IT Planning & Recovery Insights

Industry Insights

Category: IT Planning & Recovery

Benefits of Managed IT for Architecture Firms

Architectural firms have unique IT needs, and rely on specialized software and applications, large data storage, and seamless connectivity. Employees working in-office and remotely need to be able to access, share, and collaborate on files, blueprints, schematics, and 3D models. Managing your network infrastructure can be a time-consuming and complex task, and unforeseen IT issues can have serious consequences in terms of diminished productivity, disrupted deadlines, data loss, and compromised security.

Managed IT services can provide myriad benefits for architectural firms.

Customized IT Solutions

Every architecture firm is unique and IT needs may vary. In an industry that requires highly specialized software, large file storage, and CAD support, a Managed IT services provider with experience in the field of architecture and building design is invaluable, offering custom tailored solutions to meet your firm’s specific needs.

Streamlined Operations

The architecture industry demands precision and efficiency. By outsourcing IT management, firms can streamline operations, reduce downtime, and ensure that teams have access to the resources they need. This translates into greater efficiency and allows architects to concentrate on their core competencies without getting bogged down by IT issues.

Enhanced Cybersecurity

Protecting sensitive client information, intellectual property and proprietary design plans is essential to your business. Managed IT services provide robust cybersecurity measures, including firewalls, antivirus software, and threat detection monitoring, ensuring that valuable data is secure.

Proactive Maintenance and Support

Rather than waiting for issues to arise, a Managed IT services provider takes a proactive approach to maintenance and support. Regular system updates, software patches, and preventative measures will be implemented to address potential problems before they impact daily operations. Round-the-clock monitoring means issues are addressed promptly, minimizing downtime and providing a stable and reliable IT environment.

Cost-Effective Solutions

Managing an IT department in-house can be financially burdensome, particularly for smaller architecture firms. Managed IT services offer a cost-effective solution, with a predictable payment schedule, your business can budget effectively, strategically allocate resources, and avoid unexpected IT expenses.

Improved Communication and Collaboration

Architectural design demands effective collaboration. Managed IT services ensure that your team has access to seamless communication tools, file-sharing capabilities, and real time collaboration platforms, whether working in the same office or remotely.

Data Backup and Recovery

It goes without saying that data loss can have devastating consequences for architectural firms. Managed IT services include comprehensive data backup and a robust recovery strategy to protect critical files and avoid disruption to operations.

Compliance and Regulation

Following regulations regarding client confidentiality and data privacy is essential for architecture firms, both to meet legal obligations and maintain client trust. Managed IT service providers understand industry-specific compliance standards and will ensure that your business adheres to them.

An efficient, secure, and accessible IT system is critical to your company’s success and effective management and monitoring is an often-complex task. Among the many IT challenges architectural firms face is integrating the latest technology into existing infrastructure, performing proactive maintenance, and ensuring security, compliance, 24/7 monitoring, and ongoing management. This is where Managed IT services can help, by providing customized, comprehensive IT solutions that allow you to focus on what you do best and position your business for success.

How to Revive Your Neglected IT Strategy and Get Back On Track

In today’s fast-paced digital world, technology is the driving force behind organizational success. A well thought out IT strategy can be a game-changer, propelling your business to new heights. Conversely, neglecting your IT systems for too long can be a costly mistake, leading to a host of problems, from security vulnerabilities to operational inefficiencies. The good news is that it’s never too late to turn things around.

Here’s how to revitalize your IT strategy and get back on the right track.

Assess Your Current IT Landscape

The first step in reviving your neglected IT is to conduct a comprehensive assessment. Take a hard look at your existing IT strategy–infrastructure, software, hardware, and documentation. What’s working, and what isn’t? Where have you fallen behind in terms of technology adoption or innovation? Identify areas of weakness, potential security risks, and technical debt. This assessment will serve as the foundation for your IT revitalization plan.

Develop a Clear IT Strategy

Now that you understand the current state of your IT, it’s time to chart a course for the future. First, define both your short-term and long-term objectives. What do you want your IT infrastructure to achieve, and how does it align with your business goals? Next, create a strategic plan that outlines your IT goals, budget, and timeline for improvements. This plan should align with your organization’s overall objectives, ensuring IT supports your business rather than hindering it.

Prioritize Cyber Security

Neglected IT systems are often vulnerable to security threats. Start by assessing and shoring up your security measures. This includes updating software, implementing strong passwords and two-factor authentication, and educating your employees about cybersecurity best practices. Consider bringing in a security expert to perform a thorough audit and make recommendations.

Upgrade and Modernize

Outdated hardware and software can slow down your operations and hinder productivity. Prioritize replacing systems that are outdated and eliminating those that no longer serve your organization’s needs. Determine which technologies will help your business operate, encourage innovation, and drive growth, and allocate resources to modernize your IT infrastructure. Invest in technologies that will streamline operations and empower employees, boosting both efficiency and effectiveness. This may include migrating to cloud-based solutions, mobile technologies, virtualizing servers, or updating legacy applications.

