The Benefits of IT Outsourcing for Small and Midsized Businesses

The convenience and simplicity of outsourced IT management services are attractive for small and midsized businesses (SMBs) that may lack an in-house IT officer or need additional support for an existing IT department. Outsourced managed IT services offer many cost savings and benefits compared to hiring an in-house IT officer or adding additional IT employees to your company. Let’s look at some of the benefits of GEEK-AID^® managed IT services, including improved overall reliability, productivity, savings and IT security:

• Improved employee productivity - Reduced number of annual outages, reduced duration of outages and optimized IT user activity
• Lower infrastructure costs - Extended life and function of equipment, reduced training and consulting costs, defrayed equipment purchase cost (including space requirements and energy costs) by strategically shifting select activities to the cloud
• Scalable for growth - Get additional coverage without having to hire another team member, or scale down between projects
• Predictable costs - One recurring budgeted fee for IT management services
• Expert support - Get access to a team of IT experts with expansive industry knowledge and skills
• Improved security - Updates and patches are addressed for improved network security
• Improved IT department productivity - Augment an existing IT staff by having GEEK-AID handle everyday maintenance tasks

Managed IT Services in New York

GEEK-AID^® technicians are all Manhattan-based. Our experts can quickly solve your problem via remote network service access, and we can be onsite quickly to address any service issues that require an in-person service call. We expertly manage your IT operations so that you can concentrate on running your business. We track and complete IT maintenance tasks so that your equipment remains operational and your employees remain productive. Properly maintained, integrated and optimized IT devices and hardware are less likely to experience an outage.

IT Outsourcing Can Reduce IT Costs

Hiring a full-time IT employee is time-consuming and expensive. Salary and hardware costs are only part of the equation. There are many less-obvious costs to consider when calculating the return on investment (ROI) of a full- or part-time IT employee in comparison to outsourced managed IT services from GEEK-AID^®, including:

• On-call availability - Your employees will be unavailable during vacation and sick days. We have multiple technicians ready to assist you.
• Expertise and experience - Our technicians have exposure to solutions across varied industry sectors and products.
• Knowledge - We track your IT assets, maintenance history, system requirements and update history. Each new employee must learn your system from scratch, and takes the knowledge with them when they leave.
• Hiring, firing, managing - We hire and manage all our IT employees.
• Training - Employee training and learning symposiums can exceed $5,000 per year. We train our employees.
• HR costs - We absorb mandatory employee costs such as Workers’ comp, Medicare, Social Security, sick and vacation pay, unemployment insurance, family medical leave, and more.
• Proactive service - Our service protocol is designed to reduce emergency calls, data loss and downtime. IT departments can be overwhelmed by IT issues, repairs and updates and end up in “firefighting” mode.

Managed IT Services in NYC – What’s Included?

GEEK-AID^® IT support management serves the role of an in-house IT officer for your company. Our services can be customized and scaled to suit the unique needs of your SMB network. We provide the monitoring and updating services necessary to keep your business IT system operating smoothly and reliably and provide support for network operating issues, including:

• System performance and resource capacity monitoring 24/7
• Software updates and regular security audits
• Support for critical network issues 24/7
• Installations and replacement hardware sourcing
• Network connectivity
• User permissions and account management
• Infrastructure maintenance
• Server and device maintenance
• Unlimited IT support
• Hardware monitoring
• Patch and update management
• Backup monitoring
• Software and hardware management
• IT system maintenance
• Helpdesk service

GEEK-AID^® Managed IT services can help keep your resources focused on core business operations. Leave IT frustrations to our expert technicians. Contact us today to schedule a call and learn more about technology managed services and support.

Questions to Ask When Choosing Your IT Support Provider

Business growth means an expanding digital footprint and more IT services to keep everything running smoothly. Navigating IT issues can take up time and focus. Small businesses may consider hiring an in-house IT employee to manage increasing IT service needs and costs. But these IT employees are in high demand and command big salaries, management oversight, benefits, ongoing training and more. Outsourcing IT support services makes sense financially since it costs far less than an in-house employee. Outsourcing IT services can also improve IT performance since businesses will not have to contend with vacations, sick days, training costs or limited technical experience.

