Great Lakes Computer Corporation
Managed Service Provider
Check out this quick video for a good overview of the “Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing” on the Manta blog.
Overview
“Small businesses need every advantage they can get, so many are turning to the cloud. While there are risks, cloud computing can help small companies grow bigger faster and save money. Get the pros and cons in this video.” 4 mins.
As a small business owner, time spent on IT support can end up taking time away from the things you need to do. You need to spend your time managing and running your business, without getting caught in an IT trap or the vicious break and fix cycle, which can drain financial resources, management time, and your patience. Whether it’s taking care of nuisance computer repair issues or hiring a managed services provider to handle all your IT, professional IT support can be a critical factor in small business success.
Types of Services Offered:
Use professional IT support for as many or as few services as you need. If you have a dedicated IT person on staff, you may only need advanced tech support. If you fly solo, look for managed IT services to provide software support, troubleshooting, computer repair, server maintenance, and other solutions. Professional tech services can set up a VPN or virtual private network, monitor network safety and security, and perform data backup.
Getting Assistance:
With professional computer support, you can choose between remote support or on-call assistance. The right managed IT services firm will have employees on call during your business hours that have familiarity with the services you use. Remote access service through chat, email, or telephone helps your employees troubleshoot quick problems without pouring over a manual. If a problem arises, look for on-call IT support to get the technicians into your office to manage maintenance, computer repair, and troubleshooting. When possible, a computer repair company may offer same-day appointments designed to get your business back on track as soon as possible.
Support Levels:
Some computer support services offer a range of professionally managed IT support programs, to help small businesses find the right level of technological help. Choose from annual plans that ensure all of your needs are met, so you can remain as competitive as possible. If your small business isn’t tech-driven, an incidence plan may be a better fit. These types of plans ensure that you get IT support when you need it, on a per-incident basis. Pay a one-time fee when you need help, then don’t pay again until the next time something goes wrong. Managed IT services don’t have to be expensive, so choose the level of support that works well for your business.
Products Supported:
The right solution for you will support the type of equipment that you employ, and be familiar with market options should you add additional functionality. Look for IT support services with knowledge of:
Additional areas to consider include:
If you are a Mac office, make sure your tech support firm is Apple-friendly. Additionally, ensure your IT support company is based in the U.S. and keeps standard business hours that mirror your own hours.
Benefits
Time savings won’t be the only small business benefit to choosing managed IT services. Unless you’re a tech whiz, you may not have the ability to diagnose and fix sever errors, equipment malfunctions, and other problems on your own. Failure to act promptly to correct the problem can make matters worse. Additionally, if you’re not a tech pro, calling the shots under duress can be extremely stressful. If you ask one of your employees to handle it because you think their tech skills are better, this puts them in an awkward position if they cannot fix it – and may make matters worse. Sometimes, outsourcing is the best option for all of your employees.
Finding a Firm
Look locally for tech support firms that are geared for small business. When you find potential matches, ask for client references. Check the references, then pick a provider that has a reputation for excellent customer service, fast response rate, and knows the equipment you use. Local Chambers of Commerce can also be great referral sources, and checking with your local chapter of the Better Business Bureau is a good way to investigate a potential supplier’s track record.
Cloud computing is a buzzword that gets tossed around a lot, but it can offer the small business cost- and time-saving benefits.
Small businesses often lack the time, IT services, personnel, and budget to devote to computing and security needs, getting by with a couple of computers and a shared hard drive instead of a server and full network of computers. Cloud computing can provide enterprise level applications at a fraction of the cost that would be involved to purchase the software itself, bringing small businesses all the benefits without the big price tag.
How It Works
In fact, if you use social media or hosted email platforms, such as Gmail, you’re already using cloud computing technologies. All of your Gmail messages, tweets, and status updates are stored in the cloud, not on your local machine. Cloud computing for businesses takes the power, storage capacity, and accessibility you’re already enjoying in your social life, and finds practical solutions for the modern business.
Cloud providers from Google to Microsoft–and a host of other, lesser-know names–provide you with access to all of the tools needed to run your business, with a secure webpage sign-in. Once you log in, you have access to email, calendars, databases, word processing, and other tools.
Get as little or as much functionality from the cloud as you need for your small business, and test out new programs with a free trial for a limited time period. Choose from available cloud systems that are open to all, such as Gmail, or a private cloud that exists just for your business and is hosted at a cloud provider or managed on site. If you manage the cloud on site, your IT staff will need to spend time maintaining, updating, and managing the cloud for you. Keep in mind in this case that you may not realize a great productivity savings.
Small Business Savings
Cloud computing can have a real impact on small business finances, especially if you choose low cost cloud providers (as long as you can manage without all the bells and whistles). Imagine not having to pay for expensive invoicing, CRM, and other applications. Or not having your IT staff spend time on maintenance, upgrades, and system troubleshooting. If you have hosted cloud service, all of the back-end maintenance is performed by the cloud provider. This nets your IT services staff significant time savings, enabling them to be more productive in other areas.
Productivity
By using other Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud applications such as a remote-hosted accounting system, remote backup support, or outsourced server monitoring, you minimize the amount of time lost to switching tasks, which compromises much of employee productivity. No more waiting for slow programs to load, or switching from one interface to the other. These small time savings add up.
You’ll also notice additional time savings for departments such as Marketing. Cloud platforms make email blasts, social media posts, and virtual events including webcasting and conference calling, easier to plan, execute, and track.
The cloud also gives you the ability to try out new systems, including ones that you might have thought about buying before, but held off due to cost or the time it would take your employees to implement the new system. Since the cloud offers new systems with nothing more than a plan modification, your IT staff will not have to install, learn, teach, and troubleshoot a new system. This leaves your employees more free time to do their primary tasks.
Staying Up-to-Date
The cloud as a productivity catalyst is only one benefit from cloud computing. Cloud computing and SaaS also let you modify, upgrade, adapt, and stay current with technology trends without having to invest capital. You won’t spend time analyzing system requirements or comparing competitive software packages, because you’ll use your cloud application’s particular module for a given task. No more comparing Google calendar to Outlook to Calcium to four other providers.
Summary
Although there can be some offsetting drawbacks (see our previous post regarding the pros and cons of cloud computing), in general cloud computing can be a cost effective solution that not only simplifies your business’s IT function, but can also positively impact your entire organization.
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