As businesses continue to rely more on technology, it’s no surprise that IT problems can arise more frequently. Even minor issues, such as poor internet connectivity, can cause major workflow and productivity disruptions, leading to time and money losses. To avoid such situations and create an efficient system, it’s essential to understand the common IT challenges that businesses face and how to fix them.
Common IT Challenges and Solutions
1. Lack of qualified personnel
Information Technology (IT) teams play a vital role in business by supporting and ensuring all systems and networks run smoothly. Yet, even the most skilled IT teams can face technology issues and become overwhelmed without the proper team size or support.
The number of people in an IT department depends on various factors, but there is no one-size-fits-all ratio. Looking at your IT department independently is crucial to evaluate if more support is needed. Whether it be an inexperienced team or a team that needs more bodies, there are a few ways to combat this problem. Check out these signs that your IT team may need more support.
Investigate a Managed IT Service Provider (MSP) when there are no resources to hire someone full-time. An experienced and knowledgeable MSP can build, maintain, and monitor any IT solution to free up in-house staff. Working with a managed services provider can also help create new initiatives that a current IT team can use to improve business operations. Here are some considerations when hiring an IT consultant.
2. Outdated/old technology
Outdated technology can become problematic in more ways than one. Old infrastructure is expensive to replace, yet it can also cause slow network connectivity and system functions, leading to a loss in productivity. One way to meet in the middle is to ensure all current software and hardware are compatible with the latest manufacturing updates. An IT team should always invest enough time in researching what upgrades are coming so your business can stay ahead.
Additionally, implementing new systems and storage solutions, such as cloud storage, can give an organization a competitive edge. Migrating to the cloud creates a ubiquitous environment and increases overall efficiency and reliability within business applications.
A managed IT service provider can be an excellent resource for this challenge, as an MSP can advise your team on the latest updates and help purchase and install any new systems necessary. Many MSPs today, such as IP Pathways, can assist in cloud storage as well. Having modern and up-to-date IT systems can significantly reduce the number of IT issues you experience presently and in the future.
3. Employee security training/awareness
The integrity of any security system has a lot to do with user knowledge to prevent data breaches caused by phishing scams, ransomware attacks, and other cybersecurity threats. According to the World Economic Forum, 95% of all cybersecurity issues can be traced to human error. The most common attack is ransomware, the average cost of which can hit $1.85 million according to Security Magazine.
Proper employee training can help individuals recognize the signs of an attack to avoid granting access to a potential threat. Many businesses require training on phishing attempts and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for their users.
How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams
4. Security
With increasing data privacy security threats, companies need to take proactive measures to protect their sensitive information from cybercriminals. Cybersecurity, network security, and device security measures help safeguard against unauthorized access, data breaches, and other malicious attacks that can result in significant financial losses and reputational damage. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that by 2025, cybercrime costs will reach $10.5 trillion annually, up from just $3 trillion in 2015.
Cybercriminals do not discriminate when it comes to attacking your vital data. All company sizes and locations can be a target. With the increase in work-from-home positions, it is also vital to ensure your mobile devices are connected to secure Wi-Fi and include some components of multi-factor authentication.
An organization’s data storage structure can also be at risk for a cyber-attack. Employees should be granted access only to the specific data systems required for their job roles. Additionally, they should only be allowed to install software with approval from the IT controller or management.
Regarding information sharing, protocols on how to safely do so can be taught. When creating and sharing files, employees need to know how to save them in the correct location. If this structure is not mapped out correctly, there may be redundancies. Using a file-sharing application is an excellent solution for everyone within a network to access documents without emailing back and forth.
Security is something to be proactive about, and businesses can take steps to ensure their networks and devices are safe. Well-trained employees, enabled firewalls, data backups, and strong passwords are good places to start.
Check out this list of emerging cybersecurity threats.
5. Data backup and recovery issues
Backup is integral to a business’s IT security strategy and will help protect from unwanted downtime expenses. Data backup provides a secondary copy of data saved and stored for later use.
Without an efficient and well-managed backup plan, once data is lost or stolen, a business will have to spend time and money to retrieve what was lost, which can ultimately ruin their business continuity.
6. No disaster/emergency IT plan
Similarly to a poor backup plan, a flawed disaster recovery plan can lead to costly downtime. An effective emergency plan/process to retrieve data limits downtime and reduces the risk of lost or stolen data. A disaster recovery plan or emergency plan should include how to handle a variety of emergencies ranging from a virus infiltration, a data center breakdown, and a natural disaster.
A managed IT service provider can implement, monitor, support, and manage backup and disaster recovery to limit the negative effects on your business.
Overcoming Common IT Challenges
IT challenges can be daunting for any business, but with the proper support and proactive measures, common IT problems can be mitigated. From a lack of qualified personnel to data backup and recovery issues, these common IT issues require a comprehensive approach to resolve. Working with an MSP, like IP Pathways, can alleviate the burden on in-house IT teams and bring new, effective solutions to improve business operations. By proactively addressing these challenges head-on, businesses can ensure the smooth operation of all systems and networks, ultimately leading to a more productive and successful organization.
IP Pathways delivers a consultant-led experience to overcome all IT challenges your business faces today. We strive to understand your business and become a true strategic technology partner. Our best-in-class engineers first listen to your goals then architect, implement, monitor, support, and manage custom technology solutions to help you reach them.
If you would like to learn more about IP Pathways as a managed service provider reach out to us here!
IP Pathways
Cloud Services | Managed Services | IT Solutions | IT Consulting
At IP Pathways, we understand how difficult it is to scale on your own. But what if you could move past the issues currently holding you back? Good news–you can! We identify opportunities in your organization to leverage technology to spark greater growth starting now. Our tailored solutions turn IT into a strategic investment rather than a cost center. With the right tech, you can move faster, innovate, and gain a competitive edge.
Our engineers have deep technical expertise and experience. They architect, implement, monitor, support, and manage custom technology solutions for organizations using only the highest-quality and best-in-class systems. As a result, projects are completed on time and within budget, ready to deliver the results you need to fuel your organization forward. Contact Us