When it comes to managed IT service providers, Chicago has several options. It’s important to know what specific IT solutions and services your company needs before you determine which Chicago Managed Service Provider is the right partner for you.
But no matter what your industry or business size, there are a few traits that you’ll want to make sure your MSP possesses before hiring them. Here are three common traits among Chicago’s top Managed Service Providers that you should look out for:
They Are Focused on Cyber Security
In order to keep your business safe from advanced cyber threats, you need to have an excellent source of cyber security. These days, anti-virus software will not suffice—instead, you’ll be much better protected by an IT company who offers 24/7 system monitoring and takes a proactive approach to patching system vulnerabilities.
As technology advances, so do cyber attacks, and right now these threats are at an all-time high. TechRepublic recently published an article that stated that the number of cyber security breaches increased by 54% before August 2019. Organizations had reported a total of 3,814 breaches and exposed over four billion records. Recovering from such a breach can cost an obscene amount of money, with Microsoft estimating around $3.92 million on average.
Due to the complexity and number of these attacks increasing, cyber security needs to be at the forefront of any business, large or small. The best IT companies in Chicago help your business protect against these growing threats by making data protection a top priority and communicating and implementing clear, detailed plans for your cyber security.
They Develop an IT Strategy to Align Tech with Goals
Your business has its own strategy, goals, and procedures, so an IT company that provides generic support likely won’t help your business succeed. While your IT provider should be most focused on protecting your systems, they should also consider that your IT strategy is just as important as your business strategy and should therefore align with your business goals. If your infrastructure can’t adapt, upgrade, and scale according to your unique business needs, then how will your technology-reliant business succeed?
The best IT companies in Chicago dedicate themselves to understanding your business, your day-to-day procedures, and your goals for both the short term and the long term. They should understand which technologies will increase productivity and efficiency and where your biggest weaknesses lie. From there, they’ll strategize your IT growth based on security requirements and business strategy to ensure that your infrastructure grows right along with your business and helps rather than hinders its success.
They Take a Proactive Approach That Reduces Downtime
There are two approaches to IT support: proactive and reactive. Proactive service providers tend to be MSPs who continually monitor your systems to ensure that any new weaknesses are patched quickly and effectively before they cause downtime or data breaches. Reactive providers tend to be take what’s known as a break/fix approach to IT, which means they only solve issues as they arise instead of working to prevent them before they cause damage.
By working with an IT provider who offers a proactive approach, your business can significantly reduce downtime and thereby increase productivity—both of which save your company thousands of dollars a year. A break/fix approach just isn’t adequate for modern businesses who want to keep growing, so the best Managed Service Providers in Chicago will always take a proactive approach to managing your IT and its cyber security.
By looking out for these traits before you hire a Managed Service Provider in Chicago, you can ensure you get the IT solutions your business needs. Hiring the right MSP can save your business money while also guaranteeing more advanced cyber security defenses that keep your data safe from today’s opportunistic hackers.
