IT downtime is costing businesses an average of £3.6 million every year, but many small businesses have no IT support in place. We understand that small business owners have concerns and hesitations around IT support packages, such as cost, which is why we have answered some of the main objections below.

Objection: Support Contracts Cost Too Much for my Small Business

Committing to an IT support contract for at least 12 months can be difficult for small business owners. However, by having an ongoing support package you will benefit from a significantly reduced overall cost.

IT support can be arranged on a pay-as-you-go basis for infrequent needs, but this is not cost-effective if support requirements become more frequent.

On average, a non-contract callout for a day can cost in excess of £800. By having an IT support agreement in place, your business can have access to inclusive on-site visits which is much cheaper than paying for individual support when needed.

Support contracts usually include SLAs which give you peace of mind that any issues raised will be resolved within a set timeframe, so you can get back to work quickly.

Objection: Our Business Isn’t Big Enough for an IT Support Contract

No matter the size of your business, you could benefit from some level of IT support. The exact level of support your business needs will depend on the technology and knowledge you already have in place. IT support can resolve issues that small businesses are faced with, such as slow loading speeds on your computer, cybersecurity concerns, and data backup provisions.

With an IT support contract, your data should be held in a secure UK-based datacentre to give you extra protection against cyber-attacks which can devastate small businesses with high resulting costs. Companies who have been affected by cyber-attacks see a loss of reputation as customers may not trust that their data is safe. In the event that you are affected by a cyber- attack, support engineers will be much more likely to be able to recover your data quickly and comprehensively.

Objection: A Member of our Team Deals with Tech Issues

Many small businesses resolve problems with their IT systems internally, and this can be a great way to solve issues quickly. However, this takes time and resources away from the business and can cause more issues in the long run. Having someone internally who resolved all IT problems becomes a problem when that individual is away on annual leave, off sick, or generally busy with other tasks, which could leave your business vulnerable to technical issues for multiple days. Therefore, by having a remote IT support package, any member of your team can call an engineer to resolve their issue at any time.

Small businesses often operate outside of a traditional office environment and many have adopted a hybrid way of working, and therefore remote IT support is essential to reinforce your operations, no matter where you are working or on what device.

By outsourcing your IT support, you will have access to a team 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, with knowledge and expertise in all areas of IT who will proactively monitor your services to identify and resolve issues before they become a problem.

Objection: I’m Nervous About Giving Another Company Access to our Data

Your company data is the backbone of your business, and your customers trust you with their information. Therefore, you need to be confident that your IT support team will handle your data as safely as possible. At a basic level, IT support providers will be able to offer anti-spam and anti-virus protection for your devices to defend against infiltration, as well as having a strong password system in place with regular reviews. Support companies will also guard your connections by ensuring router ports are safe, with infrastructure patching, reviews and optimisation.

You can also go further with advanced cybersecurity protection, with experts checking for deeper cybersecurity vulnerabilities with methods such as penetration testing to analyse deeper into your network, including your infrastructure and software your employees use.

UK IT Networks IT Support Packages

At UK IT Networks, our remote IT support packages are designed for businesses of all sizes, with agreements from just £99.00 per month which are ideal for small businesses. This also entitles you to reduced rates on other products and services, including antivirus, server hosting, and data backups. Our engineers can also carry out one-off pay-as-you-go remote support and site visits for customers who are not on an IT support agreement.

Our engineers all specialise in different areas of IT maintenance, and so can advise on the best hardware, software, and infrastructure to meet your needs and budget, with discounts available for customers with IT support packages. Out of hours and emergency support is available, so you can be confident that no matter when an IT issue may arise, our engineers will be available to support you.

We understand that your company and customer data is sensitive and it is important for you to trust an IT support provider who has access to this information. That’s why we adhere to ISO Standard 27001 and other benchmarks, so you know your data is handled with care. Our UK-based datacentres have the highest level of physical and digital protections in place to safeguard your company’s data. We provide regular training for all our engineers to ensure that they understand the importance of keeping customer information safe, and how to do so by keeping up to date with the latest developments.

Our engineers not only resolve issues with the systems that we have supplied, but we will also liaise with third-party vendors. In addition to this, UK IT networks provide businesses with a holistic communication offering, including voice, connectivity, and systems, so no matter what issue you are facing with your devices, we are able to diagnose and resolve the problem or support you with finding a solution.

For a free comprehensive IT consultation of your business, speak to a member of our team today on 0344 326 2150, email enquiries@ukitnetworks.com, or head to our IT Support Web Pages for more information.