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Ambitious agencies and SMEs know good tech support is key to productivity and operational success, but not all of them want to, or can, master the art of IT management. Smart businesses understand it’s better to concentrate on what you’re good at and get expert help for something as important as IT, if you don’t have the skills you need in-house.

Switching from one outsourced IT support partner to another is sometimes necessary for businesses that want to avail of the best service available. However, this can present some difficulties and disruptions to processes and operations if not done properly, so below we give you a few tips on how to handle the handover from one external service provider to another.

Every business should know the dangers of cyber attacks and weaknesses in data protection, and should take the necessary steps to ensure their data is secure, but cyber security and data loss incidents are not always caused by outside forces. Many come from within the organisation, and are a result of internal vulnerabilities that stem from weak security policies and practices, or negligence caused by basic human error. Here, we outline some simple steps you can take to ensure your sensitive data is protected from the type of incident that can disrupt business continuity and compromise your compliance with data protection regulations.

Cloud computing has now become an extremely viable solution for businesses in the UK looking to improve efficiency and reduce investment in costly servers. However, when considering migrating your company’s data and systems from a traditional server to a virtual storage and processing platform, the number of options open to your business can mean that you can get lost in the fog, rather than finding yourself in the clouds. Here’s an outline of the options available, so you can make an informed decision regarding the best cloud service to suit your business needs.

In life, as in business, we tend to keep using something until it gradually stops working or becomes less efficient, because we rarely want to make what we see as unnecessary payments to replace it. However, when it comes to your IT assets, waiting until your server or devices grind to a halt is not a good idea, because this will threaten your business continuity and cost a lot more in the long run to fix. That is why it is always better to be safe than sorry, and to have a proactive IT maintenance plan in place.

Your company’s server is the most important part of your IT infrastructure. Think of it as the brain, or heart, of your business, enabling all other processes and systems to operate. In order to do so effectively, it needs to be working at optimum levels, so when it starts to become less reliable, or to display signs of wear and tear, it may be time to consider whether it has reached its use by date.

There’s no two ways about it: Your business needs reliable IT support in order to keep things running efficiently, to innovate and to stay ahead of the competition. The problem is that as your company expands, or even simply tries to keep up with the rapidly evolving tech world, IT support presents a series of challenges your business may struggle to overcome. What do you do when you are faced with increasing staff costs, a lack of expertise regarding new technology, managing a growing number of tech assets and aligning your IT roadmap to the business strategy? It can all be a major headache your current IT team won’t be able to manage, which is why you need to recognise the signs that you should consider outsourcing your IT support.

In theory, cloud computing should be seen as a godsend by businesses in the UK. Its flexibility and scalability should provide organisations with ways to reduce their operational and IT support costs, while also improving efficiency and productivity. In theory. Many businesses who implement cloud computing into their IT infrastructure actually end up doing the opposite, and face costs they didn’t anticipate. Here are a few reasons why this is the case, and how hiring an outsourced IT support team in London to manage your cloud capabilities can prove to be the solution you need.

In order to be able to run a successful company, you need to know that your UK business has the right level of IT support in place. The only way to really know this is to perform an IT audit that assesses what IT assets you have, what they are used for, whether they are efficient, and where there are gaps in your IT infrastructure. But what exactly is an IT audit, what is involved, how is it done, and what are the benefits of hiring an outsourced IT support team in London to carry it out? Here’s the answers to those questions.

Coming up with (and using) an IT budget that will fit the tech support needs of a growing business and allow for investments in innovation can be fraught with complications. The CTO needs to be able to divide out resources in proportion to the requirements and ultimate benefits for the business, and must do so in line with the company’s strategic aims and in a way that keeps the CFO happy. However, there are ways to get creative around that IT budget in order to ensure you have the resources you need. Here’s how to go about it.