Why would you ever wait for the worst to happen when it comes to IT?
In the digital economy, ‘the worst’ might be very bad indeed. For instance, a data breach could cost your company its reputation, your customers their personal data, and your staff a tonne of unnecessary stress.
Prevention has always been better than cure, and that’s especially true with IT. It’s why proactive IT has become far more than a passing trend, and why your business really should adopt it sooner rather than later.
What is proactive IT?
Before we answer that question, let’s consider the opposite to proactive IT support.
Reactive IT support is when a problem is fixed after it has occurred. You’ll probably be familiar with this! You know the scenario; your email software inexplicably wipes out your inbox, you call support, and they figure out it was due to a virus.
The problem? The crisis has already happened, you’ve lost invaluable productivity time (and essential messages), and everyone is grumpy.
Proactive IT support aims to stop issues like this from occurring in the first place.
In our example, proactive IT would have ensured the latest anti-virus software was running on your device and those in charge of your infrastructure fully up-to-speed with the latest email killing virus.
Proactive IT support prevents future critical failures that impact productivity or have the capability to severely damage your brand.
Why is it best to be proactive with IT?
Think about how many devices, apps and software platforms your business relies on each day. In order to maintain high levels of production, great output and happy customers, IT probably sits at the heart of everything you do.
There’s just one problem: IT is fallible. Worse, there are lots of nefarious people out there who want access to the data you hold.
Whether its disruption due to cyberattacks or continual crashes, IT problems have no interest in the damage they cause your business. They’ll take place whenever they want to – and that’s why you need to be one step ahead.
Thankfully, we know cybercrime exists. The best IT support teams and providers know the hackers’ tricks and, with a proactive approach, keep up-to-speed with the latest forms of attack.
The same goes for poorly performing hardware and software. Once it has been identified, a proactive IT approach will ensure it’s either fixed or future occurrences of crashes mitigated.
Do you need support to be proactive?
Not necessarily, but given the complex nature of most business IT systems these days, it is advisable.
This doesn’t mean you need ongoing support, either. For instance, Compex IT is one of the only service providers to provide its clients with technology adoption sessions. This leaves businesses with the tools they need to be proactive internally.
Similarly, adopting platforms such as Microsoft Office 365 and undertaking business reviews enables firms to rely on far more robust technology and benefit from early warning signs when something troubling is on the horizon.
What are the business benefits of a proactive IT approach?
We think there are six key reasons proactive IT support is a huge benefit for any business:
- It becomes far easier to recover from disaster. For example, data loss is easier to resolve if you have appropriate backups in place.
- Your team will be happier and more productive if they know they can rely on your IT infrastructure.
- Cybercrime is the biggest threat to UK businesses, but proactive IT is the most secure form of support.
- Your approach to software and hardware will be aligned with business goals and remove the need to continually replace outdated kit.
- It’s far easier to budget for IT if you’re proactively monitoring the performance of your current setup.
- You can make far better decisions about weaknesses in your infrastructure if you know what might be around the corner.
Is reactive dead?
Before we sign off, it’s important to note that reactive support will always have a place. This is because, no matter how smart a proactive approach might be, there will still be occasions when you’re caught unawares.
That’s why it pays to have a knowledgeable, experienced IT support team by your side. Thankfully, you’ve found one.