managed IT

When is In-house IT Not Good Enough?

150 150 Debby Thompson

Managed Services

When is in-house IT not good enough?

Does your firm have “a guy” who is responsible for managing your IT? Maybe it’s a manager who is also tasked with human resources, bookkeeping, or marketing? Maybe the job landed with someone who just knows a little bit more than everyone else in the office.

In many Boston area law firms, the heartbeat of their practice – their infrastructure – is under the purview of someone who doesn’t consider it as their primary focus.

Think about it.

Would you undergo heart surgery with someone who had a few more biology classes than anyone else? Your infrastructure is the heart of your business and powers everything else. It’s controls access to your accounting software, to your clients’ files and their private information, to payroll, to email, to discovery data, legal settlements and negotiations. Why would trust your IT to anyone but an IT professional – someone whose only priority is keep you, your firm, your staff, and your clients safe?

Is it time to get serious about IT? If you can’t answer these questions with confidence, the time is now.

  1. When was your last healthy backup? If you don’t know when or if your answer isn’t “today”, you need the expertise of a qualified MSP. Penalty points if you don’t know what a healthy backup is.
  2. Where is your backup stored? For maximum security, your backup should be stored off premises. If you have a data breach, fire, or theft, you are at risk of losing everything if your backup is stored on premises or on the same infrastructure as all your other data.
  3. How often does your staff undergo cybersecurity awareness training? Employees are the No. 1 risk factor for security breaches. If you’re not continually educating your staff on what to look for, what to be aware of, and what to do if a breach happens, you need an IT expert.
  4. Is every software program you use up to date? Have all the most recent patches been installed? Patches don’t just update products but also include security features to maximize your protection. Without the most current version of any program, you are putting your firm at risk.
  5. Are you using a quality antivirus software? Are you receiving alerts on malicious or suspicious activity? What are you doing with them? If you’re not tracking and monitoring potential breaches, you could already be at risk.
  6. Do you have a WISP? Is it stored off premises? A Written Information Security Plan is your roadmap to restoring business continuity in the event of a disaster. If you don’t have one in place, an IT expert can help.
  7. How much IT downtime do you have each month? What is it costing you? A file was deleted in error, a password needs to be recovered, a computer is frozen. These issues add up and cost money. From unproductive staff members to neglected clients to missed deadlines. Having a fully staff Help Desk available to quickly address these issues and get business back on track can save you thousands of dollars annually while minimizing employee frustration and unhappy clients. A good MSP is just a phone call or email away from restoring productivity.

These are just a few questions to consider. When it comes to IT, there’s no question that you owe it to your business, your staff, your clients, and yourself to have the best solution.

Get in touch today for a free assessment.

Debby Thompson, (617) 420-1244, dthompson@tekdocsolutions.com

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