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Monthly Archives: February 2022

  HomeGreat Divide IT Consulting   : :   Reno Nevada IT Support Resources   : :   2022   : :   February
qbrs
Posted on Author Admin Categories IT Consultancy

Making the Most of Your Quarterly Business Reviews

Quarterly business reviews, or QBRs, are among the most valuable tools you can use to check the health of your business. These reviews give a clear assessment of your company over the previous 90 days or so. You can use them to improve the weaker aspects of your business. Unfortunately, some companies do not get the proper feedback from their QBRs. Most likely because the quality of the QBR is not that strong.

If you do not have a managed service provider and are handling all your IT internally, then you must conduct your QBR as well, which may not be an easy task, as you will quickly see. If you have already partnered with an MSP to handle your company, they will provide QBRs. The question is whether your MSP is giving you an accurate and unbiased review or not.

How an MSP Provides QBRs for Your Business

When you hired your managed service provider, it was to help you with many of the IT-related processes in your business. As well as manage routine system procedures so that your in-house staff could concentrate on the core of your business. During the QBR, your MSP will present how their services have impacted your business.

The MSP will do this with summaries of how each aspect of the business has performed. They might also use quantitative analysis to illustrate how well or poorly the business has performed. The MSP will highlight the areas that need attention and the areas that are in good shape.

What to Expect in Your Review

The quarterly business review is your chance to put your business in the best possible position for continued growth and success. At the same time, it also functions as an evaluation of what your current IT provider has been able to help you achieve your business goals for the past quarter.

Some of the standard inclusions that you can expect in your QBR are as follows:

Review of Goals Achieved

Based on the goals and KPIs agreed upon when you hired your MSP, they will present a list of which ones have been achieved and a summary of how they accomplished them.

Assessment of Performance

The provider will also give you an overall assessment of their performance by scoring all the individual aspects that they manage for your business. Such as hardware, network security, cloud-based services, inventory, and more.

Presentation of Strategic Challenges

The QBR will alert you to the areas of your business that need special or urgent attention. If any items are at risk, they will be included in the challenges section of your quarterly business report.

Important Actions to Take after Receiving Your QBR

Upon receiving your QBR from your MSP, go through it thoroughly and use the evaluation to make your business run smoother. Increase customer satisfaction, and ultimately drive more profits.

At the same time, use the QBR to gauge the value that your current MSP is contributing to your business. If there is constant and sizeable growth, your MSP must be doing a good job.

If you want to learn more about how to make the most of your QBR to improve your business. Join us at our upcoming webinar by registering here. At this event, you can learn straight from the experts as they discuss this topic in greater detail.

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Technology
Posted on Author Admin Categories IT Consultancy, IT Security

Be Proactive So Your Business Technology Doesn’t Fall Behind

Even fundamental operations are now significantly dependent on technology in most firms. Business owners should realize that using the latest technology is beneficial for usefulness, versatility, and overall productivity.

Adapting to the Changes

In the ever-evolving world of technology, today’s most modern and cutting-edge devices could be rendered obsolete in just a few years time. And you may have already purchased yours! Before that happens, though, you would probably have already upgraded to the newest version of the device, which will need to be upgraded again in a few years time, and so on… This phenomenon repeats itself in many other areas of our lives too – especially those connected with keeping up with the latest fashions and trends. The cycle keeps repeating itself to this day, but will it always be this way?

Reactive vs. Proactive

Most firms don’t have a proactive strategy, which is not the ideal answer due to the rapid pace of technological growth. Plan for when new technologies will be released and implement them accordingly. They will be able to keep ahead of the group in this manner. You’ll be several steps ahead of the competition by the time the rest of the industry learns about the innovations because you’ll already have them up and running in your system.

However, in practice, most organizations use a reactive strategy. Many businesses address issues only after they become chronic rather than before they become a problem. They may find a solution, but it does not make them proactive. Hardware and software updates are generally late or only done when necessary due to time, budget, or logistics restrictions.

