands.

Your IT Staff is Overwhelmed

It’s not uncommon for businesses to only hire only one or two IT specialists to take charge of all their technology. However, assuming such a small staff can maintain everything from servers and databases to offsite data warehouses and Internet connections is unrealistic. Worse yet, some businesses choose to simply delegate technological maintenance to administrative personnel, even though staff members are likely not trained specifically to handle IT issues. 

In these cases, security breaches and downtime are much more likely to occur as your small or untrained staff must focus their limited attention and resources on imminent threats only. All other IT maintenance will likely fall by the wayside, which could mean you fall out of compliance with state law or become the victim of a cyber attack.

Of course, it’s understandable that many business budgets don’t allow for an enormous team of highly skilled IT professionals. But if your business’s budget is tight and your IT staff is overwhelmed, a managed IT service company in Chicago can be the perfect solution.

When you hire a managed service provider, not only will you get a fully staffed team of IT professionals, but you can typically get them for the same cost as one salaried employee. This allows you to still have a highly skilled team of professionals maintaining your IT systems without you having to break the bank. And by outsourcing your IT needs, this team can be completely dedicated to servicing your business’s unique IT needs so you and your staff have more time to concentrate on helping your business grow.

Your Network Infrastructure Can’t Keep Up

As a growing business, you need to know that all of your services are going to be able to scale along with you. The bigger you get, the more you’re going to notice when processes start to slow down. To make sure your IT doesn’t fall behind as your business expands, you’ll need to make sure your IT team has two things (in addition to efficient staffing):

The Latest Knowledge and Training

In order to ensure your business’s technology is able to keep up with your growing needs, you’ll need to have an IT staff on hand who understands the latest innovations and updates in technology. That way, your staff can prepare and make plans for IT changes and improvements that scale along with your business. 

One huge benefit to hiring a managed service provider is that these companies are constantly training their technician teams in the newest and best IT methods. IT management companies strive to offer the best services to beat out their competitors, and in order to do that, they have to keep up with all the latest technological advancements.

The Ability to Adapt IT to Your Business Needs

For your IT to keep up with your business growth, you’ll also need a team who understands your business goals and can make sure your IT systems are compatible with those goals. They should make strategic plans that are built around your business’s unique needs both present and future.

IT service companies provide teams who are specifically assigned to maintain your business’s technological needs as it grows. In that way, they are not just providing generic IT solutions and updates; they are providing the maintenance and improvements your specific business needs in order to continue growing.

You Don’t Have an IT Strategy that Supports Your Business Goals

Lastly, your Chicago business is in need of managed IT services if your business doesn’t have an IT strategy that aligns with your business goals, or perhaps has no IT strategy at all.

A business that hopes to be successful needs to have a plan for how they’ll use technology to propel their business forward. In this day and age, you cannot survive without technology in some way, and as a growing business, you need a team who can manage that technology in efficient, goal-specific ways.

As your business becomes successful, planning for greater staffing, expanding network infrastructure, and technological adaptations is crucial in order to continue that success. The right managed IT service company in Chicago will know the best modern tools and processes to align technology with the goals that you have for your business. These will be the tools to optimize efficiency and productivity, which are exactly what your growing business will need. The more you rely on these services to strategize your IT for future growth, the better off your business will be down the road.

If you find your business is struggling in any of these areas, look to managed IT services to help you get on the right track. They can help ensure your IT is secure, updated, and scalable according to your unique business’s goals. 

Looking to hire an IT service company in Chicago? Contact ReachOut IT so we can get you the IT support you need.

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