If you’re feeling a bit like a lemon these days — you’re not alone.
There’s been an economic downturn, and many businesses are feeling the squeeze.
Costs are up.
Inflation is up.
Many people are looking for ways to tighten their belts, make ends meet, and make the best decisions to move forward in the current economic climate.
Businesses have been dealing with change and uncertainty for several years now, and the economy is just the latest in the series of challenges that companies continue to face.
If we sound like a Debbie Downer…don’t tune out yet!
Sure, things have changed a lot in the past couple years — and continue to change! But even though there’s been an economic downturn, there can be an upside for your business.
As Patrick, the president of Varay puts it — “Change is a good opportunity to reassess and improve.”
Lemons to lemonade Challenges to opportunities
As a business, this time of change is an opportunity for reevaluation.
What’s working? What isn’t?
This also goes for your IT support.
Different businesses have different IT needs, and those needs might have changed (or be changing). And whatever level of support you need, an MSP (like Varay) can help.
Four areas to evaluate in your business
1. Internal IT
We’ve said it before and it’s still true — we’re not out to take your valued IT member’s job.
If your internal IT department is working well for your business, that’s awesome.
And if you need to outsource additional support to supplement your internal IT, Varay can work with your internal team. However, some businesses have found that in this economic downturn, internal IT is no longer cost-effective.
As an MSP, we consistently evaluate the cost of internal IT vs. managed services with current and prospective clients — and we are almost always less expensive.
For businesses looking to reduce their expenses, outsourcing IT services might be an effective solution.
Outsourcing with an MSP could be positive for your company because:
- It’s often less expensive.
- An MSP can make sure your business is getting the most efficient, current service.
- MSPs free you to do what you do best without worrying about IT.
- It alleviates employee management challenges.
2. Data storage
After a challenging couple of years, businesses have had to adapt.
- Maybe you’re moving to a smaller office space because you have fewer in-office staff members — and won’t have the square footage for your old server room.
- Maybe you’ve moved to a remote work model, and employees need access to information from wherever they are.
During the economic downturn, it might be time to finally make the move to the cloud.
The cloud is:
- Scalable
- Great for businesses on a budget
- Customizable for your needs
- Doesn’t require bulky, expensive hardware or maintenance
- Provides remote data access
…and it’s here to stay! During the pandemic, many businesses had to scramble to set up employees with work-from-home access. The process was expedited, but data storage was already heading in that direction. It can sometimes be tempting to think of changes as temporary, but things like the cloud, Zoom/Teams meeting, and the need for cloud security are likely not going away.
Moving to the cloud can seem like a daunting process, but your MSP can make this transition as seamless and efficient as possible.
3. Data security
When a business shifts the way that they operate (like many are doing in this economic climate), the big concern is frequently infrastructure — hardware, software, networks, and servers. Those are certainly important — but data security is also a priority.
At Varay, we’re big fans of the cloud. And for many companies, the shift to cloud storage is not only practical — it’s a necessity.
But with cloud data storage comes the need for extra security measures to protect your information. When employees work outside of the office, a company has less control over the environment— and might still have to observe compliance requirements.
If your business uses a work-from-home model or has remote employees — the economic downturn is the time to make sure your information is protected!
Data loss and breaches can spell disaster.
But measures like
- mobile device management
- multi-factor identification
- and managed detection response systems can ensure your data is safe in the cloud.
An MSP can help you assess the gaps in your security and implement the measures your business needs.
4. Your Current MSP Relationship
Times of change often bring a level of clarity and evaluation.
What’s important? What’s missing? What do we need to do differently?
In addition to these other areas of evaluation, the economic downturn is a great time to check in on your relationship with your MSP.
When you’re cutting costs and trying to make ends meet, you want to get value out of the money you spend. If your current MSP relationship isn’t giving you the value you want, it’s time to reassess.
Here are some questions to ask yourself as you evaluate your MSP relationship:
- Are you getting the attention your business needs?
- Are they anticipating the FUTURE needs of your company?
- Are you getting the value you expected out of your MSP?
These times of change are a great opportunity to streamline and supercharge your IT support. Contact Varay Managed IT for a free assessment.
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