Professional services make up a huge portion of the workforce today. And whether you are an accountant, architect, engineer, landscaper, mover, financial planner, attorney, consultant, or any other kind of service professional, IT plays a critical role in the profitability of your business.
What falls under the umbrella of IT? There are obvious things, like wifi speed and data security, and quite a few things you may not expect, like business information management and giving you tools to control which employees have access to certain data.
An unoptimized IT infrastructure is sluggish, unreliable, and risky. As a professional service business in 2020, you need to know that your systems and applications will start up and work the first time, every time.
Whether you offer professional services in the form of landscape care, moving services, or consulting, having good IT practices in place will promote company growth, ROI, and safety.
IT Support for Professional Services Companies; What it Looks Like
Addressing IT issues that professional service companies face takes on many different forms. Here are examples of how an IT support team will help your professional services company:
- Protecting your network & website: up to date functions are essential in safeguarding your professional services company website. This includes having secure WiFi connections and work VPNs that employees use at all times.
- Encrypting sensitive information: building client trust is essential for growing your business and this is done through protecting sensitive information. Emails containing sensitive information should be encrypted in order to protect client data
- Data backup: don’t let your professional services company suffer due to human error or cyber-attacks. Having data backups is essential in almost any workspace these days, and especially for those offering professional services as their main forms of marketing are usually online.
- Improving system speed: sluggish processing systems are a major turn off for potential clients. If you have outdated systems that take their time loading or processing, this will lose you business as potential clients often equate slow loading speeds with sketchy websites and click away.
- Education: employees are often the ones creating the greatest risk of data loss and system breaches. Without adequate education about the importance of good IT practices and safety, the greatest cybersecurity risk is within your own company.
Why Your Professional Services Company Needs IT Support
Everyone is moving into the digital space. Whatever type of professional service you offer, you have an online marketing presence or at least an employee database.
With any amount of technology at play, your professional services company will need IT support.
IT support ensures that all networks and websites are loading quickly and that all processing systems and databases are secured without risk of cyber breaches.
Whether you are experiencing an evident IT problem or you simply want an IT audit to ensure that all systems are working as they should be, give Emerald City Solutions a call today and schedule a consultation with our team of IT experts.
Common Problems That Professional Services Companies Face
The professional services sphere is very broad. Because of this, the potential IT challenges faced by professional services companies are extensive.
Here are some of the most common IT problems faced by professional services companies.
- Lack of data backups: as mentioned above, a lack of data backups can pose serious problems for companies that offer professional services.
- Slow processing systems: whether it is payment processing systems or others, slow processing is a sign that you need to update your system or have an IT team audit to see if there are other underlying issues.
- Slow website loading speed: this will lose you business, guaranteed. Maybe you have a website hosting problem or large files that are slowing your site down, regardless there are fixes that can be made that will improve loading times.
- Increased vulnerability to cyberattacks and hackers: as a company in the professional service sphere, it’s essential that you protect data and information from being lost or stolen.
- A lack of adequate training for employees: without the right IT education, employees significantly put the company they work for at-risk.
- Out of date systems: the IT world is constantly evolving, in order to promote the safety of your company you need to stay current with IT trends.
- Password mismanagement: when team members or managers use recycled passwords or worse, leave their passwords written down, they place your entire company at risk of having a cyber breach. Password management is sometimes difficult to implement but it is entirely worthwhile.
Stay Current With the Latest IT for Your Professional Services Company
Here at Emerald City Solutions, we understand the unique demands of professional services companies. Our team of IT experts helps businesses in the professional services sphere stay current and protected with the latest IT trends.
Whether you have concerns about cybersecurity or just need an IT audit, Emerald City Solutions has the best team for the job. We can perform an audit of your systems, update all systems that may need it, and educate your team about the importance of good IT practices.
Whether you are a consulting firm, legal advisor, or financial expert, our team understands the unique challenges that those in the professional services sphere face and we are determined to help you overcome IT challenges in order to better your business practices.
Our “Problem First, Technology Second” Approach to IT Problems in the Professional Services Sphere
Here at Emerald City Solutions, we have a unique approach to the IT issues that professional services companies face. Our team will never try to sell you expensive tech solutions until we know exactly what problems you are facing.
Our approach is simple, “problem first, technology second.”
Our team shows determination when it comes to getting to the root of your IT issues. We are committed to finding a long term solution to your IT problems and we do this by identifying the exact issues before offering technology solutions.
If you want to work with a skilled IT team who are passionate about helping those in the professional service sphere improve their database security and systems, give Emerald City Solutions a call today.
