Information technology underpins much of today’s regular activities. When you think of how dependent we all are on smart phones, or how dependent the average office worker is on their laptop or desktop PC, it then makes sense that IT services are perhaps the most important services a business can invest in. Below is a brief list of some of the top managed IT services available to businesses, that are considered highly useful for businesses looking to compete in today’s age of technology.
Cloud Services
It would be difficult to count all the ways in which the Cloud has changed the technology we use every day. Most IT services companies London-based businesses want to partner with provide Cloud services, because it has proven itself to be one of the most effective technologies for streamlining business operations, and improving overall productivity.
As an network-based platform, the Cloud can store data safely online, and it can even provide all kinds of computing services, such as running applications, and nowadays there are even Cloud solutions that simulate desktop experiences.
The benefit of the Cloud is the fact that it stores data over a network, rather than on any physical computer – this means businesses can access data from anywhere, so it is great for home working. Cloud services usually involve the setup and possibly even maintenance of Clouds, which can be either privately built, or part of a service such as Microsoft Azure.
Remote Support
Seeing as many businesses are now working remotely, it makes sense that they should support remote solutions – namely, remote working. These days it is easy for employees to work remotely, what with high-speed internet, instant messaging, emails, and mobile telephony, and solutions like Cloud storage. However, some businesses looking to go remote may be wary about situations where remote workers face technical difficulties.
The solution is actually very common. Remote support has been growing in popularity over the last few years. Many IT companies will attest to the fact that up to 80% of all IT issues can be resolved remotely. With solutions like remote control access, and Cloud-based IT systems, it is very easy for an IT professional to troubleshoot and resolve problems from a remote location.
Backup & Disaster Recovery
There are many scenarios where some form of disaster can wipe out data or IT systems. Businesses in some parts of the world may have to contend with extreme weather, like tropical storms, flooding; some businesses may even experience earthquakes. Then there are other types of disasters, such as fires that may occur in an office, or even robbery of equipment and data – a growing risk for businesses is ransomware, which can block organizations from accessing their own data, and then hold the data ransom.
This is precisely why businesses should consider Backup solutions, and disaster recovery, as a critical IT service at their organization. Backup solutions are where a business literally saves all their data to a remote, secure storage solution, so that if anything happens to their site, they can recover their data. Disaster recovery outlines the process of recovering the business to a functional state when a disaster occurs – this includes the time it takes to return a business to an operative state, how frequently data is backed up, etc.
Software Development
Software is undoubtedly crucial to the running of modern, digitally-enabled businesses. Even the most basic tasks in a business are now performed with the use of software (think Microsoft Word or Excel). But more and more businesses these days are looking to be able to develop their own software rather than approaching a Software development company for internal use. The reason for this is to be able to develop their own custom solutions that answer specific demands the organization might have.
Software development is an IT service that is definitely becoming more accessible to all businesses. Traditionally, software development was reserved for businesses that specialized in software, or at least who could afford a reasonable software and DevOps department. But, with the tools for Software Development becoming more accessible (think of Low-Code and No-Code Development), devops-as-a-service is becoming one of the most highly demanded IT services among even SMBs.