Tag: IT support

IT Support Services
IT support services

Proactive Vs. Reactive IT Support: Which One is Better?

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Who do you think provides a better service?

Proactive support or reactive IT support?

Proactive support goes the extra mile and provides amazing services for prospecting clients. Reactive support performs only necessary tasks to keep your old clients happy.

Does one scenario work better than another?

In this article, we’ll discuss the differences and similarities between proactive vs reactive IT support, so you can figure out which option suits you best.

What is Proactive IT Support?

IT Support

Proactive support refers to the strategy of preventing problems before they occur. The key to this is to identify and fix potential issues and vulnerabilities in advance of causing outages.

Proactive IT support will often involve the use of a monitoring solution. A monitoring solution allows you to monitor all aspects of your network, including servers and workstations and external factors such as the Internet connection. 

By doing this, you can spot any potential issues that may arise, allowing you to stop them from escalating into full-blown problems. IT consulting firms also guide how to avoid situations where these problems may arise or implement fixes for security vulnerabilities before hackers exploit them.

What is Reactive IT Support?

IT Support Services in Corpus Christi

Rather than taking steps to prevent problems from taking place, reactive support refers to the strategy of responding to problems once they occur. 

Many businesses will only call an IT support specialist when something has gone wrong and needs fixing. 

In the traditional sense, reactive IT support is the model of help desk support. A customer runs into a problem, and to fix it, they submit a ticket to the IT department. The IT department then looks over the ticket and determines what action to take, if any. Technicians then address Tickets by phone or on-site visits, depending on what kind of access is required for resolution.

This approach can involve a lot more downtime and frustration for employees, who will have to wait until a technician is available rather than receiving help at the first sign of a problem.

Proactive vs Reactive IT Support Services: Which Do You Need?

IT Support Specialist - Layer One Networks

Proactive IT support is a more modern approach to fixing problems before they occur. Reactive IT support refers to a traditional approach that relies on fixing problems as they occur. While both are IT support services, there’s a lot of difference it can make to an organization.

Duration of Support

When comparing proactive vs reactive IT support, it’s also important to think about how much time you want to spend managing your computer systems. Proactive service providers will spend more time than reactive IT services helping you manage your network than reactive ones. While this might sound like a hassle in the short term, it will save you time and money in the long run by preventing more serious problems from occurring.

Structure of Support

Proactive support continually monitors your organization’s network to prevent problems before they occur. The provider makes sure you have the right technology in place, applies updates and patches, and keeps a close eye on your network, servers and devices.

Cost

You might be surprised to learn that proactive support is less expensive than reactive support over time, despite the higher up-front cost of implementing proactive strategies. This is because a proactive approach helps you avoid all the small issues that add up over time and cause expensive damage down the road.

If Continuous Operation is Your Priority

Then proactive IT support is what you need.

Proactive IT support is the best way to avoid IT issues and prevent downtime. By taking the time to research products, perform network monitoring, and provide ongoing maintenance, you can minimize downtime. You can also reduce your need for reactive support, saving you money in the long run.

If affordable IT support is your priority

Then reactive IT support is the best option.

Reactive support means the IT team waits for users to report problems and then fixes them, usually as quickly as possible. This type of support is typically more affordable than proactive support; however, it does not address issues until after they have occurred, potentially causing downtime and loss of productivity.

Wrapping Up

There are many options when it comes to IT outsourcing services, each one offering something different. It’s only after you start using these services that you understand the features that matter when choosing between these firms and what exactly you should be looking for in a decent, affordable and reliable IT support provider.

If you’re looking for a reliable IT support specialist to work on proactive or reactive IT support, reach out to us. We have expert technicians who can offer assistance to support your IT infrastructure and ensure its smooth operations. Book a consultation call to see how we can help you.

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IT Support
IT support services

In-House vs. Outsource IT Support: Which is Better for SMB?

Written by Layer One Networks Published

With the growing trend of outsourcing IT support, many small to medium businesses are shifting their priorities to consider this option. On the other hand, some organizations still prefer to handle their IT in-house, to ensure that experts address all of the problems at hand.

The debate on whether it is best for SMB to hire an in-house IT staff or outsource their IT support is quite controversial. The truth is that both in-house IT and outsourcing IT have their pros and cons.

