Executive Summary
- In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at some of the most common IT mistakes we encounter at Get Support.
- As an IT support company, we’re well placed to help UK businesses ensure their IT setup is working at its best by keeping your company productive and secure.
Introduction
IT has been a core part of almost every UK business for the past two decades.
As we move further into the digital age, it’s clear that good IT is an absolute fundamental for all companies. That means speed, reliability, and – perhaps most importantly – security are all key concerns for any business owner.
But you’ve already got a lot on your plate, so it’s possible your IT setup isn’t as water-tight as it should be.
With that in mind, let’s review 5 of the most common IT mistakes we see in our day-to-day as an IT support company.
#1: The “Eh… we can handle it ourselves” mindset
Businesses come in all shapes and sizes, and there’s not always enough resources to go around. That’s perfectly understandable, especially for small companies and start-ups, but is it a mistake?
Making an assumption that you’ll be able to handle an IT crisis should it occur can actually cause more damage than you think. Imagine your server failed or your network became infected with unstoppable malware. If you don’t have the in-house expertise to fix it, you’ll need to call in a “break/fix” IT support company who will charge enormous one-off rates.
It may not seem so, but working with a managed IT support provider at a low monthly rate can cost you far less in the long term – and offer you peace of mind.
#2: Relying too much on old hardware
There’s a bit a common fallacy we see in IT support, especially around the use of outdated, slow, or otherwise old hardware.
It goes like this: Our IT hardware will cost too much to replace, so we’ll just keep using it. This is an understandable viewpoint, but – as we cover in our dedicated article – it’s a bit of a misnomer.
The reality is that it’ll often cost your business more in the long term to keep using hardware which is slow or outdated. The reason is twofold: first, slow hardware eats your team’s time every moment they’re spending waiting for something to load or process. And second, outdated hardware can be vulnerable to security exploits, exposing your business to cyberattacks.
#3: Insufficient protection against malware
It’s easy to assume that basic antivirus software is enough to keep your business protected against cyberthreats, and that’s true – to a certain extent.
But, as we explain in our Plain English Guide to Malware, cyber-attackers have never been more sophisticated than they are today.
In the past, protection against an established library of virus definitions was enough to keep you safe from 99% of threats. Today, though? There are a huge raft of potential threats – from phishing to fileless attacks to ransomware – and they’re getting tougher to identify. That’s why we recommend AI-powered proactive EDR platforms like SentinelOne.
#4: Not paying enough attention to backups
“It’ll never happen to me…”
That’s an easy mindset to have when it comes to protecting your critical business data, but don’t forget: it only has to happen once.
Backing up your critical business data is really a day-to-day fundamental for any business today, and doing protects not only you, but your clients too. If you don’t have disaster recovery and continuity measures built into your strategy, you can easily wind up with no recourse if the worst should happen.
If you’re new to the concept of business continuity vs. backup, you might find our handy guide very useful.
#5: Flying blind when it comes to IT strategy
What does your five-year plan look like when it comes to IT support?
For a lot of businesses, this question turns up a blank, usually because it’s not something you’ve thought about yet. At Get Support, we’ve seen what can happen if you don’t plan ahead for your IT support.
For example, software applications can go end-of-life and hardware like servers can be in need of replacement. If these things happen and you’re not ready, it can be a costly exercise to get back up to speed. That’s why all Get Support IT support agreements come with our handy IT Director service bundled in.
Find out more with our dedicated guide.
Looking for IT support in the UK? We’re here to help
If you recognise any of these IT mistakes in your own business, IT support services from Get Support might be just what you need.
With a range of in-person and remote IT services covered by our affordable IT support agreements, it’s always worth exploring what’s possible.
Get in touch today via the form below now for a free no-obligation quotation, or – if you prefer a good old-fashioned chinwag – you can reach us during office hours on 01865 59 4000.
