What Company in Nashville Provides Computer Network Support?
Are you looking into an IT company in Nashville? Outsourcing your Nashville IT services will lessen your workload and take the responsibility of IT support off of your staff. Finding a team that you can trust with your critical computer network is the key to satisfaction with your IT company. Other factors that can influence your choice of Nashville IT support include experience, cost, and expertise. Budgets and profitability are always a concern. However, when you delegate IT labor hours to an IT company your staff has more time to work on your core business. Here are the top factors to consider when selecting a new IT company in Nashville.
1. What IT Tasks Do You Want to Delegate?
A Nashville IT services company can perform many tasks for you, freeing up time from your staff. While some businesses prefer to outsource everything, other companies like to retain some responsibilities in-house. The IT company you hire can do any of the tasks listed below and more based on what you require for your industry:
- Adding and deleting users
- Network monitoring
- Data backup
- Email archiving and filtering
- IT support for employees
- Maintaining a firewall
- Protection from viruses
- Software management
- Equipment purchasing or leasing
- Server and equipment maintenance
- Mobile device management
- Compliance management
- Application management
When you interview prospective Nashville IT support companies, you can discuss your specific requirements, equipment needs and software to ensure your needs will be met with excellence.
2. Is IT Critical for Your Bottom Line?
Similar to maintaining a car, maintenance and repair on your computer network depend on network age, repairs needed, critical updates and number of devices. Since businesses generally have a tight budget for IT, it is important to study the cost-benefit analysis before selecting an IT company in Nashville. Before making your choice, it’s helpful to examine the types of IT service agreements available in the industry. These three agreements are the most commonly used:
Break-Fix Service
Is your network deeply embedded in your production and sales processes? Some industries are computer heavy, while others use computers primarily for administrative purposes. The “Break-Fix” service agreement may be a good fit if you don’t need your computers constantly. Similar to contacting the local “geek squad” for repair and maintenance, a Break-Fix agreement is a contract for single as you go repairs. Invoices are issued for each service as parts and labor are used. Your monthly cost can range from $0 to extremely expensive depending on what needs to be fixed. The biggest drawback for the Break-Fix service is the potential for unexpected costly repairs and significant downtime.
Per Device Service
Another choice is a “Per Device” service contract. This type of IT support contract charges a monthly fee for each device serviced. You can choose specific devices to put on this contract and keep others on the Break-Fix agreement. Typical fees for Per Device service run up to $100 per month cost in an “a la carte” fashion as if you are ordering from a restaurant menu. Your IT budget controls the level of service you receive each month as long as you stay within the contracted budget. If you have a low number of devices that you regularly use in your company, this contract may be the best fit. However, keeping your network updated might become a challenge if you use up your contracted budget with emergency repairs.
Per User Service
Nashville IT services often recommend a “Per User” service agreement for most companies. The most commonly used contract, Per User service agreements can flex with your business. They grow and adapt to any changes in your business while continuing to provide maintenance for all of your critical devices. Costs for Per-User contracts vary depending on your location, industry, type of equipment, what tasks you need and other factors. You can estimate costs to run approximately from $100 to $200 per user per month. You will find that this contract includes regular updates, maintenance checks as well as unexpected repairs.
3. Having Experts in IT Working for You
One of the best factors gained when hiring a Nashville IT support company to handle your IT maintenance is the experience of a dedicated IT team. While your staff is highly trained, they may have only experienced your computer network. A dedicated IT team sees hundreds of IT networks, their quirks, issues and problems. That means that they have lots of experience resolving anything that crops up and can cause downtime for your company. Excellent IT companies provide IT support 24/7 to reduce downtime to a minimum. Additionally, the IT team will have constant training to stay updated on new software and hardware releases, changes and projected problems. Without IT as your core business, it’s tough to stay updated on everything that happens in the field. However, with the right IT company in Nashville, you can expect them to have the training to keep your system running efficiently. With decades of experience as a team, you can be confident in their expertise.
4. Is Nashville IT Services Worth the Money?
Ultimately, you are the person who has to make the hard decision of hiring an IT company. You will know whether handing off these tasks will allow you to spend more time focusing on your core business. However, if you use computers in your business (and who doesn’t?), you know that to stay competitive in your industry you need a highly-functional computer network. If you find that you save money and time using an IT company in Nashville, and having IT support 24/7 with on-call technicians to repair and maintain your system is a priority for your competitive industry, then hiring an IT support company is a worthwhile investment. To find out more about IT services available to you, contact us.