How IT Outsourcing Can Improve Your Company’s Cyber Security

Imagine losing access to every computer in your business for several days. Imagine also that someone gained access to your customer database and came away with private information, such as credit card numbers. The cost to your business in lost earnings, damaged reputation and liability for privacy violations would be huge. You absolutely cannot allow that to happen, but how do you stop it? Do you even know where your company is vulnerable? What you need is a thorough risk assessment and ongoing support from knowledgeable IT specialists. But how do you swing that?

Affordable solutions for IT vulnerabilities

Like most small businesses, you’re eking out a living in a very tough economy. You just don’t have the financial resources to hire a team of pros. And even if you did, once they performed the initial assessment and remediation, there wouldn’t be enough work to justify keeping a full-time IT department. You seem to be caught between the rock of financial constraints, and the hard place of a potential data breach. Fortunately, you can get the appropriate measure of IT guidance and support without busting your budget by outsourcing.

Managed IT services scaled to meet the company’s needs

At KMF Technologies, we believe IT support is essential to every business in the digital age. But, those services have to be properly scaled so they deliver value, rather than draining resources a company needs to invest elsewhere. When you scale IT services to meet your needs, those services often pay for themselves in greater business productivity, while also operating as a defense to security breaches that can be ruinous.

Here are a few of the outstanding advantages your company can gain from outsourcing its IT needs:

• Services to fit your budget — As mentioned earlier, you don’t have to break the bank to improve your IT environment. You can prioritize areas for improvement and begin where the need is most urgent.
• Grow your IT with your company — In most other areas of your business, you expand incrementally based on prior successes and perceived opportunities. When you outsource, instead of your company working to support an IT department, your IT contractor is supporting your company. You can add IT services as your company’s growth dictates.
• Expanded capabilities — Once you get the ball rolling with professional IT, you’ll be amazed at how much more you can do with your computer systems. You can expect greater productivity and thus business growth.
• Tapping into expertise — In-house IT personnel work in a silo. They confront your company’s issues and attempt to remedy them. But IT contractors work in numerous environments, so they’re always encountering new issues and working with newer software solutions and equipment. They have a broader base of experience to draw from. So, when you have a problem you haven’t seen before, chances are your outside IT professional has. This expertise can save you time and expense, especially when you consider the hours of research and development in-house IT personnel often have to do before recommending new systems and being able to implement them.
• Enhanced security — Cyber security is similar to an arms race, where the bad guys are constantly developing new weapons, so the good guys have to keep improving their defenses. Outsourcing your IT means ongoing support from a team that knows how to stay ahead of the curve. This requires a combination of ever-advancing protocols and training for your staff. Staff training is key, because contrary to popular conceptions, hackers aren’t all super-genius codebreakers. Most breaches occur because employees fall for a phishing attack and click something they shouldn’t.

So, given all these potential benefits, how do you choose the right outsourced IT contractor? At KMF Technologies, we believe there are four essential qualities you should look for:

• Technical knowledge — It goes without saying that the people you hire need to know their stuff.
• Integrity — Let’s face it, you’re hiring people to work on systems you don’t understand. The last thing you want is a lot of double-speak about all the work they’re doing, when you’re not seeing results. You need contractors with a solid work ethic. Moreover, since you’re asking these folks to enhance your security, they need to be trustworthy.
• People skills — Your IT team often has to explain how machines and systems work to employees who aren’t trained in the inner workings of technology. They need to get their points across in a clear and respectful manner, so your workers will absorb the information.
• Reliability — Your IT contractor must be able to maintain a regular schedule of services and respond to emergencies that come up in the course of operations.

At KMF Technologies, we like to think that we fit this profile. If you’re interested in discussing outsourced solutions for your IT needs, give us a call or contact us online or for a free IT consultation.