Let’s examine some of the points which will help you decide whether outsourcing your IT is better for your small business than in-house solutions.

Deciding Between In-House or Outsourced IT Support

IT Services Firm

Let’s approach this blog with questions. Instead of comparing the pros and cons directly, we’ll go through a set of questions to compare and decide the best-case scenario for you. 

1. Which is Cheaper?

Entrepreneurs are often tempted to cut costs by handling IT support in-house. After all, computers and software can be expensive, so why not avoid paying for help? But, unfortunately, the cost of doing so is often much higher than you may think.

When your in-house IT department is working for you, you’re paying for a whole day of their time along with medical insurance and other additional support. But when you bring on a managed services provider for IT services, they’re taking care of your network 24/7 for a fixed cost that’s just a fraction of the total price you pay for your IT team.

2. Which has Minimal Responsibilities?

Let’s imagine having an in-house team with no external help. You’ll be in charge of supervising the team apart from managing your core business responsibilities — which means too much burden for you.

If you outsource your IT services, you do not need to worry about managing the team or any other duties associated with it. Instead, your outsourced partner will handle all the responsibilities of maintaining and upkeeping your computers and network infrastructure. This takes a lot of stress off your shoulders, leaving you enough time to focus on other important things like improving productivity or growing sales.

Your business can stay focused on its core competencies while an outsourced provider takes care of the technology piece.

3. Which is Best in the Fast-Moving World?

As a small business owner, there are many things you should be focusing on to ensure your company’s success. The last thing you need to be concerned about is maintaining and supporting your technology infrastructure. Keeping up with the latest technological trends and developments can be incredibly time-consuming, especially when you’re focused on running your business.

Outsourced providers exist to make sure technology doesn’t become a distraction or a detriment to your business’ success. They’ll help you stay updated on the latest technologies to ease your IT burden, so you don’t lose valuable time or money while trying to figure it out yourself.

4. Which Can Help in Complex Situations?

Whether it’s an in-house IT expert or an outsourced IT support specialist, you need a reliable team to help you in terms of crisis.

Hiring an expert IT team member would be of immense help since you’ll have their expertise throughout the day. But such an expert would cost you a lot to hire on a full-time basis. 

On the other hand, you can still access such experts at a low cost by outsourcing to a reliable, experienced team. Moreover, utilizing an outsourced provider, you can tap into their knowledge and expertise without recruiting and managing internal staff members who have these strengths in-house.

5. Which is Best When You have Plans to Scale Your Business?

If you think you will be growing in the next few years, outsourcing is the way to go. An outsourced IT team would be able to provide you with the kind of support that would fit the needs of your business – no matter how much or how soon your business is scaling. 

If you outsource your IT services to a reputable company, they can provide you with the resources you need to keep your business expanding. Whether you’re just starting and don’t have many employees, you can outsource technology infrastructure, hardware and software support, and even employee training.

6. Which Helps in the Long Run?

With an in-house IT team, you need to select the right team members and train them thoroughly before they start working with your data and devices. For example, if someone is handling a technical issue but does not know how to use the software program relevant to the issue, all your efforts might go in vain. 

Also, if the employee leaves the organization halfway through the training period, new employees need additional time and effort to get trained fully.

But by outsourcing IT support, you don’t have to worry about anyone leaving as the outsourced company will be responsible for replacing an equally skilled team member to carry on the work without a glitch.

Wrapping Up

Whether you’re running a small or medium-scale business on the verge of expansion, the problems you face with technology are the same. You want your IT to run as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

When it comes down to it, though, you’re going to have to decide whether you can do this on your own or need outside help in the form of IT support. Of course, both options have their benefits and drawbacks, but which one is right for you?

Based on these questions, you can choose from one of the experienced IT consulting firms around you or hire IT experts to keep your systems running smoothly. 

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Importance of Network Management for Your Business
IT Consulting

Importance of Network Management for Your Business

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Most businesses are dependent on the internet. Whether you need it to run your business or simply need to be online so that people can contact you, running your business without a reliable network is a risk that you don’t want to take. 

