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It’s amazing the efficiency and productivity that technology provides – until it doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. We’ve all had ambitious plans fall to the wayside due to unforeseen circumstances – like a drained car battery or a computer that refuses to start. Two of life’s clearest indicators that things aren’t going as planned are the “clickety-click” of a car that won’t turn over and the sand dial endlessly spinning on your computer screen. My personal favorite: “Installing updates. Do not turn off or unplug your computer,” and you should have left the office five minutes ago.

It’s time to call for help! The tow-truck guy can get you up and running – as soon as you find your auto club card and navigate your way through their phone menu (can’t we just hit zero and get a real person??)… Or your company’s IT person can get it fixed in jiffy – as soon as she’s out of the HR meeting she’s conducting as the HR Manager… the job she’s actually certified in.

Lots of companies approach their IT the way some people deal with their late-model car. Drive it ’til the wheels fall-off, save money in the meantime and figure out what to do when it becomes unavoidable. Until then – Bob in Accounting knows about computers. He’ll keep IT running. And the plan works like a charm until… it doesn’t.

The challenge is, Bob in Accounting is a busy guy. Keeping up to date with security patches and system updates will have to wait until accounts receivable are updated. And why is Bob always on vacation when the system goes down?  How do you think Bob feels? He was just told during his annual review that he needs to be more focused on his primary accounting responsibilities and to not get bogged down with secondary assignments. Clearly, neither Accounting nor IT are getting the attention they deserve as potential liabilities mount in both areas.

There’s a better way. An IT Managed Service partner can be an extension of your existing IT staff (Bob) or they can be your virtual IT department. Your IT Managed Service partner can monitor your network remotely, provide immediate one-call technical support, provide server maintenance and patching, and assure your company’s security with Anti-Virus, Spyware and Malware protection. Who would you rather call at 1am when your system is down – Bob or an IT Managed Service partner that provides 24/7/365 support? A good IT Managed Service partner will provide you with easily understandable monthly reports detailing the health and security of your network and provide proactive strategies to assure high performance.

Investing a fraction of the cost of an inefficient IT environment into a proactive managed IT solution will quickly pay off – your business runs more smoothly and with less liability. Your workforce is more productive (Bob’s next review will be great!), your processes are more efficient and your customers begin to take notice! Revenues begin to rise! It’s amazing the efficiency and productivity technology provides when IT works the way it’s supposed to.

If you’ve got question about managed services and how an IT Managed Service partner can help your business, give us a call today at 616.837.6930. We’re providing IT managed services to clients in Grand Rapids, Traverse City, and everywhere in between.