Let’s start by clarifying one thing. Practically every business out there
needs outside IT support, even those with an in-house IT team. However, there are certainly some industries which face greater challenges and can thus potentially benefit most from securing fully managed, co-managed, or custom managed solutions. Today, we identify some of these key industries so that you have the opportunity to act sooner, rather than later when the challenges become too much to handle.
Four Types of Businesses/Organizations That Will See Greater Benefit from Outside IT Support in 2018
1. Healthcare
The healthcare industry is on the list of
top targets for cybercriminals in 2018 and beyond. This threat alone is the call-to-action you need to secure outside IT support which includes
cybersecurity solutions. In fact, you’ll find that all of the other industries on this list have garnered the same attention of opportunity seeking hackers.
As a healthcare (including dental, optometry, etc.) provider, you need to stay in compliance with the
Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Canada) or the
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (United States) which dictate the requirements for protecting patient privacy. A data breach can result in violation of PIPEDA (or HIPAA) mandates and significantly damage the health of your business.
There are other threats outside of cybersecurity to consider. Given the digitization of many traditional therapeutic methods, you may now be dependent upon the
Internet of Things (IoT). The equipment used to help diagnose ailments and treat patients is now online and connected. While IoT has the potential to transform patient care and improve physician efficiency, it also creates a new set of risks. You cannot afford “downtime” when it comes to these systems. You need dedicated IT support to focus on your online systems so that you can focus on the health of your patients, and your healthcare business.
2. Legal
Given the confidential nature of client information housed within law firm data storage systems, you can draw an easy conclusion about cybersecurity. But like with the healthcare industry, the need for IT support spans beyond the threat.
For one, the success of a law firm depends upon quick and efficient internal communication lines between associates and partners alike. This is becoming more of an issue with the growth of the mobile workforce in the legal industry. Ongoing IT support can help ensure time-sensitive data can be accessed from archives in real time, and that the back and forth delivery of these communications can be done quickly and in a manner than complies with regulations regarding client privacy.
In addition, as the law firm grows, so will the capital expenditures of constantly updating software and hardware. This can in-turn hurt your ability to grow and service a greater number of clients. However, when you secure outside IT support, you can gain access to legal industry technology solutions that include affordable cloud based solutions. The legal industry as a whole is
finally fixing it’s technology problem, will you join the competition in doing so for your firm?
3. Financial
In addition to data security and all that can befall a financial services firm after a data breach and ransomware attack, other issues keep your CIO/CTO up at night. CIO.com
reports that the financial services industry is faced with aging IT infrastructure and IT spending cuts as they apply to in-house systems and hires. This is where outside IT support becomes essential. A specialized yet more affordable team can make sure your hardware/software is kept up to date, and that you have around the clock monitoring without taking on the cost of traditional IT hires. Your job is to manage your clients’ bottom line, and you shouldn't have to worry about managing your own when it comes to the cost of managing IT infrastructure.
4. Retail
Whether brick and mortar, eCommerce, or both (most likely), retailers need IT support as much, if not more, than any other industry on this list. This is not just because of the overlapping cybersecurity threat to customer data (i.e. credit/debit records), which again, is enough reason alone.
Instead, you can take advantage of better IT infrastructure to sell more products and/or in a more efficient manner. IT support can be instrumental in developing better POS systems on the shop floor and enhanced eCommerce solutions for online sales. IT support can also help bridge the communication gaps in the
supply chain between manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, yourself, and your end user - the customer.
Better IT infrastructure will also provide around-the-clock uptime for online sales and ongoing customer support. For example, if your site and connected systems have experienced downtime or a slow down in functionality during high-traffic periods, you most certainly need IT support. An IT provider can also assist in the creation and/or maintenance of a new or better Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
Lastly, outside IT support can train your staff (as applicable) in the management of these more efficient systems so that together you take advantage of technology to grow your retail business.
If you find your industry on the above list, contact Fully Managed to
discuss a solution that suits your needs best. For those that did not identify with the four industries above, you can still take full advantage of our fully managed, co-managed, or custom managed solutions to address your strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Contact us for a consolation at your earliest convenience.