Implement IT Management Tools

Every area of your organization–from finance to procurement to HR–is affected by IT management, and effective management requires the right tools and processes. Start by identifying pain points and inefficiencies so you have a clear idea of what you need from your IT management software. Engage with your stakeholders about what functionalities they would like to see included. Then you’ll be able to research and invest in IT management software that will monitor and maintain your systems effectively. These tools can provide real-time insights, automate routine tasks, and alert you to potential issues before they become critical.

Build a Skilled IT Team

IT neglect is often due to a lack of expertise and/or manpower. For businesses that don’t have the resources or desire to hire a full team of IT professionals, outsourcing IT management can be a cost-effective solution. Consider hiring IT professionals who can either support your internal IT team, or fully manage and maintain your systems, and keep your business safe from cyberattack.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Backup and disaster recovery are critical components of IT management for many compelling reasons. Data is often a company’s most valuable asset and losing it can have serious consequences, whether it’s customer files, financial data or intellectual property. A data breach can also erode customer trust and damage your company’s reputation.

Downtime can be costly. When an IT system fails, your business can’t operate effectively. Backup and disaster recovery solutions are designed to minimize downtime and swiftly restore systems, reducing lost productivity and revenue. Whether data loss is due to human error, natural disaster, or hardware or software failure, comprehensive backups allow your business to quickly stabilize, minimizing the impact.

Don’t wait until data loss or a system failure occurs to recognize the importance of a backup and disaster recovery plan. Establish procedures and test your disaster recovery plan to ensure that your data is secure and recoverable in case of a catastrophic event. There are expenses involved in setting up and maintaining a robust backup and disaster recovery system, but the potential savings in the event of a disaster far outweighs the cost.

User Training and Support

Your employees are a crucial part of your IT ecosystem. Provide ongoing training to ensure they’re equipped with the right skills, and understand how to use IT resources efficiently and securely. Collaboration and communication across all levels of your organization is essential. Make sure that every department understands the role IT plays in achieving business objectives, and empower your IT professionals to take the lead in executing your strategy. Establish a helpdesk or IT support system to address employee concerns and troubleshoot issues promptly.

Review, Maintain, and Adapt

Reviving your neglected IT strategy is not a one-time effort; it’s an ongoing process. Make sure you schedule regular maintenance and monitoring of your IT infrastructure. Perform updates, patches, and security scans as needed to keep your systems up-to-date and secure. Regularly review your strategy and assess its effectiveness. Stay informed about emerging technologies and trends, and be ready to adapt your IT strategy accordingly. Continuous improvement is essential to avoid falling back into a state of neglect.

Neglected IT systems can be a significant liability, but it doesn’t have to be a permanent setback. By reassessing your strategy, defining clear objectives, prioritizing security and training, and embracing new technology, your organization can get back on the right track. Invest in skilled personnel, a robust backup and disaster recovery plan, and IT management tools or services and you can ensure that your IT infrastructure becomes a valuable asset that furthers your business goals. In the ever-evolving world of technology, adaptation and resilience are key to long-term success. Implement a well thought out IT strategy and watch your organization thrive.

Need help getting your IT strategy back on track? Get in touch with our experienced team or connect with us below to start the conversation.

How To Budget For IT

For your business to stay competitive, establishing an effective and efficient IT budget is essential. It goes without saying that your business depends on technology to survive, but your budget is also a tool to optimize available funding and allocate it in a way that supports your overall IT strategy. Budgeting effectively will save time and money spent on unplanned IT needs that inevitably arise in the absence of a transparent and well-thought-out plan. The process of creating a budget should help you identify deficiencies and reduce waste, as well as forecast, prioritize, and justify strategic IT expenditures. Your budget shouldn’t just be an IT “wish list.” It should serve as a blueprint to ensure funding for initiatives that align with your company’s long-term goals.

So how do you go about creating an IT budget?

Identify Your IT Inventory

Efficient budgeting begins with a comprehensive assessment of your current IT resources, including an inventory of hardware, software, network infrastructure, services, subscriptions, and staffing. Identifying your existing resources (along with your technical debt) is fundamental to budgeting for the future. Previous budgets can serve as a baseline and a tool–learn from the past, but don’t be afraid to make changes to support evolving business goals.

Set Clear IT Objectives

Now that you have a clear picture of what you have to work with, it’s time to establish your IT objectives. What do you want your technology to achieve in the coming year and beyond? Your objectives might include enhancing cybersecurity, upgrading hardware, improving customer support systems, or implementing new software. A careful examination of previous years’ budgets likely brought to light areas of overspending and technical debt. Setting clear objectives will make it easier to trim fat and allocate funds more effectively.

