Business is all about managing costs; for a company’s income to be sustainable, the expenses must not exceed the revenue. This entails keeping costs as low as possible while trying to maximise earnings. It’s a delicate balancing act, especially in competitive industries where the market has a strong influence on the price of goods and services.
These days, technology plays a key role in managing costs. It’s a great way to improve operational efficiency, which translates into reduced losses, fewer errors, and improved spending.
What technologies can small businesses use?
Cutting edge technology was once too expensive for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), but today, it’s more affordable, more accessible, and easier to maintain than ever. This is thanks to managed IT services providers (MSPs) that provide scalable technology solutions for budgets of all sizes. Some of the solutions they provide are:
-
Managed cybersecurity services
Cybercriminals are always looking for ways to exploit weaknesses in IT systems. This is a bane to small businesses because it requires them to expend a lot of effort and resources just to keep cyberthreats at bay. The problem is that cybersecurity management is a job for a whole team, but most small companies will only have one or two IT staff to handle cyber threats on top of their regular IT tasks.
Managed cybersecurity services is a great alternative to building a full suite of cyberdefenses in-house, as it effectively gives an SMB enterprise-grade cyber protection without the huge costs. A managed cybersecurity provider can configure business systems, integrate threat defenses, and provide constant monitoring for a fraction of the cost of doing it all in-house.
-
Managed cloud services
Managed cloud services refers to a service that manages and controls a client’s cloud platform and tools. This includes maintenance, migration, monitoring, and optimization. This allows you to offload cloud-based tasks, such as cloud backups and cloud infrastructure maintenance, and lighten the workload of your in-house IT staff so they can focus on more critical tasks.
-
Managed IT support
To keep business running, you need to ensure that all IT hardware and software are up and running. However, running a large-scale IT department to stay on top of your tech and information needs is expensive. A managed IT support partner can help ensure that any IT issues that arise are promptly resolved by experienced technicians, without you having to spend too much money to hire experts.
Where can we expect savings to occur?
Managed technologies are investments in their own rights, but the great thing about them is that they have a particularly quick return. You can expect to see tangible results after the first year of implementation, and the financial benefits can be so substantial that managed technology can be seen as a long-term solution. Some areas of business where the results are most evident are:
-
Hardware expenditure
One of the first things your prospective IT partner will assess is your business’s IT infrastructure, particularly your existing hardware and software. This is so they can advise you on how to maximise and optimise your existing tools and equipment. And only if it’s necessary, your IT partner will also guide you through choosing hardware and software investments to meet your long term plans.
-
Salaries and overall budgeting
IT professionals at small businesses are typically stretched thin, with most of them juggling several hats at a time. It’s not uncommon for a technical support staffer to also be in charge of cybersecurity while also being responsible for device configurations and backups management. This is inefficient and prone to more problems, but the alternative is to hire more IT professionals and be forced to disrupt your budget.
Instead of hiring more people, you can instead acquire the services of an all-around managed technology provider. They can fill the gaps of your in-house IT team for a fraction of the salary cost needed. They also charge a flat monthly fee, enabling you to have more control over your finances
Optimise your operational capacity and maximise revenue potentials with managed technology solutions from Austin Technology. We provide Western Australia businesses with managed IT support, cloud services, IT solutions, and more. Contact us today for a quote.
