Internal I.T. vs External I.T.
Internal I.T. vs External I.T.
There has been a hot debate over whether or not businesses should use agencies for I.T. services. Primarily, the argument always boils down to the scale of business. Granted, the two can and do often coexist. But business owners will often ask themselves, is this entirely necessary?
And the answer is, it depends. As usual.
However, the question could be rephrased to better understand everything that is associated with such a decision. Let’s go through the steps of what a proactive I.T. department should be doing in order to better understand what the answer should be.
1. Supportive Roles
Both internal and external I.T. departments can fulfill this supportive role. Or should be able to. The advantages of an internal I.T. department may be understanding the network framework quicker than an external I.T. agency. The flip side to that point is that managed I.T. service providers typically work with many different industries to provide timely, efficient, service. These type of experts are often more well-rounded and have experience not only working with a network such as your business but also may be able to provide insight into what might work better. This is not to say that it’s entirely necessary to eradicate an internal I.T. department. But it’s always important to get external viewpoints to better optimize your internal system.
2. Knowledge Base
A good I.T. employee will have their certifications in place, will prevent problematic circumstances, and provide consistent reports on network improvements or security flaws. But it’s important to realize that not one, singular, person can realistically know everything that needs to be fixed until it eventually pops up which can drastically hurt your business. Is it that employee’s fault? Of course not! But this is the advantage to having an external I.T. team working with your business. These agency I.T. teams offer a diverse amount of experience and from differing backgrounds to provide a very well-rounded analysis of network threats.
3. Cost
It’s costly for business owners (especially small business owners) to employ a full team of I.T professionals to meet their network needs. This is where the clear winner is the agency or managed I.T. professional services. Typically, managed I.T. professionals get called into the picture when it’s an emergency. This is often the issue with managed I.T. services and why they’re usually expensive. But in the long-run, managed I.T. companies such as ETV Software will offer retainer plans to reduce the initial onset of expenses, even including the ability to have rollover hours at a flat monthly fee. For the cost of 1 employee at 2 weeks of pay, retainer plans allow businesses to have a cheaper alternative than hiring an extra employee – with the added bonus of having a full-service team of professionals at just a phone call away.
At the end of the day, there’s no clear winner. There are benefits to both. And there can be an enormous amount of benefits when both are working in conjunction with each other. As with the rest of the market, it’s all about what your business demands. However, we’re of the persuasion that managed I.T. agencies can provide the most bang for your buck.
Written by Christian Cauthen
How To Know When To Rebrand Your Business
How To Know When To Rebrand Your Business
Your company's brand is not simply your company's name and logo. These are both very important aspects of your brand and these should be carefully selected. However, it should be distinguished that your brand is actually the experiences that your clients and prospective clients have with the company as a whole. If you have a good brand it's easy for customers to see and understand what the company does and how it does it. The main reason why this may need to be changed is that most successful companies change over time and will have to rebrand in order to stay current. Some companies like Dunkin' Donuts and Uber have rebranded recently and it's a good idea to keep an eye on companies branding habits when you own your own business. We here at ETV Software have compiled some tips to keep in mind if you are thinking about rebranding your companies image.
Tip number one is to recognize if your company needs to better differentiate itself from similar businesses in the area. If your name is generic and is similar to other businesses then your brand may suffer from that. If your logo is too simple or generic that can also hurt your companies brand overall. Another tip is that sometimes your old or current branding has become outdated and is cutting you off from appearing more fresh and modern to the world. Don't let your overused font choice or your flash based website drag you down from business success in 2018. If your company has suffered from a poor reputation that is another reason to rebrand. On a psychological level, if something has put your company in a bad light, viewers, and customers will see a rebranding as your company stepping up its game and improving past performance issues. Something else that comes into play when thinking of rebranding is evaluating just how much your company has evolved over time. Sometimes a company changes so much that its target audience changes or expands. Making sure that these new markets are able to connect with your brand is vital for staying afloat. If you have decided to take the plunge and rebrand your business keep in mind these steps that all companies should take.
- Understand your mission and values
- Develop a strategy that works with your current brand
- Keep your market and competition in mind
- Collaborate with the entire team
- Manage the rebrand step-by-step
- Launch and share with the world your new brand
We hope you enjoyed our tips and tricks to knowing when and how to rebrand your business. If you need help with this process in any way please call Web Design in Tyler today for an estimate on a logo design, website design, or even business cards. (903) 316-6002
How To Get Your Business On The Right Track
Finding it hard to focus on getting your business on the right track? We have the steps you can take to get things moving forward.
