There are many reasons why it’s a great idea to start a small business, and various entrepreneurs have been able to secure their financial future by starting a company that is vital to their community, or even to the world, at large. However, it can be precarious for a small business to weather the storms of entrepreneurship, as there are so many variables at play. There are retail businesses struggling thanks to technological advances, small businesses that struggle because of natural disasters, and other businesses that simply get crushed by the competition.
Small business owners might not feel like they should focus on IT, only to find that a data breach later destroys their reputation and credibility in their respective industry. If you own a small or medium enterprise (SME), you might have thought of many potential challenges – only to find that a hacker has damaged your brand for years by obtaining customer data. If you’re interested in learning more about how IT support can help your SME, consider contacting EC-MSP or a similar IT consultancy near you at your earliest convenience.
If you own a small or medium enterprise, you might want to start taking both your employees and customers seriously by investing in solid IT support. For those who might be unaware, SMEs are businesses with a specific number of employees, and the exact definition varies throughout the world. In the United States, an SME employs less than 500 people, while companies that employ less than 250 individuals are an SME according to the European Union definition.
Maintain Productivity
Small business owners are constantly dealing with the challenges they see in front of them, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Some SME owners must figure out product market fit, or are trying to grow revenue while also making sure that their bottom line is safe. Other SME owners are trying to get the word out about their product/service, or properly educate consumers about the unique benefits that they offer. They might even have issues when it comes to obtaining loans from banks, a concern many large corporations don’t have to worry about. However, what happens to tackling all these challenges when a server suddenly goes down?
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One of the reasons IT support is so crucial is that it can keep an SME operational during this time. If you experience IT trouble, there’s a good chance it will affect your relationship with your clients. In fact, many of them may begin to look elsewhere since your cybersecurity isn’t their priority. Fortunately, if you invest in the right IT infrastructure from the start, you can ensure your employees are working for your clients/customers while your IT support team handles the situation.
Reputation and Credibility
Many large corporations have been affected by massive cybersecurity issues, whether it’s a hack, data breach, or other cybersecurity problems. Often, these corporations have such a long history with the consumer that they end up recovering after some time. For example, Equifax suffered a data breach that exposed the information of 147 million consumers. For those who are unaware, Equifax is one of the largest credit reporting agencies in the world. The scandal hasn’t affected Equifax share prices in the long-term, despite the fact the company can’t afford the promised customer payout.
Hackers and cybercriminals don’t care that attacking your SME may cripple it forever. You might find that a data breach changes the way that consumers think about your company, and it can lead to reputational damage that’s very difficult to recover from. SMEs simply don’t have the luxury of taking credibility hits the same way large corporations do, and IT support can help prevent these hacks/breaches.
Monitoring Usage
At the end of the day, cybersecurity is an issue that becomes more relevant every year. It’s one of the reasons the cybersecurity industry continues to grow every year. It doesn’t matter what sector your SME is involved in – cybersecurity is simply an issue that will undoubtedly arise. It’s especially important if your SME handles intellectual property, sensitive personal information, or even military information for nation-states.
Every SME owner understands cybersecurity must be a top concern, but what about employees that might not be working on what they should be working on? IT support can ensure your employees are being as efficient as possible, even when you aren’t looking. Every SME should go out of their way to hire employees who are productive, but IT support can give you some insight into how employees can be more vigilant, or how to prevent them from being distracted, as well.
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Conclusion
There are many different reasons why your SME should consider IT support. For example, your SME might be able to save a tremendous amount of money on office space by hiring external IT support, since they don’t have to account for in-house IT specialists. Other SMEs might be ecstatic that they don’t have to invest in IT equipment every year, as well. SMEs already have enough challenges as it is, so why not invest in IT support to help you save some money on your bottom line?
It’s not just about money: the right IT support also means your projects are completed more efficiently, and quicker. This could end up improving your relationship with existing clients and customers, which might lead to referrals, more business, and an improved reputation, as well. Your customers and clients should feel safe about doing business with you, and that can only happen with the right IT systems in place.
Of course, a renewed peace of mind about cybersecurity also means your employees can focus on other aspects of the business. If an SME invests in IT support, it might mean more time and energy for marketing initiatives, research and development, sales, and more. If you’re serious about scaling your SME the proper way, understand that you can only grow your customer base if you invest in IT support.