A proper business digital clean-up involves more than trashing old files and updating passwords. An effective business digital clean-up requires revisiting IT lifecycle management, security vulnerability assessments and backup and disaster recovery strategies to ensure your technology is up-to-date, secure and running efficiently. But what if you’re a small to medium-sized business owner without an internal enterprise-level IT department? It’s simple. You outsource the job to the professionals — a managed service provider.
Do You Really Need a Digital Clean-Up?
Have you ever considered what would happen if your IT systems went down for a few hours? What could that cost you? When you consider how much of your business is reliant on safe, reliable technology, performing a digital clean-up is a no-brainer. A managed service provider has the expertise, experience and manpower to perform a comprehensive digital clean-up on your systems, ensuring tech is lean and running smoothly.
1. IT Lifecycle Management
Your business depends on your IT running smoothly. But technology declines over time leading to lags, intermittent connectivity and even downtime. IT lifecycle management services provide a detailed inventory of your entire IT infrastructure so you can optimize every resource. That includes hardware like laptops, servers and devices, and software like Microsoft 365, as well.
IT Lifecycle Management Services Uncover:
- Lapsed warranty renewals, licensing purchases and firmware updates
- Root causes of slow, inefficient connectivity
- Broken or obsolete assets that require safe, secure disposal
- Underutilized assets
The more you know about your technology, its true value to your business and its stage of shelf life, the smarter you can be about tech spending.
2. Proactive Cybersecurity Services
A digital clean-up is the ideal opportunity to evaluate your security. Once you identify any hidden security gaps, you can address weak points and strengthen your overall cybersecurity defense. These are a few services IT professionals recommend:
- Dark Web Monitoring is pretty much what it sounds like. Trained IT professionals use specialized software to scan the dark web for your information. Should they find anything, they can act quickly to limit potential damage.
- Security Vulnerability Assessments are automated tests that scan your infrastructure for weak points that could be exploited. The process happens instantly and provides real-time visibility into potential flaws so they can be prioritized and addressed before they pose a serious risk.
- Penetrating Testing simulates a cyberattack on your business. Implemented by an experienced managed service provider, penetration testing can go a long way in identifying your most critical security weaknesses, namely human error.
3. Backup and Disaster Recovery Strategies
Finally, any worthwhile digital clean-up should include a re-evaluation of your backup and disaster recovery strategies. A managed services provider will ask questions like:
- When is the last time you tested your backup?
- Have your critical business assets and applications changed?
- If so, are you backing up that data?
- Have you updated your recovery plan to reflect changes in staff?
Every backup and disaster recovery plan requires regular, ongoing maintenance to be effective when you need it. If you don’t have the time or the resources to routinely maintain your technology, consider partnering with an MSP. Managed service providers are invaluable assets to small and medium-sized businesses with minimal or no internal IT resources. Increased productivity, decreased downtime and reduced costs are just a few of the benefits you can realize with this important, trusted partnership.
If you are looking to partner with an MSP, let’s talk. Our team of tech professionals is well versed in services and solutions to keep your business running at its best. Contact us today.
