by Aria

Small businesses are quite vulnerable to various kinds of network security threats. They usually do not have the budget for a fully functional dedicated IT department. Moreover, IT is one of the highest paying fields so hiring an entire department is a hefty investment and expense. The most lucrative and sensible approach in this regard is to hire an external small business IT support service.

These businesses are centred on providing all-rounded IT support to companies that need help in strengthening their online presence and network security. Businesses these days need to stay on top of technological advancements and innovations. The recent COVID 19 pandemic gave a strong wake-up call to most businesses about their failing IT support systems.

During the pandemic, a lot of businesses realized that their systems were seriously outdated. Companies realized that in order for the employees to stay connected to their office work while staying at home, they needed stronger and bigger company networks. Many businesses started using online applications to stay connected with employees while they worked from home. However, when a business starts relying heavily on online connectivity, it becomes more vulnerable to network security threats.

In order to place a stronger network system, you need top-notch small business IT support that can help you in implementing solutions such as Sophos UTM.

Sophos UTM (Unified Threat Management)

This is a complete cyber security package that is important for most businesses today. It includes Next-Generation Firewall, complete antivirus, WiFi protection and web server protection. All of this is a part of a single appliance. The best part about Sophos UTM is that it gives the user complete control to the user over the features of this cyber security device without the usual complexity that is usually a part of such devices.

It has a simple user interface that is easy to understand for people. You can create policies of your own choice to handle any potential security risks. Along with that Sophos UTM also provides detailed reports to users about any threats that are encountered and tackled. This gives the user a clear picture of the loopholes in their network security settings.

How Does Sophos UTM Help Small Businesses?

There are two main features of Sophos UTM that are completely aligned with what small businesses look for in a cyber-security appliance. UTM provides a one-stop solution to most issues that a business can encounter when functioning online. It covers threat detection and management thoroughly so you do not need any additional security for your company.

Another leading feature is that UTM systems are not complicated or complex. Small businesses can easily get IT support services to set them up with Sophos UTM. This will enable them to function safely without having to invest heavily in a complete IT department.

Other Tasks That IT Support Services Can Carry Out For Small Businesses

Small businesses usually do not have too many specialized departments. The profits are not huge so they cannot spend in too many places. IT is the one function that usually gets ignored even though it is quite important. In that case, you can call a small business IT support service and get them onboard. This will provide you with a safety net in the case where you encounter an IT crisis. There are many tasks that IT support services can provide, some of them are as follows:

Implementation Of Online Portals

One way to stay in touch with other employees in the company and follow up on their work is to use online portals. This is an important element when working from home. Employees need a safe and secure companywide communication portal that can enable them to stay in touch with each other. IT support services can help you implement such portals and train your employees accordingly.

Provide Cyber Security

This is probably one of the most important reasons why your company needs an IT support service. Companies function online, for the most part, these days. A lot of businesses switched their employees’ posts to work from home situations. It helps in cutting costs and also helps people in continuing work when they might otherwise just quit. For example, new mothers who have run out of maternity leave might find this situation easy to work with.

All these situations where the stress is on employees being able to work from outside the office, need strong network systems that can help employees in staying connected to their workstations. However, this needs strong cyber security systems in place that can protect your portals and websites against cybercrime. Cyberattacks on larger companies make it to the news but smaller companies are actually the largest demographic getting hit all the time and they need all the security that they can get.

A Safety Net During IT Crisis

IT issues can occur with any business. They are usually sudden and wreak havoc on the entire system. If it is a hack, you need to cover your bases quickly or you risk losing valuable data. If it is a website malfunction then you can lose revenue. A lot can go wrong in mere minutes. It is important that you have a small business IT support service on board that can help you solve these issues right away.