IT Support – 6 Myths Debunked. End the Confusion Today!

When it comes to running and operating a business of any size, your computer infrastructure should be an important consideration. Yet time and again we speak to business owners and entrepreneurs who have bought in to some of the myths surrounding IT support and thus leaving their business at risk or not able to reach its true potential.

Below we debunk some of the most common myths we hear regarding IT support.

Myth 1: We don’t have enough problems to warrant regular IT support

It isn’t all about problems. If you run a business you shouldn’t be using your time to check backups have worked, security updates have installed or the system is running optimally. It’s a really good idea to have someone on hand who knows your system, the way you work and what data/applications are important to you. To get expert advice like this you need a relationship with your support team rather than a call out fo the blue when you feel something needs fixing.

A good IT support solution will include a proactive element. For example all Cloud Plus customers have a proactive software agent that is constantly checking your computer for any hint of problems. The idea is to deal with them early to prevent any bigger issues later on.

Myth 2: We don’t need IT support because I use an Apple Mac

If there is hardware to break and software to error you need IT support. Simple! In our experience Apple Macs are less prone to the myriad of problems PC’s can fall foul of, mostly because Apple control both the hardware and operating system side of things, but things can still go disastrously wrong.

Not to mention that in almost all cases you will have some non Apple hardware (e.g. printers, external storage etc) or software (e.g. Adobe), in the mix. Or your broadband provider or email system needs connection. Maybe you need to remotely connect to a work server every now and then.

So just because you use a Mac, don’t be complacent about IT support for your systems. There’s a reason why Apple sells their AppleCare warranty on their hardware after all.

Myth 3: Our company is too small to need outsourced IT Support

We hear this one often. It’s very similar to Myth 1 on our list. What you really mean is you don’t see the point in paying out for IT support because you only have one or a few computers in the team.

This is ludicrous. Even a single computer can develop a problem affecting your business. In fact it could be argued that smaller businesses need IT support services more than larger businesses as the effect of a problem is probably going to have a far more drastic impact if you don’t have another computer to hop onto.

And similar to Myth 1, if you are a small business you have many more crucial things you should be doing with your time than dealing with IT problems or regular maintenance. It really is a false economy to believe that you don’t have enough IT problems or are too small to need IT support. It will cost you much more in the long term.

Myth 4: It’s really hard to change IT Support provider successfully

This myth is spread by IT support providers who want their customers to stay with them, not because of the service they provide, but because of fear of change. These types of providers are usually all smiles and helpful during the projecting phase, but once you join them they lose interest quickly as they are on to the next ‘victim’ prospect.

The truth is as long as you have a record of all of your administration logins (you do have a record, don’t you? No? I advise you to get that sorted quickly.), changing provider is quick and easy. Even if you do not have all the logins changing provider can be facilitated with relative ease.

Myth 5: Outsourced IT Support is too expensive

Really, in this day and age? IT support has become an essential commodity for anyone who has a computer.

What you really mean is you don’t value having IT support and you’d rather spend the really rather inexpensive fee on something else.

With unlimited proactive solutions from as little as around £20 per month, like Cloud Plus, long gone are the days of needing your own in-house team or contracting expensive consultants to work on your systems.

In the digital age, with broadband available, you can subscribe to always available remote IT support services as cheaply and conveniently as your daily cup of coffee. Think how expensive it would be to have a problem, preventing you from working or losing all your data and not having an expert on hand to resolve the problem quickly and proactively. In my opinion NOT having IT support is vastly more expensive.

Myth 6: It’s better to rely on a person on my team to help us out with our IT Support

It might be tempting to pass all responsibility for IT to the young, tech savvy apprentice as she is always able to get things working when you have a problem, but this is a big mistake.

By relying on any one member of your team to deal with IT problems means you are instantly at a disadvantage should they leave, be off sick or go on holiday. Arranging suitable cover at a late stage for these eventualities is impossible without a huge risk to your business.

Not too mention that it is impossible for one person to be able to advise properly on the right systems, strategy or implementation for a business. What typically happens is the business gets stuck using technology and systems that only that person knows about and feels comfortable using whether or not it is the best solution for the business.

The cost of that team member’s time when you take into consideration pensions, NIC, training and holiday cover can be far more than finding a team of dedicated experts who manage your IT for you and ensure that the level of service stays high no matter the personnel situation.