Keeping Up with Technology’s Challenges

If you don’t want your company to fall behind the competition, you must constantly catch up with technology. It can, however, be exhausting, time-consuming, and expensive. Consider the thousands of dollars you’d have to spend every two or three years or so on new hardware and other devices. Consider how much time your employees would spend updating the company’s software packages regularly, followed by even more time learning how to utilize the new versions.

What about businesses that lack the financial resources to keep up with the frequent changes and updates? Despite these obstacles, it is necessary to keep up with technology and work toward business growth and success.

Keep Up To Date with A Dependable MSP

Would it be possible to be proactive so that your business’s technology doesn’t fall behind? There is, thankfully, a solution, and that is to hire a reputable MSP.  A managed services provider, or MSP, can help businesses run more efficiently when working with IT. One of the many things they can do for your company is to take a proactive approach to technology maintenance. You won’t have to worry about staying on top of new updates or keeping an eye on your system for indicators of trouble. Because they’ll take care of it. Let’s look at some of the more noticeable advantages that utilizing a proactive approach to your IT can provide.

Improved Safety

The tools used by hackers and cybercriminals are evolving at the same rate as corporate technology. Being proactive, an MSP should provide cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions to protect your data and business from online threats. They’ll find weak spots in your system that need to be strengthened and address them to keep your business safe and allow for speedy recovery in the event of an attack.

Little Downtime

When a system fails unexpectedly, the entire organization could endure significant downtime as your in-house IT staff tries to get the system back online. Business operations will essentially halt at this time, and you will most certainly lose a significant quantity of money. The majority of downtime may be minimized or avoided altogether with the assistance of an MSP. Regular preventive maintenance, and system updates, can be scheduled around business hours to minimize the impact on business operations.

More Efficient Performance

It’s not only about avoiding difficulties when you’re proactive. It’s also about boosting productivity and streamlining corporate operations. By integrating shared applications and automating business processes, you can dramatically improve your organization’s performance.

Last Thoughts

Staying current with technology relevant to your organization takes a lot of time, effort, and money. Fortunately, if you have a dependable MSP, it is a lot easier and more cost-effective. If you’re unsure if your provider is giving you the best options, use these 7 audit questions to verify their performance. Give us a call if you’re not happy with what you’re getting from them. We’ll discuss the technology we’ll employ to keep your company ahead of the competition.

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Technology
Posted on Author Admin Categories Digital Marketing, Productivity

Technology – Out with the Old, In with the New

For your business to grow and develop, there is one thing that absolutely must happen, and that is change. If things remain the same, there will be no growth. A business needs to be dynamic to evolve and continue the path toward long-term success. Technology is the key to such growth.

Depending on the nature of the change, it can come with a lot of excitement, hope, anticipation, or perhaps worry and dread. In any case, a business change brings several challenges, especially now when we are still amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has taken the world hostage.

Let’s look at some of the more challenging changes that businesses are going through two years after the onset of the pandemic.

Expanding to a New Location

Setting up a brand-new branch of your business in a new location is a sign of progress. It can dramatically increase your customer base, improve sales, and bring in more revenue. But the process is not always smooth sailing. Finding local sources for the supplies you need is one of the first tasks you should accomplish. This task includes everything from construction materials for your new buildings to all the merchandise and raw materials you need to run your business.

Being in a new location, it is likely that you are not yet familiar with the surrounding businesses. It might take time and effort to scour the area for the best materials. Also, the pandemic has made procurement much more challenging, with more stringent requirements along the way. But if you work with a reliable MSP, we can help you with these tasks, and you can focus on the other core tasks in expanding your business.

Remote Workforce

During the onset of the pandemic, many businesses had to downsize or undergo a reshuffling of employees to stay afloat. Now that industries are slowly getting back to normal, many companies are fine-tuning their technology needs. Saving money by downsizing office space has helped many businesses stay open.

With a competent IT provider, employees can access everything they need, regardless of where they are.