A solid IT infrastructure is vital to the success of any business. You need to ensure that your systems can handle the demands of modern-day computing and network management is an essential part of maintaining your company’s IT infrastructure.

This blog will explore network management in detail and why you need it for your business.

What is Network Management?

Network Management - Layer One Networks

Network management refers to the process of maintaining and upgrading the hardware and the software that is used to connect multiple computers. Many problems can arise if you set up a business network — whether it’s for your company or a group of employees — you’ll be able to easily access data throughout the network, such as files and programs.

The importance of network management is something that most SMB owners fail to realize. It is the process of monitoring the stability of your network. When your business relies heavily on the network to run your everyday operations, you need to strengthen it as much as you can.

Network management can help businesses improve productivity by providing employees with proper system integration and an optimal online working environment. It also allows easy access to data and allows multiple workers to share information and programs.

An experienced IT network specialist will offer all of the following network management solutions:

  • Device Configuration
  • Network and Server Administration
  • Monitoring & Troubleshooting
  • Capacity Planning
  • Network Security
  • Disaster Recovery
  • Quality of Service (QoS)
  • New Technology Integration 

Why do You Need to Invest in Network Management?

Network Management Importance - Layer One Networks

As a business owner or a stakeholder in a company, you need to know what’s so crucial about network management that you need to invest in it.

There are numerous reasons and instances where a protected and reliable network has saved companies thousands of dollars. But let’s start with your network security.

Securing your Network:

The number one reason businesses need network management is that they need security. Every day, there are threats out there trying to get into your systems and steal information. 

Many problems can arise if your company doesn’t have a secure working environment. Your efficiency will decrease, and your risk of being hacked or encountering malware will increase. When it comes to network security, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. The more secure your working environment, the better off you and your company will be.

Network management allows you to secure your network, so threats don’t get in, whether you have local storage or cloud computing. Several network management tools can help you keep unauthorized people from accessing sensitive information. You can get the help of an IT support specialist to learn more about the best network management tools for your business.

Optimizing IT Operations:

If your company does not have any network management in place, it can be very easy for someone on your IT team to become overwhelmed by the amount of work they need to accomplish. Network management can aid in resolving this issue by giving them additional tools and resources that will assist them in managing the IT side of their organization.

Efficient Disaster Management:

Network failures can have a significant impact on an organization’s productivity. Downtime results in delayed deliveries and missed deadlines, leading to loss of sales and a poor public image. 

For example, if your website goes down at any point, potential customers may lose interest in purchasing from you. It could cost you a lot of money in lost sales, not to mention the disappointment of customers who can’t connect with you to make a purchase. 

A well-managed network allows users access to their data and applications even when there is a network failure. 

Preventing Bigger Issues:

Network management goes a step ahead and can help you locate and fix issues in your system before they become problems.

If your business depends on computers and network systems, you need to ensure that they are working correctly. If something goes wrong or if any of the components fails, you need to know about it as soon as possible so that you can take the necessary steps to fix the problem before it becomes too big to handle.

Securing your network with the help of an expert IT service provider can help you avoid such problems altogether so that you can plan your work without worrying about any disruptions.

Our Conclusion

If you are currently experiencing issues or want to ensure that your business runs smoothly, it is essential that you look into network management for your organization. It can also help to improve the efficiency of your business. 

Unfortunately, searching for the right network solution can be time-consuming and difficult. It can feel overwhelming, especially if you don’t know what questions to ask or how to make those inquiries. 

The good news is that IT support specialists are well-versed in these matters and are happy to help you narrow down your options. Their assistance can take some of the burden off of you and allow you to focus on other aspects of running your business.

Our IT consulting firm, LayerOne Networks, can assist you with network management and disaster management solutions. In addition, we offer customized IT services and IT support for your business. If you want to learn more about securing your network and protecting your business, reach out to us today!

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IT Consulting

Finding IT Support Service for Small Business? 5 Key Things to Keep in Mind

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Do you know how these top-tier corporates are managing their zettabytes of IT systems?

Three words — excellent IT support.

IT support is one of those areas present in business of any scale but often ignored. Companies that give due importance to IT support are the ones that have smooth functioning IT processes.

Good IT support can prepare your business for any new challenges and ventures to create easy working spaces for the employees. Finding such reliable IT support is critical — even for startups.