Prioritize and Justify IT Initiatives

Which IT investments are essential and which are nice-to-haves? Are there significant projects in the coming year that require technology upgrades or additional IT support? Spending should be prioritized to reflect the objectives you’ve set. Be prepared to clearly communicate your IT strategy, its impact, and the projected ROI of your initiatives. Present a cohesive plan and be able to articulate how your proposed budget will support overall business goals.

Allocate Resources To IT

Divide your IT budget into categories, beginning with ongoing expenses. This should include the following:

Hardware: servers; computing equipment, for in-office and remote workers; and network infrastructure
Software: subscriptions, licenses, and support contractss
Personnel: both employees and outsourced staff, and expenses related to recruitment
Security: cybersecurity should be a significant component of your IT budget. Security threats are ever-evolving, so allocate funds for regular security assessments, employee training, and the implementation of robust security tools.
Training: employee training is often the first thing to go when budgets get cut, but knowledgeable employees are essential to maximize the value of your tech investments.

Your project-specific expenses should also be outlined in the same way, including any consulting fees, contract staff, and administrative costs, along with additional office space, hardware, and software required. Be realistic about costs and allow some wiggle room for unexpected expenses that may arise. Identify future investments needed to support your overall IT strategy. Leave room in your budget for scalability, including necessary upgrades and expansion of IT support staff.

We coach our customers on the 2-3% rule for IT budgeting. If you are trying to maintain a steady state, budget 2% of your top line revenue to go toward IT. If you are looking to grow, changing business strategies or preparing for a large change in your company, budget 3%. Of that 3%, ~50% should go toward managed services and labor and ~50% on cloud licenses, your internet service provider and new hardware.

Leveraged Managed IT Services

Outsourcing some of your IT needs to managed IT service providers can help control costs and ensure you have access to expert support when needed. Proactive monitoring and network maintenance will reduce unexpected spending and provide peace of mind.

Budgeting for IT isn’t just about managing expenses. It’s about investing strategically to drive business growth and improve efficiency. Your budget ensures that your technology aligns with your business goals. A well-structured IT budget is your roadmap, and a vital tool for success in the digital age.

Business Continuity Plans for IT, and Why Your Business Needs One

Running a business means having a lot of plans – business plans, marketing plans, growth plans – but what about a business continuity plan? Your business continuity plan includes details on what you do if something goes wrong at your business. This could range from natural disasters to cyberattacks to hardware failures. You want to be prepared for anything that could go wrong, which will save you time and money in the long run.

When it comes to your IT systems and data, having a solid business continuity plan helps you deal with issues when they arise and keeps your business on track. We know most people don’t think about their IT systems on a daily basis (except us) until it breaks down. And when that happens, what do you do?

What Happens When IT Systems Fail?

As a business owner, do you know what steps to take if your IT systems suddenly aren’t working the way they should?

Think about it:

If your file server goes down and no one has access to company files, do you know what to do?
Do you have a plan in place if one of your remote staff suddenly quits, and you need to retrieve your company equipment?
How do you recover if someone on your team falls victim to a phishing scam and your company experiences a cyberattack?

You may be thinking, there’s such a small chance of any of this happening that you’ll just deal with it if it ever happens. You can absolutely take that chance. But while you’re dealing with it when it does happen, your business will be at a standstill. You may not have access to your company data, finances, files, email, and more.

Having a business continuity plan in place means you’ll know who to call, what to do, and how long it will take to get back up and running. You’ll know exactly what to do, and exactly what to tell your employees and your customers / clients.

What does a business continuity plan include?

1. Inventory of equipment and IT systems – Understanding the full scope of your IT systems is a crucial step to creating a business continuity plan.

2. Threat analysis and risk assessment – Depending on what type of business you have, threats come from different directions. Knowing where those threats and risks may come from is necessary to create mitigation and recovery plans.

3. Mitigation activities and strategies – There are steps your business can take to reduce risk (like providing cybersecurity training for employees), which may be required to get insurance coverage.

4. Data backup and recovery plans – Having regular backups of your data can help get your business back up and running quickly if you lose access or data is accidentally deleted.

5. Alternate work locations – One silver lining of COVID was the way companies adapted to a fully remote workforce. In your continuity plan, define alternative work locations for your employees to ensure your customer is taken care of. For those requiring physical plant, this may be developing key relationships within your industry to set up shop temporarily.

6. Contact information for key personnel, suppliers, and IT teams (like us!) – Knowing who is in charge of your various IT systems and who to call will help expedite the process to get your business back on track after an issue.

Once you create your plan, put it to the test! Once a year, spend a day scenario planning. QuickBooks has stopped working and all company financial data is missing. You realize someone or something has deleted the ‘Finance’ folder from your server. Was this an accident or is my business in the middle of a cyberattack?

Most of the businesses we work with are not experts in IT, and that’s where we come in. We can help you create and implement a business IT continuity plan for in-house and remote teams. We can be your IT partner to ensure your systems stay up and running, and we’ll take care of your business if and when those systems go down.

Let’s chat about your IT needs!