Replacing Outdated Technology

As technology advances, businesses should regularly upgrade their hardware and software. This step will keep them ahead of their competitors. But business equipment can be expensive. Therefore, many business owners might choose to keep using their outdated machinery instead of purchasing the newer models. But what most do not realize is that this attempt to cut expenses will lead to reduced business productivity and lower profits, ultimately becoming more costly in the long run.

Final Thoughts

Change is necessary if you want your business to grow. During these transitions, you’ll need to have a trusty IT provider who can make the process easier, more efficient, and less disruptive to the overall flow of your business. We might just be the partner you need to help your business grow and succeed!

We’re well aware that businesses have many expenses. We also understand that expenses can sometimes be tricky to track and forgotten. You may be forgetting about the hidden expenses. That’s why we have built a Business Excessive Spending Calculator for you so that you can see exactly where those hidden costs may be. If you want to go a step further, hit submit once you are done calculating because we may be able to help alleviate some of those hidden costs. Download your free calculator here.

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Posted on Author Admin Categories Digital Marketing, IT Consultancy

The Impact of Technology on Business Growth

Information technology has advanced tremendously in the last couple of decades. This growth has led to countless innovations in different areas, particularly in our businesses. Technology makes our daily office routines easier and more efficient.

But how exactly can technology help businesses to grow? Here are some of the most useful and versatile tools commonly used by business owners today.

Cloud Computing Technology

Although some business owners are still hesitant to use cloud storage. There is no doubt that cloud computing has become the choice of most business owners because of its numerous benefits. Better resource management, higher efficiency, business portability, cost-effectiveness.  These are just a few reasons why businesses have made the switch from on-site to cloud services. And the cloud eliminates the need to purchase physical hardware. Just about all the applications and services that you need to operate your business are available on cloud platforms.

Business Automation

Running a business involves many time-consuming tasks that are tedious to do manually. Some of the tasks include client data collection, billing, process monitoring, and payroll. Through technology, most of these tasks can now become automated, freeing up a lot of time and reducing overall expenses for the business.

Information Security

One of the risks with the digital age is the constant threat of online attacks. Hackers are always lurking, waiting for a breach in the system so they can steal your data or wreak havoc on your network. Secure storage and the highest level of network protection are some of the options you can use to protect your business against these attacks.

Remote Work Technology

Working remote has significant benefits, which many people have only come to realize in the last couple of years. By utilizing technology, many people can accomplish their work without commuting to the office every day. This change saves time and money and ultimately increases productivity. Also, it enables you to improve your business by working with experts from around the world simply by connecting with them digitally.

Resource Management

The bigger your business gets, the harder it is to manage company resources properly. Whether it is finance, equipment, or travel expenses. These resources need to be managed well to ensure the continued success of your business. Fortunately, technology offers several ways of handling these kinds of company resources. An IT services provider can help you automate many of the processes through integrated programs that can run on their own. Freeing up time for your employees to do more important tasks for the business.

Mobile Technology

Business operations have improved considerably, thanks to mobile technology in the workplace. Faster and more efficient communication among employees is just one of the benefits that your organization stands to gain. Mobile technology also allows for more interactive touchpoints for a better customer experience. It simplifies vendor management, enhances network security, and gives you easier access to experts for consultation, among many others.

Open-Source Software

Open-source software is arguably one of the best tools these days to help any business grow. A wide variety of open-source software solutions are available that can help grow any business, regardless of size or industry. You do have to identify the areas in your business that will benefit the most from this technological innovation. Depending on your needs, you can use open-source software for improving your business in the areas of e-commerce, multimedia, security, workflow management, server software, and so on.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are so many ways that you can utilize technology to grow your business. With the right tools and proper implementation, you can enjoy multiple advantages and stay ahead of your competition in several aspects. So, you should make sure that you are working with a reliable MSP that can help you experience all these benefits.

If the results that you are getting from your current IT service provider are just a fraction of what we have mentioned. Then maybe it’s time for a quick check. Answer these 7 questions, and if your provider fails the test, don’t worry! Just let us know, and we will come to the rescue. We will come over to fix what needs to be fixed and get your business on the path to continuous growth and long-term success!

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