Keytel Systems Blog

When opening a business that will have significant technological investment, one of the first questions a business owner will need to determine is, will this business require on-premise computing or cloud-based computing? The answer boils down to several factors, including which team members need to access which data, as well the type of protection required for sensitive proprietary data. You have to figure out how many users have access to data, as well as whether you can afford the physical hardware required to keep your computing operations in-house.

As with physical inventory or human resources, there are costs associated with acquiring and utilizing technology. For new companies, it's important to set the tone early by investing in tools that set the course for operational success.

As of the date of this blog, March 24, 2020, 43% of the US population is being asked to stay home to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, with several states and many more cities having implemented "stay at home" orders to non-essential workers.  Even before those orders, insurance agents, attorneys, corporate workers, and many others were directed to work from home to help prevent the spread of the virus.

For Keytel Systems, we have seen a large jump in calls from our clients that are asking us to help them set up their employees for remote work. Any good comprehensive business continuity plan accounts for the possibility of employees having to work from home if a physical building becomes inhabitable during a natural disaster or, yes, even because of a global pandemic.

It's no secret that small business owners must wear multiple hats. The might do their own bookkeeping, process their own payroll, and sometimes, even sweep their own floors. We understand the need to watch funds carefully when you're just starting out.  When it comes to technology, It's not uncommon for a new small business owner to go to the local big box store, purchase computers off the shelf, and hope employees are savvy enough to install updates on their own. But if you've ever worked in an environment like that or have owned a business like that, you know that eventually, an IT issue will come up. It is inevitable.

The most successful small business owners recognize that there are only so many hours in the day. Why spend that time waiting on "some guy who does IT" to call you back or worse, troubleshooting your employee's PC issues personally? You could better spend that time making sales or providing top-notch customer service.

At some point, a small business owner will recognize the cost benefits of outsourcing their IT. At Keytel Systems, our general rule of thumb is that when your small business reaches five or more workstations, the time to outsource your IT has come.

Managed IT services, or often just called "managed services," is a term that IT companies use when referring to their ongoing, comprehensive IT service offering for businesses.  It includes proactive protection and support for the majority of the IT elements that businesses use to get work done, including the company's servers, workstations and network.  Managed services typically include four main components: Monitoring, Security, Backups, and Support/Help Desk.