IT Alert: Don’t Try To ‘DIY’ These 3 Seemingly Simple Things

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Someone, somewhere ended up calling a plumber in a panic because they YouTubed a fix for their leaky faucet, and their kitchen turned into a swimming pool. Two years of pandemic in the rearview, and we’ve all grown a little more tech savvy. Most of us are pretty confident using and troubleshooting the tools we have at our disposal, and that’s great. 

Fixing your sink is great, too, but knowing what problems are too big to tackle on your own is even more important. What may seem like a “leaky faucet” problem can actually be a “call the plumber” problem. The same applies to IT and the technology you use to run your business.

Save yourself a headache (and a potential security breach) by NOT trying to DIY these things:

 

  • Data backup and sharing 

Sure, you may be well-versed in Google Drive, Dropbox, or one of the many other consumer-oriented solutions. Everyone’s already using something like these to backup their photos and important files. So what’s the problem with setting up a company Google Drive to store data and share it between employees? The answer is almost nothing (if you know exactly what you’re doing AND you’re comfortable only backing up your data to the cloud). 

Okay, those are pretty big caveats. Here’s why: most of these cloud storage and file sharing services DO offer business-oriented plans and solutions, but that’s not what most of us are familiar with using. There are so many considerations that come with setting up file storage and sharing. Here are just a few of the big ones:

  • Who has access to save, delete, move, and change files…and which ones?
  • Who can see what is shared and when?
  • What file/revision history is available?
  • Can the files be made available locally?
  • Can multiple people work on a file at the same time?

This is in addition to the fact that you will want a physical backup and restore solution as part of your overall data strategy as well. When (not if) something fails, you want to be up and running in no time. That’s not possible if all your eggs are in one basket and that basket comes crashing down.

That’s why we recommend leaving this to a professional Managed IT Services team that can handle your data safely and securely, with a plan for speedy recovery in case of emergency. What’s more, they can use a more comprehensive solution like Microsoft Teams through Office365 to create a safe and effective environment for collaboration and sharing files.

 

  • Buying new hardware

As much as you love your shiny new gadget, nothing lasts forever. Whether it’s a laptop, tablet, or phone you’ll need to replace it eventually. It can be tempting to do it yourself, because how hard could it be to go to Dell or Apple and buy a new laptop? Obviously, it’s not hard to click add to cart and purchase a great device. The hard part comes when considering how that device fits into your IT ecosystem.

If you’re a one-man shop using your personal devices for your business, no worries. As soon as you need 2 devices to talk to each other and share information, you’ve got a network. With a network, comes security and compatibility concerns. You have to make sure your computers can print to the printer, and receive automatic updates, and share files with each other, and can be remotely logged into by both the user and IT tech support, and is your head spinning yet?

If you already have a large network, you understand how important it is to consider what devices are added to it. If you don’t, it’s important to start off correctly so you can plan how to scale into the future. Either way, let your Managed IT Services team save you the headache. 

 

  • Video conferencing

Early on in the pandemic, the verb “to zoom” quickly became the noun “Zoom” which then promptly became a verb again with an entirely new meaning—to video chat. With many classrooms, meetings, and even concerts moving online for safety, Zoom dethroned FaceTime as the goto household name in video conferencing.

So yeah, now everybody knows how to Zoom. We all have it installed, and we all know how to use it. That makes it a no-brainer for businesses to incorporate into their workflow, right? Well, like your cousin’s relationship status on Facebook after a contentious Thanksgiving…it’s complicated. 

While Zoom has been addressing it’s security issues over time, there are still concerns. For a one-off meeting with a potential new client, it’s probably okay. However, when implementing a standard for your organization, there are solutions like Microsoft Teams that are built with data security for business in mind. With Teams, properly implemented by a Managed IT Services team, you’ll have the confidence your organization is using a secure solution custom built for its needs. 

The best part? Microsoft Teams, as part of Office365, works hand-in-hand with other services your business likely needs, like data backup, office software, chat, and dozens more. All these pieces “talk to each other” in a comprehensive way that helps improve efficiency, without worrying (so much) about safety or requiring employees to learn a dozen apps for each solution you need.

Ready to stop Googling “back up data easy DIY”? We can help. Contact amshot for a free consultation.

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