For small businesses, technology and IT are necessary costs to keep a business going. Businesses can leverage technology to accelerate profitability and reduce costs in other areas. Technology can enable small businesses to:

• Increase employee productivity by reducing interruptions from PC downtime and maintenance
• Improve customer service through better performance and availability of PC-based tools
• Lower energy bills
• Lower the cost of maintaining PCs and better protect critical business and customer data

Increase Employee Productivity and Improve Customer Service

For many businesses, PC downtime is lost revenue - sometimes for the business and its customers. For example, Lewis and Clark is a small business involved in the high technology manufacturing equipment sector and offers service, refurbishment, training, liquidation and brokering services for customers internationally. Headquartered in Nashua, New Hampshire, the company has 45 employees and 65 contractors, forming an extended virtual service organization around the globe. If a service technician’s laptop will not boot up while the technician is on-site with a customer to repair equipment, that is valuable time lost. The customer could be losing $10,000 per hour because the equipment is broken. That’s why it’s of utmost importance that Lewis and Clark’s technicians have reliable laptops.  

Lewis and Clark outsources its IT to IT Authorities. Based in Tampa, Florida, the managed service provider (MSP) comprehensively monitors and manages Lewis and Clark’s IT infrastructure. With remote technology, IT Authorities is able to remotely connect to Lewis and Clark’s PCs to troubleshoot and repair problems, without interrupting the PC user. Additionally, by fixing problems remotely, on-site labor costs and physical costs related to gas, parking, mileage, tolls, insurance and vehicle maintenance can be avoided.

Reduce Energy Costs

Small businesses can lessen energy consumption and reduce energy costs by powering down and unplugging unused devices and chargers. MSPs can help small businesses lower energy costs too. MSPs like IT Authorities have the ability to turn off groups of PCs after hours and then power them back up before the start of the next business day. IT Authorities average that they are able to save customers $65 per PC per year in energy costs. Over a customer’s entire installed base, those savings can really add up.

Lower the Cost of Maintaining PCs and Better Protect Data

The threats from viruses, hackers, and malware grow relentlessly. Day-to-day virus issues can sap productivity, while a breach of customer data by spyware or hacking can do significant damage.

Constant automatic monitoring of security software prevents removal or tampering of security software and ensures the most up-to-date protection.  MSPs can issue regular security patches and updates that can be done automatically after hours, even to PCs that are turned off. By achieving better PC protection, MSPs can prevent further costs associated with repairing an infected PC.