If you’ve decided to get support for your IT system, then you’ve made the right choice. But choosing the best IT support can be a tricky deal breaker.

This blog will help small business owners to analyze, understand and find the right IT support to build and secure the future of their companies.

5 Things You Need to Know When Finding IT Support for Small Businesses

In 2015, 15% of US adults didn’t use the internet. Right now, the numbers have reduced to 7%, which means 93% of US adults are active online.

Your business needs to co-exist where the market is– online. Without strong IT support, you cannot grow your business in the cut-throat digital world. 

Here are five essential things that you should consider when searching for an IT service provider.

  • The Scope of IT Support

First of all, you need to understand that many companies offer IT consulting services and managed IT services in the market. You need to get your priorities straight to find the perfect support team to help you scale up.

Some businesses may already have an IT team in place and may want support for a limited time. And some would wish for a long-standing agreement for IT support to take charge of specific IT processes.

Whatever your requirements and reasons are, note them down on paper. These should typically be the responsibilities you want your IT support team to take charge of. 

Having this checklist will make it easy for you to talk to different service providers and see if they can meet your requirements.

IT support

  • The Different Types of IT Support

Many small businesses look for external IT support because of the flexible services they can get. There are a few definite models that IT consulting firms provide. It is important to know and pick the one that is best for you.

Firstly, there’s the pay-as-you-use service where you ring up the support team when you need an extra hand or deal with some specific issue. The next one is the 24×7 IT support. The external team will become an extended part of your internal team. This team will monitor your IT infrastructure, fix them, run regular checks, and assist in any future developments.

There’s one more model that’s in between the pay-as-you-use and the 24×7 support. And that is the specialized services. You hire the team for specialized IT support for a few of the functionalities or applications. The duration of the agreement is usually long-term. For example, you can hire a team to run regular malware checks or for disaster management.

  • The Value for Money

As a small business, you don’t want to spend a lot of money on IT support. However, don’t expect out-of-the-world services from companies charging peanuts. 

Analyze how much you can pay for the IT services and the current market rate as a guide in hiring an IT support team that’s within your budget. You should, of course, get the value for the money you spend. So, make sure to ask about the team’s expertise  and if they would be able to cater to the services you require.

  • The Security Measures

‘How safe is my data?’, is one question that we tend to contemplate over and over again.

Many IT consulting firms pride themselves on being the top providers who value your privacy and security more than anything else. And you need to find this type of company to support you.

Ask the team about the different security measures they’ll be taking from their end to keep your data safe. Ask about the authorization protocols and the access controls. Let your in-house IT guy discuss and analyze their security systems. Ask them about their policies and security systems for phishing attacks, malware protection, DDoS attacks, hacking, and data breach protocols. 

This will give you an idea of how much you can rely on them to keep your information safe and secure. 

If you’re already using an outsourcing team, ask them questions and see if they live up to your requirements. If not, it’s essential to make a shift to a new provider now.

IT Services Near Me

  • The Level of Control

With an IT support team, you need to clear on where you draw the boundaries. The work of an IT support team is to ‘support’ your IT operations while the complete control rests with you.

While you don’t need to micromanage them on a day-to-day basis, you still need to check up often, set access limits, and have overall control. An IT support team will help keep the everyday operations up and running and regularly do a standard set of tasks. 

But anything more than should come under your control and guidance. 

Conclusion

Finding that right IT support team could relieve you of a lot of headaches and small processes that consume so much of your time. Keep our 5 pointers in your mind when choosing the right IT support team.

If you’re looking for a reliable and experienced team for IT support in Corpus Christi, Texas, then reach out to us at LayerOne Networks now.

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Cloud Monitoring
Cloud Services

What is Cloud Monitoring? Benefits and Best Practices

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Are you using any cloud computing services for storage and processing?

Then you should definitely be aware of cloud monitoring solutions.

Cloud monitoring is the process of monitoring and managing cloud computing resources to ensure seamless operations. Usually, cloud monitoring requires automated and manual tools to review, analyze, and report the performance of various servers, applications, software, and sites present on the cloud. 

