IT has arguably never been more important to businesses than it is today. From the office environment, to sprawling websites and ecommerce stores, to online services and cloud storage, IT is at the heart of many day-to-day operations. Slow and outdated systems or methodologies can not just slow a business down, but see it grinding to a halt, as hardware fails and invaluable data is lost.

A great IT estate by contrast can speed up daily tasks, secure data, and drive sustainable growth. Ensuring that your technological systems, services and processes are agile, reliable and secure is possible in house, but making the most of technology means consulting with the experts.  Here’s why IT consultancy services are pivotal in ensuring your business operations stay modernised and future-proofed.

They save time and money

Employing IT consultancy services to take care of your IT means you don’t have to commit to the cost of an in-house IT team, or other additional employees. This is particularly helpful when you want to trial a technology, as it means you won’t have to hire someone on a short term basis, or find something else for them to do if you decide not to stick with it.

A good service provider will also be available to assist you 24/7/365. At Sota, we can scale our consultancy up and down with your business, with the level of service changing according to your requirements. This is much less complicated than a situation where you no longer have enough work for a full-time employee, or where your business circumstances simply change.

You’ll benefit from expert experience

IT service providers tend to work with businesses of all sizes and from many different sectors. This provides them with a wide range of expertise in all areas of IT, and how it is applied in different settings. This collective experience means that your business is in safe hands, and also allows them to identify new opportunities for technology you may not have considered.

Instead of having an in-house IT team with specific experience, having access to IT experts in many different disciplines can be hugely beneficial. This experience can help you to identify technical problems quickly, spot inefficiencies in your processes, and positively impact your organisation with suggestions for new systems and changes. All of this ensures your problems are resolved quickly and efficiently, and provides a pathway to escalate serious problems to senior colleagues.

You can plan for the future

Great IT firms will always aim to develop a lasting partnership with clients, and really understand the business and its technological needs. Trust is essential in IT given what is often at stake, and the capacity new ideas and suggestions have to drive growth. By sharing information and building trust, both parties can form a closer working relationship, improving communication, and making problems easier to fix.

A close relationship allows for strategic planning, where both parties assess the existing technology and processes within the business, and identify new opportunities for futureproofing. These changes can then be implemented on timescales that suit the business, with the IT service provider helping to orient staff, and reduce any inefficiencies in the switchover.

Your productivity will rise

From software to hardware, new IT solutions can cut down on admin and speed up processes. The business benefits of an IT consultancy firm can only be properly realised however when these new processes are carefully planned, implemented and maintained. Failing to do so can lead to messy implementation, where employees feel out of the loop, software and hardware is incorrectly configured, and vital time or data is lost.

Having an IT firm with a wealth of experience to call on will help to identify the best solutions to speed up processes, improve the reliability of your hardware and IT services, and make people’s jobs easier. This combination of faster processes, less IT frustration and smooth implementation will reduce inefficiency, and improve productivity across all areas of the business.

You can improve employee retention & attainment

In this modern era, employees need to be in a work environment where their IT systems are always up and running, whether that’s old-fashioned telephones, printers, or mobile devices. Slow computers, old software, and dodgy storage solutions can all impede productivity, and lead to unnecessary stress and frustration.

It’s no exaggeration to say that bad IT can make people want to leave a company. Indeed, employees increasingly look for companies with the most modern IT processes, helping them to work more effectively, apply their existing knowledge of software, and ultimately rise up through the ranks. Having the best IT solutions will help you to harness this talent, keep people in the building, and attract the very best new hires.

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As a leading and experienced MSP, Sota can help future-proof your business, and reap the  full benefits of an IT consultancy services. To find out more, contact us today.