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We've heard the jokes about people contacting IT, to be asked if they've turned a device off and on again. But IT support is a vital aspect of your business setup if you want to expand your brand.

72 percent of businesses require a minimum of 99.99% uptime for their IT systems.

Having an in-house IT department might be beyond your budget right now. Instead, you can turn to consultants to provide similar services but in a more focused way.

Read on to discover the benefits of IT consulting for your brand.

It's Their Job to Focus on Your IT Setup.

Your business has a number of moving parts that need to be balanced. That's why you'll have different departments, or job roles, to manage each section.

An IT setup affects each of these moving parts. No one can do their job if the IT infrastructure falls apart.

Turning to IT consulting takes the pressure off your business. It allows the professionals to focus on the IT setup.

The average cost of infrastructure downtime is $100,000 per hour. Having consultants focused on your IT setup means those problems can be prevented before they happen or fixed quickly.

It's one less thing for you to worry about. Researching and implementing new solutions can be time-consuming if IT isn't your area of expertise. Handing that to professionals allows your business the space and time to focus on what it does.

IT Consulting Can Streamline Your Business.

Few businesses start with a formal IT system in place. The system you end up with is often ad hoc and the different elements don't always work together.

Consultants focus on streamlining the processes to remove anything that's unnecessary. This helps to cut out those aspects that impact on your business's productivity.

It also speeds up a lot of the processes which in turn helps streamline how the business works.

For example, they'll identify the right software to suit your business needs. Using one solution instead of three hacked together can save money in the long run.

They can handle the integration of new programs to ensure the systems remain compatible with one another. Or they can find ways to get the most out of your existing software.

Using consultants also saves money on the cost of hiring employees. You don't incur overhead for an employee being in the building. And you save on taxes.

Work with your consultant to decide which payment plans suit you best. Paying by the project is great for a large, complex project. An hourly rate suits keeping them on retainer so you have them as a backup.

They Can Improve Your Business's Security.

Part of the job of identifying problems with your current IT setup is identifying security issues. Changing the programs you use might solve some of those problems.

But chances are, there may be other weak points in your system. Consider how employees connect to your network. Do they use remote access to work from home?

IT consultants can strengthen your IT setup's defenses at any of these weak points to prevent unauthorized access. They can help you to protect yourself against ransomware.

Ask your consulting service to provide training to your employees to help keep themselves safe. Good security practices are just as valuable as all the firewalls in the world.

As much as they might think they're being safe, staff sometimes need a reminder about staying stay online.

It's worth also adding a 'disaster recovery plan' to the scope of the project. Consultants can advise you on what systems to put in place if the worst should happen.

Enjoy 24/7 Availability.

Security threats don't observe a 9-5 day. And software can crash without any warning. Some IT projects can't be implemented within a convenient 40-hour week timeframe.

Using consulting services guarantees that someone is available to help 24/7 if the worst should happen. And projects can be implemented quicker because of that laser focus we mentioned earlier.

They'll also monitor your systems and network to spot problems before they become an issue. Prevention is always better than cure and this kind of proactive approach means you'll have fewer critical issues during the working day.

Having a service available at all hours means software updates or system upgrades can occur at night, minimizing disruption within your business.

The consultants want to keep your business running smoothly as much as you do.

Get the Expertise of a Team of Specialists.

No matter how good a single IT professional is, they're only one person. Investing in IT consulting gives you access to a team of specialists, each with their own expertise.

They can work together to devise solutions to suit your business. Or they can pool their knowledge in the event of a problem to solve it quicker.

Developing that same wide range of knowledge in an in-house IT role takes time. Yet it's available on-demand from your chosen consultants.

It also gives them more of an 'open' approach when it comes to problem-solving. An in-house IT department becomes focused only on what suits your industry.

While that level of focus is good, it also makes it difficult to innovate. IT consultants need to keep up with technology changes. They can spot trends in other industries that might improve your systems too.

That means your business only needs to invest in the technology that it needs. You don't want to spend money on a new solution just because it's in all of the headlines if it won't help you move forward.

A Full-Service Technology Partner You Can Trust

Maybe you like the sound of having a specialist team on-call. Or perhaps you're sold on the idea of less downtime and more streamlined systems.

If you're convinced by the benefits of IT consulting, then you need to find a reputable and reliable service to provide those benefits.

Contact Advanced Network Professionals today to find out more about our tailored approach to technology consulting.

We're happy to answer your questions and to help you get started implementing a solution that's fit for the twenty-first century.