If you’re like many companies, you’re hearing a lot about managed service providers, (MSP’s) and why you need them. You’re also hearing scary stories about cybersecurity and the risks you and your staff could be taking every day. Well, IT consulting can offer your small business more than you think!

IT Consulting for Small Business Offers More Than You Think

Many businesses with in-house tech teams are starting to outsource some specialized and tedious tasks to MSP’s because their workload is becoming too great. As more of our world becomes connected, from our coffee makers and water bottles to our Pinterest profiles, more data is created. Therefore, businesses and organizations must manage and secure more data and devise a protocol to destroy unneeded data.

However, some business owners are still on the fence about whether they need to work with an outside team or if it’s even safe to; when it comes to their sensitive data. However, IT consulting for small business is often one of the best business investments a company can make.

False Ideas That Create Skepticism

There’s no common definition for secure data, so it’s hard to know which MSP to trust.There actually is program called The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, (FedRAMP),that many businesses aren’t aware of.

The previous Federal program, the Federal Information Security Management Act required data handlers to set up security measures according to government mandates and document them. However, FedRAMP requires IT workers to:

  • Scan servers for vulnerabilities monthly and fix any they find, and
  • Write up a Plan of Action and Milestones, (POAM) audited by a third party,

Experts find that rapid response and uniform data security definitions are the best way to handle cybersecurity, with so many new types of malware and hacks that have popped up for businesses to deal with.

We only need to call someone when we need something fixed

There are 2 MSP options, break and fix companies and value-based MSP’s. If you’re working with a break and fix company, they have no reason to manage your system, prevent hacks, back up your system or secure it. Their helpdesk support will also be minimal at best. Value-based MSP’s look for vulnerabilities in your system and response protocols to make sure your system is strong, backed up properly and that issues can be handled quickly and easily.

What am I actually paying for that I really need?

We can all agree that often, large Fortune 500 companies have a better ability to protect themselves from cyber threats than a small business with less than 10-20 employees. However, what many smb owners don’t realize is that working with an MSP will allow you to have access to the same IT infrastructure the big guys have.

Setting up new software platforms with their own cloud resources and data centers typically take 6-12 months to build and cost organizations more than $100,000 to complete. MSP’s have the authority to create these processes for you using their own resources and have your new systems running within 1 month. You pay nothing but your regular MSP fees.

MSP’s have specialized staff for cloud management, ethical hacking, backup and restore, troubleshooting; enterprise-level solution design, building, securing and testing; and so much more. With a good MSP, what you’re getting is a bargain.

Contact us today at Whole IT Solutions to Learn More!

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