Often there is a mantra – ‘never let the system go down’ – but the sticking plasters needed to do that might mean you force a shutdown by mistake, and at the worst time! These can be built over time by different people under slightly different objectives, ones that are changed as you grow and your business changes.
Risks are downplayed as you put in a quick fix today and forget to look at the main issues tomorrow.
Real-life scenarios
WannaCry Ransomware was a viral attack led primarily via phishing scams. The NHS’s IT infrastructure was recently hit by an entirely preventable attack. The severity of the issue and the lack of fixes available to them was due in part to their IT systems leaning so heavily on the then-unsupported Windows operating system, XP.
These security oversights in the IT we use are commonplace. For example – did you know Windows 7 is soon to be unsupported? As of January 2020, Windows 7 will no longer receive regular updates, and in the same vein as Windows XP it will as of next January be susceptible to new exploitations, viruses and hackers, with no future fixes on the horizon from Microsoft.
We already use professional third-party services to better understand our needs for business today and to engage with the future proactively. IT is no different. These are the sort of things that you might not notice because you are not up-to-date with current IT thinking. You’re too busy to know that your staff’s computers are running slowly.
IT systems, when outsourced to professionals, get your business ahead of tech developments – managed with your future and present goals in mind.
Things are changing quickly for business owners
A business owner’s responsibility is to challenge those professionals to engage with our business & ensure the system works for your processes and your objectives. The technology that is involved in IT systems that companies use is growing more and more advanced and it can be quite hard to understand if you are not technologically minded.
Learn more about Devices for Teams.
A lot of people think that it works out cheaper for their company to have a self-managed IT system – however, this is often proven to be a false economy.
An IT system designed and maintained for your business by a professional third party equips you with the power of knowledge, and secures your business against unforeseen problems. How much would it cost if your business was stopped for a day?
With the experience and oversight of an IT professional, they will be able to find and often redefine an IT solution for your company to make sure that your system is truly your system – running efficiently, proactively and securely, always headed towards the goals you want to achieve.
HardSoft Computers, IT leasing specialists, will be sponsoring the upcoming Tech Dinner in Manchester city centre on November 14th, where we will be revealing the results of the Top 50 Tech Companies. Book tickets to join us there and meet with some of the region’s tech leaders.
