5 Common Misconceptions that People Have About IT in the Workplace
1. The network in the office does not need regular monitoring and maintenance. If everything is up and running, it must be fine, right?
This is really one of the most common misconceptions that we encounter. Typically, business owner’s that have not dealt with a major issue before will feel this way. If things are running smoothly, why would we pay extra money to have someone monitor them.
Unfortunately, this could be a very costly mistake if the network becomes compromised. The IT world is changing at such a fast rate and if your equipment related to your network is not regularly monitored, patched and updated, you could be missing out on security fixes and other bugs that come about, which could compromise that device, as well as the data for your entire organization. You also want monitoring in place to look at hard drive capacity, hardware failures and your backups.
2. My relative/brother-in-law/best friend/childhood neighbor knows how to fix computers, so he can take care of everything we need.
It’s usually temping to hire those friends that dabble in IT on the side because it’s not only cheaper, but you also feel like you’re doing them a favor by giving them some business. The downside of that is if your friend does not do IT work for their living, they most likely don’t have the in-depth knowledge or experience to support your entire network and are not staying up to date on the everchanging IT world. Not to mention, they have another job that will take priority over resolving your issues. You may think it is saving you money up front, but in the long run if something happens to your network and they can’t get to it immediately, it could cost you a lot more money to get back up and running.
3. Computers and networks are all the same, so the best option is to pick the one with the lowest price.
I hate to say it, but we all know you get what you pay for. With almost everything in life, the cheaper option usually means the cheapest way of doing things. Typically, in the IT space if the services are good and the technicians are qualified, you will have to pay more for their work. Not all networks are created equal and all businesses have different needs related to equipment and setup.
In a lot of instances, you need to see what’s included in that cheaper proposal. IT companies who tend to lower their monthly cost will then charge you for service calls. That can add up quickly and actually be more expensive than if you would have spent the money up front for the all in, fully managed contract.
4. Your IT company should be able to give me a quote over the phone. Computers and servers all do the same thing.
It would really make everyone’s lives easier if we could get a quote for any service we needed just by talking on the phone. However, sometimes services get a little bit more complicated than that. It’s very similar to when you call the doctor. You’re not going to tell the doctor what you think is going on and expect the right medication and cost on the spot. You’ll need to go into the office for a visit first.
5. The computers, internet and Wi-Fi I have at my house works just fine, so the same equipment should be fine for my business.
Consumer grade and business grade are two very different things when it comes to IT. Often times people don’t realize that the consumer grade equipment, such as your laptops that have Windows Home Edition, do not have the extra security needed to run in a business. They also lack certain features that make it them more manageable in business environments. Many times when you purchase consumer grade items, you don’t receive any level of support with it since it’s almost a set it and forget mentality. Would you want to trust technology at your business that had no support if something went down? You may think you’re saving money up front since consumer equipment is cheaper, but it could cost you in the long run.
Have questions about these common misconceptions or would like more information? Contact us today at 423-664-8700 or sales@invictamsp.com. We’re more than happy to have a discussion!