Computers are at the forefront of our lives these days, whether we’re conducting business or going about our personal lives. New developments and rapid changes seem to be at the heart of this technology and many people find it frustrating to try and keep up. As soon as we’ve mastered one big software change, another one sweeps in a few months later. It can be dizzying. For businesses trying to make the most of the new technology, computer support is absolutely necessary. Businesses may require anything ranging from an IT consulting firm, a business that offers help with social media, computer repair technicians, or folks to help with web design. Computer support — of any kind — is absolutely vital to stay the most secure, efficient, and powerful in this new cyberage.
How Big is the Internet For Business These Days?
With the rise of the Internet, social media outlets became a powerful tool for marketers. Almost 95% of marketers conduct business using social media — it can be powerful visually, spread quickly, and encourage growth. Additionally, almost 40% of all retail customers come to a business from a search that used a search engines online. With over 100 billion questions or keywords a month typed into search engines globally, that’s unsurprising. Almost 83% of people who use the Internet use search engines to help them find information, businesses, and goods. The Internet allows businesses to reach a wider base of people quickly and with more information. And with a significant majority of people having access to the Internet, it’s proved effective.
What are Some of the Threats or Problems Out There?
However, with all the good and glory that the Internet brings in, there are also problems, especially regarding security. This is where computer support can come in, to set up anti-spyware software or spam filters. In 2012, almost 90% of small businesses had some kind of security breach. In the over 60 billion emails sent out per day, around 97% of those are actually just spam, which may be infected with viruses that can compromise your data and ruin your computer. IT companies can help set you up with better security measures to keep that information safe. The government has set out mandates like PCI, HIPAA, and FISMA, which demands that businesses safeguard, track, and carefully monitor and control who has access to sensitive information. If these compliance mandates are breached, even with less than 500 records, the business can still be fined up to $50,000.
Other than security, sometimes programs just stop working. For most of us, that’s bewildering. IT support can come in, troubleshoot the problem, and get us back to our work in no time. Often they can log in remotely, so you can stay at your desk and do other work, as they fix your computer. If you’ve started a new system or database, there may often be glitches that occur when it’s updated and first installed — another time to call your computer support!
What Should I Look for in Computer Support?
You want to make sure that the people who are running your computer support system are available and accessible. When you call their number, do you have to jump through a lot of hoops to finally get a person on the phone who can help? Do your emails take a long time to get answered? Those things aren’t good — likely, when you have a computer issue, it’s something that needs attention quickly and is disrupting your workflow. You’ll of course want to check credentials and make sure that the people you’re dealing with can communicate clearly and effectively to people who aren’t great with computers. Regardless of what size company you are, your computer support service should be equipped to deal with the range of technology you have and various support levels that you can choose from.
Having good computer support is almost essential to running a business well. You want to be able to trust that if something should go wrong with your computer systems, things will get taken care of swiftly and effectively.
