Blog: How Not Having Proactive IT Support Can Cost Your Business

Technology is ever-present in our personal and professional lives. From the smartphones we carry around with us to the computers that run our businesses, we depend on tech to work when we need it—every time. We tend to forget just how critical technology is until it doesn't work. Software glitches, device crashes, and lost connectivity can all bring businesses to a standstill. Many problems can be avoided or mitigated with proactive IT support from a trusted managed services provider. Then, you can spend more time growing your business instead of dealing with emergencies.

The Cost of Reactive IT Support

Typically, businesses reach out for IT support after an issue happens. The costs associated with the "break/fix" method of resolving IT issues can include, but are certainly not limited to:

• Repair services
• Replacement parts
• Lost data recovery
• Other costs due to data loss (like mandated audits or penalties from security breaches)

Depending on the severity of the problem, a business could suffer significant downtime while waiting on an outside IT provider to identify, evaluate, and resolve the issue—potentially costing much more and causing even more severe consequences. While it's impossible to tell you exactly how much downtime would cost your business, this commonly used "cost of downtime" formula could give you a rough idea.

Cost of Downtime (per hour) = Recovery Costs + Lost Revenue + Lost Productivity

• First, sum up the total of anticipated recovery costs, including repair services, parts, lost data recovery, etc.
• Second, calculate lost revenue: lost revenue = average revenue per hour x hours of downtime
• Then, determine the possible cost of lost productivity: lost productivity = number of employees affected x average hourly salary x average uptime utilization percentage
• When you add up all three numbers you get a ballpark estimate of what each hour of downtime would cost you

Keep in mind that this number doesn't account for intangible costs like reputation damage or lost customer engagement.

Reduce Risk and Protect Your Business with 24/7/365 IT Support

However scary the hypothetical numbers are, you can find an IT hero to protect you from costly technology malfunctions in the form of a managed services provider (MSP). Rather than taking the reactive approach and letting problems escalate to critical conditions, MSPs use proactive, always-on IT support solutions to identify issues and help prevent them from spiraling out of control—potentially saving your business precious time and money. Some of these solutions include:

• 24/7/365 proactive device monitoring to remotely detect, diagnose, and resolve technical issues as they happen
• Remote network monitoring to observe your network's performance and check for slow or failing systems
• Performance health reporting gives you a monthly assessment of the "health" of all monitored workstations to identify problematic equipment
• 24/7/365 call or chat support from a dedicated help desk to answer questions and mitigate IT issues remotely
• Security patch management that scans for network vulnerabilities and updates systems with the latest software patches to avoid security risks, corrupt system data, and other system issues
• On-site, on-demand tech support from a local, vetted technician when needed

Get a Trusted Managed Services Provider in Your Corner

As an experienced and trusted MSP, powered by CompuCom offers the quality IT support your business needs at a fixed, monthly price you can afford. Through proactive monitoring services, advanced security measures, and round-the-clock tech support, we're able to anticipate, recognize, and resolve system issues before they affect your whole operation. We'll quickly and efficiently troubleshoot software, repair devices, and assist you with changing technology conditions to move your business forward.

Your IT infrastructure is the heart of your business, and we'll help make sure it keeps beating.