The ACCENT Learning Hub

You’ve probably heard the term “managed services.” You might have wondered what it meant and if it had anything to do with your small business. You’ve also probably heard the term outsourcing. Those words are often used interchangeably. In a nutshell, outsourcing or managed services, means that a third-party acts as your IT department. Or in some cases, supplements your current in-house IT department. Do you have an IT department? Is your in-house IT team limited on time, resources, or ability?  It might be time to check out what outsourcing can do for you.

Let’s just be honest, switching vendors for almost any reason can be a distraction and a time snatcher. But sometimes it’s the right move for your company long term. Changing IT vendors doesn’t have to be that hard if it’s planned out in advance. Perhaps your contract is up, or you’re not getting what you need from your current arrangement. Either way, moving to a new IT provider should be about adding value to your company. But value can be lost in transition if your processes, needs, and expectations are not planned and communicated beforehand. The transition might be the hardest part of your new IT services contract, but it doesn’t have to be.

When someone starts exploring the idea of IT department outsourcing, they generally want to figure out why they would outsource your IT support, what IT services can be outsourced, and the advantages of outsourcing IT technical support.

Whether your company has 15 employees or 50,000, it is imperative that your technology consistently works how it’s supposed to. You need a clear vision of where technology is going in your business, and you need to get rid of roadblocks that are holding the company back from achieving its goals.

In today’s world, there are almost no companies that can function without Information Technology (IT). From sole proprietorships to Fortune 500s, EVERY successful business requires the right IT system implementation and management to truly thrive. 

“It seems like every time I turn around, I have to write another huge check for IT.” Have you ever said that? While technology costs cannot be eliminated, unexpected IT-related expenses can be minimized. With the right technology planning and budgeting process, you should have a clear idea of what your IT spending will look like for the next few years. What Are Some Things to Consider When Budgeting for IT?

In today’s digital business world, it’s rare to find tasks that don’t require the use of a computer, tablet, or smartphone. This means that delighting your clients and keeping your employees productive depends heavily on the efficiency and competency of your company’s Information Technology department processes, whether it’s internally staffed or outsourced to a third party.

When most people think about disasters, images of large-scale natural disasters generally come to mind such as fires, floods and earthquakes. What most businesses do not think about is how they will recover from smaller-scale disasters.

If you are looking for a managed IT services price list, we might assume that you either know that you need to make a change in how you’re resourcing IT support or you’re wondering if you should be making a change. Either way, frustrations with IT are probably the catalyst for your research. If you’re like a lot of business owners and executives, you’ve lived with your IT problems for longer than you need to because you aren’t sure if there is anything better out there.

Want to make sure your smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices are as secure as possible? Check out this 90-second video tip from Chris, one of Accent’s vCIOs, with 3 tips to secure your mobile devices.