When a football team takes their positions on the line of scrimmage each player has a defined role and specific responsibility. These 11 athletes must move, react and respond in a certain way to achieve the defined goal of that designated play. If even one player misses an assignment, that play, and possibly the entire game can spin out of control. It can be the tight end missing a block or a holding penalty on the offensive line, one miscue can be the difference between victory and defeat. All of these pieces on the field easily parallel to the different areas of your business, especially when it comes to technology.
With more competitive factors influencing your business than ever before, technology can be the great equalizer, but only if it is managed effectively and efficiently. The volatile and rapidly evolving landscape of IT, as well as the limitless number of threats that have hit huge companies like Target, Anthem and Home Depot, make it difficult and expensive to run a compliant and effective technology infrastructure as well as run your business.
Just as taking to the gridiron with too few players can put you at a tremendous disadvantage, so can focusing on too few elements of your business’ technology. Where it’s a coach’s job to fill a roster, it’s a managed IT services partner’s job to keep each facet of your business optimized and protected.
While you as the business owner may oversee the general operation of the business (including IT), or have an IT employee on staff, it is nearly impossible for one person, or a small team to maintain the day-to-day needs, much less manage the additional security and data-backup needs that businesses today need. Keeping pace technologically is no longer an option.
Network performance, data protection, compliance and cloud computing can’t be a la carte’ options. These IT elements all need to be a part of your infrastructure. Of course, designing and implementing it yourself can be an expensive undertaking. Again, this is where an MSP provider steps in; to provide the tools you need, while you keep the resources and capital to invest in your actual business.
Taking a “one piece at a time” approach can work, but leaves you vulnerable for a number of potentially business closing threats. A quick, responsive and secure network is perfect for managing transactions and general operations. However, ignoring data security as you focus on your network can be fatal. There are other security measures that need to be in place to protect customer, client or patient data. All of the network speed in the world can’t prevent a $50,000 HIPAA violation.
If the running back doesn’t pick up the blitzing linebacker, it can be bad news for the quarterback. If you don’t have a comprehensive technology management plan, it can be bad news for your business. AtlasOne Technologies provides full managed IT services, keeping your business running, compliant, secure and efficient. Check out our managed services page for more information.
