The Small Business Guide to Managed IT Services

If you’re a small business owner you know the importance of making sure your clients can trust you with their money and their information. But sometimes making sure all of your business systems are running smoothly and securely takes too much precious time and energy. 

At ABL Computers we understand how hard it can be to manage the information technology aspects of your business and that’s why we offer managed IT services for small businesses like yours. Need proof? Check out the testimonials our small business clients have shared related to our managed IT service offers. 

As you can see, we’re a company committed to making technology solutions easy and efficient so you can focus on the tasks that keep your business growing. 

If you’re a small business looking for managed IT services, but not necessarily sure where to start the search or what a managed service might look like for you – keep reading! We’ll cover what’s included in managed IT services, which managed IT services a small business should have in place, and how a managed IT services company can help your small business thrive. 

This Small Business Guide to Managed IT Services will cover:

• What are Managed IT Services?
• Which Managed IT Services do small businesses need the most?
• How can a Managed IT Services company help your small business?

What Are Managed IT Services?

The term “Managed IT services” covers a wide range of information technology services businesses and even home users may need to ensure the actions they perform online can be done seamlessly and securely. 

This type of information technology service is usually provided by a company that will manage IT functions and take responsibility for ensuring all things IT are running as they should. 

Managed IT service packages often include much or all of the following:

1. Maintaining Network Security

You might think network security is as easy as setting a WiFi password, but the truth is network security goes way beyond surface-level measures. At its core, network security should be a set of intricate processes to prevent, detect, and monitor access to your network. 

You want to ensure no unauthorized users are tapping into your network and gaining access to sensitive personal, business, or client information. Maintaining network security is an important part of managed IT services and a good managed IT services company should provide both hardware and software network security to make sure your information and systems are secure. 

2. Mitigating Security Risks

This aspect of IT services may be the most familiar to you. Security risks in the technology world consist of things like viruses, spam or phishing emails looking to hack your systems, and weak passwords. 

A good managed IT services company will ensure you have robust anti-virus software, strong email spam filters, and strong passwords changed on a consistent basis. Providing streamlined and informative training for your team can also help reduce these types of security risks. 

3. Ensuring Strong Connectivity and Bandwidth

Even if you’re operating with a small team, your business needs may require more bandwidth to keep up with multiple devices. Sending emails, setting up video calls, and other medium-capacity activities need a certain amount of bandwidth for a great experience without any buffering or lag-time. 

Recent years have shown we are more dependent on virtual communication now more than ever. Ensuring you have the right connectivity speed and enough bandwidth is essential for supporting your day-to-day business needs. 

An experienced managed IT service company like ABL Computers will assess your current connectivity speeds and bandwidth and make recommendations on where you might need to adjust in order to get the best working experience for your small business. 

4. Software Patches 

Software patches sound more complicated than they are. These updates ensure your security, performance, and system are always improving and working as they should. Software patches are created to address issues you may be having with any of your systems, software, or programming.

These types of updates are usually not noticeable in your day-to-day business, but they ensure your company’s systems are running the best they can so your team can continue to complete vital business tasks on time.  

5. Web Hosting 

Managed web hosting by a reputable managed IT services company ensures your server is secured and operating correctly. Managed web hosting can include the setup, administration, and management of your servers. 

Among other things, this type of management includes updates to your operating systems, hardware management, and virus protection. A managed IT services company will check that your website and applications are up and running at all times and there is nothing interfering with the performance of your websites or any other business applications. 

6. Technical Support 

Finally, many managed IT services include technical support. This type of service is wide-ranging and can include helpdesk resources, a hotline, or 24/7 support. Even with a small team, you want to guarantee your small business has access to experienced professionals if something goes wrong with your systems.

Managed IT Services Small Businesses Need the Most 

Determining which managed IT services your small business needs depends on a few factors. 

Here are some questions you may want to consider to understand which managed IT services your small business might need:

• How many employees do you have? 
• Do employees all use a computer or log into your network? 
• Does each employee have an email account that needs monitoring?
• Does your business engage in high-capacity bandwidth activities like video streaming? 

Don’t worry about answering those questions in too much depth as a professional and trusted managed IT services company like ABL Computers will know exactly the questions to ask to make sure you get the right services package for your small business. 

Take a look at the managed IT services our clients usually need our help with:

• 24/7 Technical Support 
• Network connectivity
• Round-the-clock security monitoring
• Secure and routine backup of files so your team never loses important work
• Maintenance of equipment to keep all systems operational
• Scheduled software updates 

How ABL Computers Managed IT Services Can Help Your Small Business 

We have designed our business intentionally. At ABL Computers we are committed to making IT solutions simple and effective. You won’t find any gamer or geek-talk with us! We hire only experienced managers with at least 5 years of experience in the field so you can rest assured that you’re in professional and experienced hands. 

No matter your managed IT services needs, we offer unique and tailored-to-your-business services. We’ll sit down and talk about your specific needs and how we can meet them with our extensive managed IT services expertise. We also offer unique service agreements built around your natural business cycle. 

ABL Computers strives to streamline service requests with quick turnaround times and a friendly face (or voice) anytime you need it. We offer 24/7 availability to our managed IT services clients and when your business is in a tight spot, we offer quick responses in 1 hour or less in an emergency. 

As a small business, you need constant monitoring of your systems to assure you can keep doing what you need to make your business succeed. You can rest easy knowing ABL Computers is monitoring your systems constantly to keep risks far away from your business and teams. 

If you’re interested to see how ABL Computers can work with your small business to offer professional and simple managed IT services, contact us today!