Reach your IT peak: What support does my SME need?

For many SME owners, knowing the level of IT support your business needs to operate most efficiently can seem like an impossible – sometimes unobtainable – task.

That’s why, with our latest campaign – Reach your IT peak – we’re focusing on helping SMEs to decipher their individual IT requirements, and find the right level of support for them.

Think about it… it takes a careful balance of strategy and equipment to reach a peak level of IT productivity. And the bigger the mountain – or SME – the higher the level of support needed, meaning that both these factors must adapt accordingly to maintain effectiveness.

This same rule applies to businesses of all sizes, right through from start-ups and scale-ups, to fully-fledged enterprises.

But how can you ensure that your organisation has all the IT support it needs?

First thing’s first – get the right equipment

Picture the scene. You’re about to head out on your first ever hike, so you’re starting small. Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and sporting some comfy trainers, your only real equipment is a full water bottle to keep you hydrated. You’ll top up your bottle when it gets low and as your walks become more frequent, your trainers will inevitably wear out – so you’ll replace them as often as you need to.

Simply put, you’ve got the bare essentials covered – and that’s fine. But what happens when you’re ready to step up your game? Those same clothes and minimal supplies won’t sustain you for long on your way up a mountain – and this lesson of scalable support is a great analogy for IT.

Whilst your current IT solution may be the equivalent of this beginner’s hiking equipment list, as your business grows, you’ll inevitably face tougher challenges – and require more robust assistance to get you over those steep inclines and bumpy terrains!

Plus, as you bring more people into your team, you need to be able to accommodate everyone – no matter the pace they’re moving at or their role in the company.

Yes, you could invest in the same, top-of-the-range equipment for all employees to make sure all bases are covered. But everyone has different needs, so this one-size-fits-all approach isn’t always best – and is rarely cost-effective.

Understand what you need to reach the top

Step up your business growth again and you’ll need to be even further ahead of the curve where IT is concerned. There may even be competitors in your sightline, and the same old equipment you started out with just won’t cut it anymore – especially if you want to be taken seriously!

Setting out on a serious mountain hike with just a water bottle will no longer be enough – you’ll need focused planning ahead of your journey, alternative equipment that adapts as you progress and an advanced tracking device to monitor how far you’ve gone.

Enhanced safety precautions and proactive preventative measures will also be essential, as you’re bound to encounter more adverse conditions and trickier terrains as you work towards higher ground. And as melodramatic as it may sound, you’ll need to have a plan in place for every type of disaster scenario. As we all know, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

No matter what the summit of your business growth adventure is, seeking the right assistance can get you to the top. Going it alone is futile past a certain point, so it’s crucial to ensure you’re enlisting professional support to help rather than hinder your progress.

Our comprehensive IT audit will help you reassess what support you need, whatever stage you’re at in your journey. Starting out with a thorough 36-point health check of your current IT infrastructure and processes, we’ll then present our findings and recommendations in an easy-to-digest graphical report.

What’s included?

  • An easy-to-follow graphical representation covering the state of your IT and associated services.
  • An overall score based on how great your IT could be – specific to your environment rather than using generic industry standards.
  • colour-coded report providing concise details about which areas could and should be improved.
  • financial summary of your known costs vs. what we’ve calculated you’re actually spending on IT – this can come as quite a shock!
  • An outline of savings that can be attributed to implementing our recommendations
  • A comparative analysis of where your business realistically could be, if you undertake the remedial activities we identify.
  • clear plan of what needs to happen and likely costs – it’s your choice whether you undertake this strategy yourselves, get your existing IT provider to handle it or enlist our managed support service.
  • summary of any software licensing contraventions we’ve identified.
  • An overview of your IT network and hardware – including an asset list.

And the result? A clear understanding of the areas requiring improvement – in priority order – along with a breakdown of the necessary actions to achieve real progress.

IT may seem like a mountain to climb, but we’re here to get you to the top! So, if you’re ready to embark on the IT audit trail, get in touch with our team of experts today.

If you’d like to take part in our survey – ‘What are the biggest IT challenges facing SMEs?’ – you will have the chance to win an Amazon Echo!

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    Preston: 01772 395693

    Technical IT Support illustration at Q2Q HQ Lancaster, Lancashire and the North West