When you're the owner or even the leader of a business, it can be very stressful to try and keep everything in order while at the same time making sure everything is moving in the right direction. The pressure to be successful can take its toll on anyone, so we have compiled ways in which you can take hold of your business and get things moving. It's extremely important to have goals for your company, but what happens when your goals are too extreme or unrealistic? Try setting more attainable goals for your business, this will ensure that your mission is digestible and less scary for employees, and will help to get the ball rolling more easily. This step is even more important when first starting your business because your daily routine will be changing and it is harder to manage daily tasks.
Perhaps an even more important task that business owners should make a priority is growing and accumulating a community. This community can involve groups, investors, partners, and most importantly passionate customers. Each one of these community members will help to pave the way for the advancement of your business, and the good part is that each business can select the right community members for them depending upon their unique set of needs. And finally, making sure that you surround yourself with supportive family friends and community groups that will understand your need to stay focused on your business.
If you're starting a business for the first time this step could be the most important. Giving yourself the freedom to blur the line between personal and professional work-life balance could greatly benefit your company in the early stages. If you have your own business, it's probably a good bet that you are already excellent at these three points. That being said, it can only benefit your company to remind yourself that it's okay to not be a perfectionist. Remind yourself that not everything has to be perfect in order to begin or move forward with your business.
Malware And Its Impact On Your Business
Malware is a tiny risk with a giant impact on small businesses...
One thing that is sure to put your business on halt is being attacked on a technological level. Our businesses today rely more and more on the internet to survive and flourish. If you lose your data, your inventory, your customer information, this could be a turning point for your company, but not in a good way. This is a never-ending threat because just like our useful technology, the tactics of criminals continue to gain sophistication. More and more organizations are becoming a target; from small and new companies to the federal government. No one is immune to losing their data, money and even reputation on the internet today. It's not a matter of IF it's going to happen, its WHEN, and more importantly how you handle that situation if you let your companies data become susceptible to threats. Not only are small businesses at risk, but larger businesses often become a target. Interestingly enough, some of the top targets for cyber attacks are financial services, information and communications technology, manufacturing, retail, and professional services. According to the 2018 IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, a data breach in 2017 ended up costing the businesses affected an average of $3.7 million.
Other organizations that are often affected by malware are state capitals and local governments. The fact of the matter is that cybercrime is everywhere. This may all be a daunting realization if you are a new business, or even an older business just now beginning to take the step to better security. If you ever need assistance in improving your security or getting rid of an attack that has already happened. give us a call or check out our website for more information!
https://www.etvsoftware.com/data-and-network-security/
Want To Encourage More Great Ideas In Your Workplace?
Here are some valuable strategies for organizational leaders who want to encourage creativity and diversity in the workplace.
One of the most important things every leader should always be doing in their business is to keep asking questions. Never forget to ask questions to yourself as well as your team members. Asking questions can help focus attention to important goals and milestones. It also allows for more meaningful input from everyone in the team; leaving no one excluded! Another thing that would benefit a leader is to keep in mind that it’s okay to have a little room for errors. If there is no space allowed to make errors, important things can get pushed to the side or neglected and only realized when it's too late.
Constructive conflict is another surprising thing in the workplace that can be beneficial. As long as the conflict is being used in a proactive way it can be used to establish a business rationale. Business leaders can do this by letting team members know that even if they disagree, their input is valuable. This relates also to having an open door policy in the workplace. If a leader admits consistently that they are not omnipotent and do not have the whole story at all times; this can only be beneficial in the workplace. Having open conversations with team members expressing your interest in hearing their side can cause creativity and new ideas to form in the workplace.
And finally, keep in mind to never disregard or dismiss ideas that come from members of the team. It is true that internal ideas can seem threatening at first. Leaders do not want to admit that an idea of a subordinate may have bee better than theirs. This is a mistake many leaders make; it can cause you to miss out on great ideas that would be perfect for the organization as a whole.
All in all, it's up to a leader to direct the team and the organization to reach milestones and knock down walls. Never forget that being compassionate and powerful do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Learn more here
Need a way to grow your business and streamline your process?
It's a great time to have your own business. Each year reveals an ever-growing plethora of applications and technologies designed specifically for new or small businesses. Here are three apps that can help!
Ever find yourself getting lost or distracted on your current go-to social media platform when trying to share moments with friends or colleagues? If so, the Capsure app will be perfect for you. It's an ad-free app that allows users to selectively organize their memories, ideas, and conversations.
An entrepreneur favorite is Google Keep. This app allows you to record, edit, share and even collaborate on any device at all times. With this app, teams will find it much easier to break down ideas and create action plans.
Our last app is Mixmax; if your business is always scheduling meetings this app is what you need. This is an email too that allows for quick scheduling at the click of a button. It also allows for easier follow-up decisions by showing you when the message was read.
These apps are all free with an optional upgrade!
Find out more about these apps here