As our series continues, it’s perfectly understandable if you’re still unfamiliar with all the different IT services out there for your small to medium-sized business. Each business is unique and therefore, needs a unique solution, especially when it comes to email hosting, mobile, and voice services.

In our first installment, we went over Managed IT Services, Monitoring Services, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR), and Firewall services. (backlinks) Our second blog went over data infiltration and how a managed service provider can help you with Cybersecurity Services, Security and Compliance Auditing Services, and Antivirus Protection Services. Our third blog went into Cloud Computing Services, Business Intelligence & Data Analytics Services, IT Development, and Network Services.  

In this installment, we talk about the practical day-to-day application management needed when running a small business.

Email Hosting Services 

Given that an email is a ubiquitous form of communication in the world of business, this is one of the more important services on this list. It may not deal specifically with security, but it relates to both internal and external communication, which does pose some security risks. 

When choosing an email host, it’s important not just to consider which brand you’re familiar with, but also which one offers the best security and added tools, such as a calendar, among others. 

There are a few different email hosting types: 

●        Self-Hosted Email — This type of hosting is a little less common than others because it usually requires your business to have your own servers on which to host email, rather than just using a third-party provider like Gmail or Yahoo. This option gives more control over the service and its security, but you pay for the added costs that come with the servers and systems admins that maintain them. This option also makes it more difficult to keep your business’s email from getting marked as spam. 

●        Shared Web and Email Hosting — This is when your email hosting also comes from the hosting provider of your website. Many times, email hosting is added to the web hosting service for free. 

●        Third-Party Email Hosting — This type of email hosting is usually paid for via subscription and comes with more features—shared contacts, calendars, messaging, and even built-in video conferencing—than you’d get with your web host provider. 

Mobile Device Management

Bring your own device (BYOD) policies live in this type of service. It deals with mobile and remote networking which allows employees to work from the convenience of home or simply out of the office (OOO). 

Though this type of IT service isn’t absolutely necessary, demand is growing with so many companies working remotely. 

Unified Communications & Voice Over IP Services

Unified communications deal with the bringing together of all business communications via careful planning and software solutions. So instead of communicating from multiple platforms, you do so in one convenient space. 

This service can be set up on your own, but it can also be managed by a Managed Service Provider (MSP). 

Voice over IP (VoIP) replaces traditional telephone lines by allowing your business to make and receive calls over the internet. This service typically comes as a subscription and is often packaged with other services like video conferencing and messaging. 

Managed Print Services 

Managing your business’s print can be a large task and is often taken care of in-house. However, there are some instances where third parties take on high volumes of printing requests. There are some versions of this service that manage and maintain the backups of digital documentation, as well as the organization and safety of virtual files. 

Help Desk Services

Help desk services assist with the installation, set-up, and ongoing maintenance/repair of your office tech equipment and some appliances. 

Popular examples of companies that offer these services include Geek Squad and Support Ninja, but an MSP may also be able to help with these services, depending on which you go with.

As you can see, more goes into the complex world of business IT services than the common owner understands. In order to get the full capabilities and efficiency needed for your company to succeed, consider a managed service provider.

Commprise works in both CT and MA to administer on-site services that help with all the above. Click here to get a free consultation: www.commprise.com