THINQ's Blog

Got Nagging IT Pains - Managed IT Services is the Remedy

When we meet with new clients, there is a common theme we hear repeatedly - "Make my IT pains go away!  I just need IT to Work!".

Sound familiar?  If so, obviously you're not alone.  

Most often, small businesses use a wide variety of resources to support their day-to-day IT operations.  For example, some companies use internal staff to double as IT personnel, others use a family member to help out, or a "buddy" who is an "IT guru" that chips in, or an outsourced IT individual or a managed IT services firm.

Each IT support mechainism takes a different road, but ends up at the same rendevous point for you - "PAIN". 

Listed below are the most common IT frustrations we hear from new clients.  

• "As an owner, I spend too much time worrying about IT"
• "I need to focus on my business, not IT"
• "We're frustrated.  We don't know how much we spend on IT and what we are getting in return"
• "Our systems are slow"
• "How can we lower our IT costs?"
• "My staff is aggravated by our slow network"
• "Our systems (servers) go down once a week, is this normal?"
• "I am not confident our backups are working"
• "I'm fed up with our IT"
• "My IT support is slow to respond"
• "My IT group has no sense of urgency to our problems"
• "Our IT systems feel unstable"
• "It has taken 4 weeks to roll out our new server"
• "What the heck is cloud computing?  Do we need that?"
• "We don't want to be technologically obselete!"
• "How can my staff work better?"
• "My IT dude takes days to fix a problem"
• "My IT group never follows up"
• "How do we know the right technology to buy?"
• "I don't understand the geak-speak of my IT provider"
• "I Just Want IT To Work!"

Do these harried sounds of IT grievances echo throughout your office?  

The good news is this problem is solvable.  Each pain is merely a sympton.  

Far too often, IT folks work hard to solve the sympton rather than the root of the problem, hence the extended stay of the symptom. Metaphorically, if your IT operations has the flu, you shouldn't try to remedy the soar-throat, sneezing, coughing, stuffy nose, watery eyes, or chills individually.  Symptoms are a by-product of a larger problem.  

Mark Twain once quoted - "For every problem there is always a solution that is simple, obvious, and wrong". Yet, IT folks' conventional thinking operates precisely in this manner. 

The right IT strategic approach should involve:

1. Assessment - a full 360 degree analysis of your technology systems and how aligned it is to the business.

2. Stabilize - before turning on your IT systems after-burners, the environment must be stable and problem-free. 

3. Optimize - with no more system inefficiencies, now your IT engine room can run at peak performance.  Your IT investments are now fostering the growth of your business.

4. Managed - with proper care and IT management, you can work on your business, not in your business.  Your business needs an IT partner not a vendor.   

All told, fix the flu, symptons are solved, no more IT Pains.  Keep IT simple and get your life back.

What are some of your small business IT pains?  We would like to hear from you.