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Every business is looking for ways to improve efficiency and cut costs. For example, you’ve probably had a new coffee supplier in the break room to save a little money. But what happens when the staff discovers they don’t like the new blend? Productivity might suffer from caffeine withdrawal and poor morale.
Now imagine your business tries to cut corners on something even more important - like IT. Cutting corners on the lifeblood of your company can be truly devastating. Out-of-date software and security can lead to crashes, outages, frustrated staff or customers, or even a cyberattack. How serious is this threat? According to National Cyber Security Alliance, 60% of small businesses fold within 6 months of a cyberattack.
While your company might survive weak coffee, it might not be able to survive weak or substandard technology. The good news is that it is possible to have an up-to-date IT approach without breaking the bank. If your business cannot afford a dedicated IT department or has a small IT staff with too many responsibilities, Managed IT can be a useful tool. A small IT staff cannot keep up with all of the advancements in cybersecurity, technology, and support for today’s modern worker.
Don’t believe us? Here’s a few real-life Managed IT success stories.
Can’t Afford a Full-Time IT Staff?
Lake Geneva Animal Hospital (LGAH) opened a second hospital in Walworth, Wisconsin in 2008. Even as a growing business, the hospital could not afford to hire an in-house IT staff in order to stay current with equipment and cybersecurity. Elevity provided a fully outsourced Managed IT solution including Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS), firewall services, desktop and server support, and hardware along with a dedicated continuity solution.
At Elevity, we can provide the services of a Virtual CIO, or vCIO. Your vCIO is your advocate and offers ongoing assistance and technology planning. Small to medium-sized businesses can leverage the expertise of vCIOs to help analyze an existing IT environment, provide a needs assessment, and develop an IT strategy to reach business goals and achieve results. "We were looking to practice medicine, manage two hospitals and do things as efficiently as possible. It has been a true success story thanks to Elevity," says Dr. Chris Welch, Owner/Veterinarian.
Is Your Organization Growing Faster than Your IT Budget?
Founded in 1906, the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) is a leader in career training for health care. Spanning several states, the NUHS organization had a patchwork of systems in need of updates. Outdated and non-uniform software created a poor user experience and overwhelmed their IT staff. The university also had difficulties adopting new technologies and integrating them with their existing software.
After meeting with administrative officials, Elevity experts offered NUHS a customized solution that could be standardized across campuses. The software could also be updated and monitored remotely, and the new solution integrated seamlessly with existing programs. The customized solution offered NUHS a hybrid IT environment that easily integrated with existing personnel and systems. It's a user-friendly system that can be used across campuses, software updates occur regularly, and workstations are more secure. The software also has easy-to-use reporting tools so officials have more knowledge and information available about their systems.
Is Technology Behind the Times?
Marshall Building Specialties Co., Inc. has been a supplier of commercial construction materials in Indianapolis, Indiana since 1965. Before working with Elevity, Marshall Building was using an outdated DOS-based computer system and old, noisy printers that were temperamental. The company hoped to modernize quickly but with a small office staff it was simply not possible to employ a dedicated IT person to manage this process.
Marshall Building’s Lisa Richey brought in Elevity to upgrade the company’s hardware and provide managed IT services for the office. Unfortunately, moving legacy systems into the 21st century can be painful. Richey says Elevity worked overtime to get data off old systems and integrate modern multi-function machines into Marshall’s network. With a little personal care, Elevity's Managed IT Services have allowed Marshall Building to quickly serve its customers, reduce downtime, and improve employee satisfaction.
What if Your Technology Isn't Secure?
An employee with a Midwestern healthcare provider called the Elevity Service Desk to say she couldn’t open a file on her server’s shared drive. She also noticed that the file extension on the spreadsheet she was trying to open had been changed from .xls to .payday. While this might seem like a rather mundane problem, the service desk engineer immediately recognized the telltale signs of a virus called CryptoLocker, which the New York Times describes as “a particularly ruthless ransomware program.”
Hackers had captured and corrupted the company’s computers and would not release them until a ransom was paid. Thanks to the Continuity 24/7 Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solution, Elevity was able to restore the organization’s servers back to 10 a.m. that morning — just before the infection occurred. Within an hour of discovering the attack, the company was able to resume working using a backup copy of their environment, without any data loss.
Having a functional and successful IT strategy is about more than just being cost effective. A failure to provide first class IT services can destroy a business in today’s networked, digital world. Having the latest technology and IT expertise can become a reality, even for a small business.
Leverage the knowledge of a Managed IT provider that specializes in helping small organizations get enterprise-level results. Reach out to the team at Elevity today and download our infographic: 5 Reasons to Outsource Your IT.