Conducting regular cloud monitoring sessions helps in maintaining the various cloud infrastructure in its best health and avoid unnecessary expenditure and security issues. 

In this blog, we’ll take a detailed look at what cloud monitoring could practically mean for businesses using cloud platforms.

Why Cloud Monitoring is Necessary?

Cloud Monitoring

Many IT consulting firms stress the importance of cloud monitoring solutions due to its long-term benefits. Some use cloud monitoring as a part of a bigger cloud management strategy to get a complete view of the operations and performance of the cloud. And some others use standalone cloud monitoring tools solely for performance and security. 

Whatever is the case, cloud monitoring is a prime necessity for organizations due to a number of reasons:

Proactive Approach

With automated cloud monitoring tools, you can find out the anomalies and emerging issues in the cloud before they become bigger. Often, these cloud monitoring tools have the ability to detect these issues before they become full-blown into a serious one. This way, you can considerably cut down a lot of money required to fix a major issue instead of resolving them when it’s smaller.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is one of the top priorities of any business having an IT infrastructure. With a considerable portion of your IT system on the cloud, it’s crucial to have a strong cybersecurity system in place. 

The cloud monitoring tools double as a cybersecurity tool to recognize the breaches in the networks. With monitoring tools, you can keep a constant eye on your cloud’s security and take immediate action when vulnerabilities are detected.

You can identify the breaches and cyber attacks in the network as soon as possible and take action before the damage is immense.

Read More: Top 8 Cybersecurity Trends to Watch Out for in 2023

Quick Problem Resolution

One great advantage of using cloud monitoring solutions is the ease of figuring out the root cause of an issue. 

You may have several cloud infrastructure present and it can be hard to find out the specific point from where the problem arises. And as time passes, most IT issues become bigger and bigger. 

Since the cloud monitoring tools have an integrated control panel, it’s easy for the IT maintenance and support team to take one look at the dashboard and quickly trace the origin of an issue. This could save so much time, energy, resources and money when the problems can be analyzed and traced in a very short time.

Host-Maintained Tools

Both the hardware and software of the cloud monitoring tools entirely rests with a separate host. Therefore, even when there are issues in your local IT infrastructure, the cloud monitoring system doesn’t get impacted. 

Furthermore, you can scale up your cloud monitoring needs when your organization grows. You need to spend additional resources to procure hardware and install the software. Like the cloud service providers, you can seamlessly increase your cloud monitoring tools and continue using the platform without any interruptions.

Best Practices of Cloud Monitoring

Cloud Monitoring

If you’re planning to implement cloud monitoring in your organization, you need to be aware of a few best practices for efficient implementation.

  • Be clear on what needs to be monitored – Often, companies make the mistake of monitoring everything and anything they can get their hands-on. This could only complicate matters and steal focus from the crucial metrics that need attention. So prioritize those metrics that should be regularly monitored on the cloud computing platform.
  • Monitor the user experience metrics – You need to be aware of how user-friendly the platform is. So, when you decide on the few metrics to monitor, make sure to include response time, performance metrics and ease of access.
  • Collect the data to a single platform – Spreading your data into different platforms can be the worst mistake you can ever make. Bring all the data to a single platform for easy and quick observation of the metrics.
  • Separate the monitoring data – When you store your cloud monitoring data with your local system, you cannot access it when there’s a local issue. So, keep your monitoring data separate from the other systems for maximum efficiency.

  • Automate the monitoring – Since the data rests on the cloud, you can script the cloud monitoring tool to run automatically and send you notifications when there’s any issue or anomaly.

  • Keep an eye on the cloud service use and fees – Since cloud monitoring tools are flexible and scalable, your costs can increase when the usage scales up. The monitoring tool should calculate the usage on the platform and its appropriate costs to keep informed.

Wrapping Up

Since the infrastructure of the cloud service providers is already known, it’s easy to install, implement and customize the cloud monitoring tools. By providing central access to monitor the operations, functionalities and performance of the cloud, you can avoid issues that would otherwise become a major thorn in your IT system. 

At LayerOne Networks, we offer cloud computing services along with data security and network support to keep your applications, software, servers and other infrastructure on the cloud up and running in its best state. Reach out to us to get a free quote of our cloud monitoring solutions. 

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