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Myths & Misunderstandings About IT Support

There are a lot of misunderstandings about IT support, and you might think you know everything there is about managed IT services. When we’re speaking to potential clients, we often hear the same myths and preconceptions again and again. So, we thought it would be a good idea to put five of the most common IT support misunderstandings in one place and address them one by one.

1. Macs Don’t Need IT Support
This is a common refrain we still hear. Unfortunately, this simply isn’t true. Although there are less viruses and pieces of ransomware targeting Macs than targeting PCs, they are still out there. To compound this, the false sense of security that some Mac users have leads them to be less cautious about what they download and click on when they are online. 

For example, OSX.FakeFileOpener can infect Macs and replace the default file opening program. Another example is EvilQuest, a piece of ransomware which encrypts the infected Mac’s files and folders and refuses to decrypt them unless the user pays a ransom in Bitcoin.

2. In House IT Support Is Cheaper Than Outsourcing
This is a commonly held belief, but the truth varies greatly depending on the type of business you run.

What is definitely true, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, is that there are often solid reasons to outsource IT assistance rather than hire a workforce. 

Small firms may not have enough day-to-day work to justify a full-time IT team, which is where a managed IT support contract like those offered by Carden IT Services may be extremely beneficial.

3. Using The Cloud Is Unsafe
Another long–standing myth is that your company’s data must be kept on–site at all times to be safe and secure. Because data on a cloud platform is stored of site, this has caused some to believe that these services are insecure. 

However, cloud storage is frequently safer than on-premises storage. Cloud providers like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud, have some of most secure systems in the world and have former defense and intelligence staff on their cybersecurity teams. 

It is important to still secure access to your data in the cloud properly. Otherwise, anyone who obtained your username and password could access your files. At Carden IT Services, we’ve helped businesses of all sizes to implement cloud services in a secure and efficient manner.

4. Managed IT Services Is A One Size Fits All Solution
While we can’t speak for other IT providers – we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all solution. Every one of our clients has their own dedicated account manager. We craft a bespoke IT support plan based around your business, your industry, how large your team is, what threats you face, and your plans to scale in the future. We follow this up with regular reviews and can adjust your support as your business circumstances change.

5. Managed IT Services Are Expensive
Another prevalent misunderstanding about managed services is that they are prohibitively expensive. While managed services are not the cheapest, one needs to consider the bigger picture when thinking about cost.

Most businesses today are dependent on technology in some way; meaning if your IT goes down, it may have a huge impact on your organization. It could be due to faulty technology, poor configuration, a cyber-attack, or any number of other factors. 

Consider that every minute of downtime is a minute of lost revenue. Managed IT solutions, including Cybersecurity, Backup and Disaster Recovery, and overall network maintenance, will help to reduce your downtime and increase the efficiency of your organization.  

Many businesses find that their overall IT costs are actually reduced by partnering with a managed IT services provider and their productivity is also increased.

 

Hopefully, we’ve helped dispel some myths about IT support that could have been holding you back from upgrading to professional IT services. If there’s still something holding you back, speak to our team today, we’ll be happy to run through any questions or concerns you have about managed IT services. 

Author: Jeremy Huson

Jeremy Huson is the founder and director of Carden IT Services LLC. He has nearly two decades of experience managing businesses’ IT networks and his areas of expertise are IT consultation and cybersecurity.