Finding an outsourced IT support provider that fits your company well can take time. There are many factors to consider when evaluating vendors. The following questions about how to choose an IT company can help you make an informed decision and select the right outsourced IT support services company:

1. Do you have experience supporting and advising SMBs? The needs and budgets of SMBs differ drastically from those of large companies and residential customers. An IT support provider should offer economically viable solutions that can improve productivity. Vendors that deal with large corporations are used to budgets and solutions on a far larger scale than most SMBs need. A vendor that specializes in residential customers may lack familiarity with appropriate solutions. Look for a company specializing in firms with less than 300 employees.
2. Will I have the same technician each time? Having a technician familiar with your network saves time and avoids having to explain your unique IT system or office layout at each visit. They will know your equipment and how it performs. Larger outsourced IT providers may send the next available technician who happens to be in your geographical area. Smaller firms accept new clients based on factors such as network size and location.
3. Are the technicians familiar with my industry sector? Understanding the operational workflow of businesses like yours is essential. Significant differences exist in the network requirements of financial, legal, manufacturing or service industries regarding preferred software, security and compliance needs. If you use specialty software or hardware, find out if the IT support provider can service it.
4. Does your staff receive training? Ask about certifications, educational requirements and ongoing training that keeps technicians current with evolving network security and data management standards. A lack of security and compliance knowledge can substantially increase your liability risk.
5. How long has your company been supporting business clients? You will get the most value from a company that has completed hundreds of projects and managed IT for companies similar to yours. Broad experience provides expansive knowledge of workable IT solutions. Business IT specialists will have data security and compliance knowledge that residential specialists may lack.
6. Is your company available anytime we need help or during an emergency? Look for availability during evenings, weekends and holidays, especially if your business has busy seasons or crucial periods when you cannot afford network downtime. Whether it is tax season or holiday season, your outsourced IT company must be able to provide an emergency response when needed.
7. What is your typical response time if we have a problem? A local company that can respond the same day or the next day will help you avoid costly downtime. Contract clients should always get prioritized service responses over public requests.
8. Do you have similar size and industry sector clients we could call for references? Ask references about the outsourced IT support company’s responsiveness and communication. Ask whether they will renew with them again.
9. What about security issues? Make sure they are familiar with current industry data security standards and have in-house cybersecurity experts to address complicated network security issues. Businesses are liable for the data they collect and store. Outsourced IT providers who are knowledgeable about data and network security can help reduce risk for your company. An IT company lacking in this knowledge area can increase your risk. Confirm that they have security certifications.
10. Can you manage company mobile devices and remote workers' tech issues? Will employees get help in remote offices, in the field or while traveling? Choose a company providing secure remote sessions and mobile device management. Verify remote sessions are done with local technicians and not outsourced to another company or overseas call center.
11. Can you handle data backup and business cloud systems? The IT provider should understand data classification, data security and ways to save costs with storage or archive options. They should know how to dispose of data securely, too.
12. Will your company train us in clear, simple language on new systems and devices? An IT support company can help you get full value from your software and hardware by demonstrating additional features and ensuring employees know how to use them.
13. Are you insured? Verify workman's comp, liability insurance and adherence to local, state and federal licensing and insurance laws.

Outsourced IT: The Benefits of an In-House IT Manager Without the High Cost and Management Oversight

Outsourced managed IT support is more than just computer repairs. Look for a partner that understands your market sector and workflow so you will not have to explain it or deal with a learning curve. A managed IT service professional can suggest new ways to use technology to keep your business competitive. They should be a reliable source of strategic IT planning for your business.

GEEK-AID^® helps SMBs realize the same technical advantages that larger companies have without the expense and management headaches of in-house IT employees. Contact us for a free consultation.