With cybersecurity threats constantly looming, many businesses are looking for the most effective ways to keep their digital assets safe. One way to do this is with managed IT services. Managed IT services can take a lot of the guesswork out of your cybersecurity strategy. Here are some of the ways that managed IT services can help your company stay safe digitally.
What are managed IT services?
Managed IT services give you the opportunity to outsource some or all of your IT needs. This includes a broad variety of IT services that include digital security, system monitoring, tech support, digital compliance, data backup, and more.
Managed IT services are particularly great for small businesses or growing businesses that don’t have the budget to hire full-time in-house IT specialists. Managed IT services can be customized to fit your unique needs and scale with your company as you grow.
How Managed IT Services Improve Cybersecurity
There are many different ways that managed IT services can help keep your digital operations safe. Cyber attacks have become more frequent in recent years, and hackers have become much more innovative in the way that they target small businesses. Here are some of the ways that managed IT services can help improve cybersecurity.
Ongoing Network Monitoring
One of the ways in which managed IT services are most helpful for cybersecurity purposes is 24/7 network monitoring. Network monitoring can be very time consuming and expensive for small businesses to handle alone. Managed IT providers already have infrastructure in place to monitor your network on an ongoing basis.
Although network monitoring may be time consuming, it is also an important part of any robust cybersecurity strategy. Network monitoring identifies any abnormal activity in your system right away. This gives you time to address the problem before it gets out of control. Network monitoring can help prevent data losses and other cyber security problems.
Risk Assessments
Because the digital landscape is constantly evolving, your digital systems will need to evolve with it. Your managed IT service provider can conduct regular risk assessments to find vulnerabilities in your systems that you might not have found on your own. From there, you can work together to make adjustments to your systems and further minimize future risks.
Anti-Virus and Firewall Implementation
Another benefit of working with a managed services provider is that they can implement cyber security protections for you. Every company should have a firewall and anti-virus software installed as part of their network, regardless of size or industry. Many organizations will also need more extensive security mechanisms installed.
Installing these security protections on your own can be tricky, especially if you don’t have an in-house IT department. Your managed IT team will not only install these things for you, but they can also recommend the best security solutions for your company’s needs and budget. Because they are IT experts, they can help you identify solutions that you may not have found on your own.
Remote Work Support
One major change that many companies have experienced over the past few years is a switch to fully or partially remote work. Remote work can be very convenient for employees, but it also comes with its own unique security challenges. Many employees will be working from their own devices and home WiFi networks, which may not be as secure as the technology you have in your office.
Your managed IT provider will help you implement two-factor authentication and other best practices for working remotely. Managed IT services can also be a resource for your employees if they encounter any technical problems while working remotely.
Data Backups
In addition to network monitoring, a managed IT provider can also conduct regular data backups for you. Many companies today are using cloud services to store their data. While most cloud storage solutions are very safe, there is still the risk of a data breach or even a natural disaster that results in data loss. Backing up your data to another storage space ensures that you’ll still have access to it in the event that it is compromised.
Your managed IT provider can conduct data backups for you at regular intervals. Additionally, many managed services providers have their own data centers that you can use to store backup copies of your most important information. This means that you won’t have to worry about setting up or maintaining your own on-prem servers as a small business.
Security Compliance
Because so many aspects of business are conducted online these days, digital compliance has become incredibly important. Although there isn’t too much regulation at the federal level, many states and cities have their own digital privacy laws and other local compliance standards that must be met. Additionally, many industries have digital compliance standards to consider as well.
Meeting digital compliance standards can be tricky, especially as a small but growing business. Your managed IT service provider can provide guidance to ensure you are meeting these digital compliance standards. Meeting digital compliance standards is important for your company’s reputation. Additionally, meeting compliance standards also makes you less vulnerable to cyber attacks.
Software Updates
Updating your software programs regularly is essential for keeping your systems safe. Software developers use updates to fix any bugs or vulnerabilities present. Your managed service provider can update these software programs for you to ensure that your systems aren’t at risk at any point.
Keeping your digital systems protected is essential for the safety of both you and your customers. Managed IT services take the guesswork out of digital security, especially for growing small businesses. Since managed IT services can be customized to meet your needs, they can scale with your business as you grow.
