Remember Your First Car? Your IT System Isn’t Like That

Did you ever have to help push a stalled car out of a busy intersection? No matter the reason, the driver (was it you?) was always mortified that it happened. Did you ever run out of gas somewhere? For most of us, that was a one-time learning experience, including the lecture from a parent about thinking ahead and paying attention. Good times, back in the day, but IT system management should not be like any of that.
Your IT systems should work, 24/7/365, all the time—never stopping. Just like you always want your car to start and to keep running, and to never have flat tires, you should have that same expectation for your business computer network. Oh sure, things happen. A violent storm can cut power to your servers. Foreign or domestic hackers can invade and wipe you out. It can happen—so who is your AAA? Who cranks your backup generator? Who reloads your backup data? My point is, you’ve learned to take great care in your personal transportation, so why are you not as diligent with your IT security and maintenance?
Cars are so sophisticated these days, none of us can fix anything on our vehicles if something breaks. Computer network systems are no different. If unplugging then replugging doesn’t make your computers work, then you need to have that magic phone number to call or text for a very rapid response from experts trained and educated about your particular network. This is the world we do business in today.

If you are hesitating at all about working with an outsourced IT management company, please think about your car. Would you take a chance in today’s traffic that your car might die in an intersection? Do you ever hit the interstate anymore without first checking your gas gauge? How strong is your current firewall? How many of your employees connect remotely to the company servers from their private mobile devices? These are all the same questions about your safety, your security, your plan to get somewhere, and your ability to get there at all.