3 must-have managed services for every SMB

Every business, from massive enterprises to local mom-and-pop stores, has to incorporate the latest technology to stay competitive and drive revenue. Businesses operate in a digital world today, and succeeding means having the tools to maintain optimal network performance, take advantage of sophisticated platforms and safeguard critical assets.

However, doing so requires an influx in IT expertise and know-how. Even the smallest businesses need to maintain their network connections, adhere to cybersecurity best practices and keep their IT environment operating soundly. That's a large task for organizations to tackle on their own, and bringing dedicated IT staff on board to manage things is an expense that many cannot afford.

Many industry observers have warned of a looming IT skills gap that threatens to impede businesses across the country. Citing U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, CEO contributor Ed Sattar noted that there will be approximately 1.3 million IT job openings that will need to be filled by 2026.

To achieve enterprise-quality IT functionality without hiring an expensive team of experts, small and medium-sized businesses should look at their IT managed services options. For starters, consider these three must-have managed service offerings:

1. Managed security services

If it sometimes feels like cyberthreats lurk around every corner, it's because they do. Verizon's most recent Data Breach Investigations Report identified more than 53,000 security incidents this year, including 2,216 confirmed data breaches.

Small businesses are just as vulnerable to a cyberattack as their larger and more lucrative counterparts. Cybercriminals find the less sophisticated - and sometimes completely nonexistent - security measures extremely tantalizing, even if the final payout is significantly less than a major breach at a huge company.

In short, SMBs can shore up their security posture by taking advantage of managed IT services to monitor for suspicious activity as well as flag and remove known threats like viruses, spyware and spam.

2. Patch management services

An up-to-date system is a stable system. Outdated software can lead to all sorts of problems for SMBs. Malicious actors can exploit lingering vulnerabilities to gain access to internal databases, for instance, and unpatched software may not fully cooperate with newer platforms and applications.

Patch management services shoulder all of the responsibility for downloading and installing the latest software updates and ensuring that all business-critical systems are up-to-date and operationally sound. It's one less headache for SMBs to deal with.

3. Network management services

It's impossible to overstate the importance of network functionality to the modern business. All businesses, regardless of their size, are expected to be "always on," and customers will not tolerate prolonged periods of downtime. Network latency is a major concern as well, impacting both employee productivity and user experience.

Network management services, like those offered by TEKConn, include proactive maintenance and 24/7 server monitoring, network system administration and support to ensure that your network continues running properly at all times.

SMBs don't need to shell out for a large team of experienced IT staff; they can achieve the same level of performance leveraging the best managed IT services NYC has to offer. TEKConn's IT managed services provide best-in-class information technology for small businesses - at a fraction of the cost.