As a small business owner in Ottawa, you may feel you’re being pulled in multiple directions at once. We understand that as we have worked with other business owners in Ottawa that have told us the same thing.
It’s a problem not only limited to Ottawa but worldwide.
Small business owners often have to wear many hats and for the majority of the time they get away with it. But when it comes to IT services and IT support it’s not something a business owner can stumble through.
Setting up a slow network or an unsecured network for example could be disastrous to a business and could put them out of business if a cyber attack were to happen. A slow network could also make your business less efficient and would cost you money.
Here is where an IT consultant comes in.
An IT consultant or an IT consulting company like ours can help suggest how technology can be used to improve your business and put you on a better path for business growth.
Importance of IT Consulting
At Firewall technical we have provided IT support and services to many businesses in Ottawa who were experts in their field. A medical practice for example could be a world leader in providing cosmetic procedures but they wouldn’t have the first idea on how they can create a computer network that allows their staff to connect with each other and share patient files securely and efficiently, here is where an IT consultant comes in.
An IT consultant can help with:
- Building a network.
- Keeping data secure.
- Backing up your data.
- Email creation and support.
- Cybersecurity and compliance.
Usually, an IT consultant will have many years of experience in working in your industry so they may also have recommendations on how your system can be improved to make it more efficient and cost-effective so that your business can become more profitable.
Do I need an IT consultant?
If you have an in house IT support team you may not need an IT consultant for your business, but what we would say about that is that every company will run and suggest different ways of solving problems and because technology changes all of the time it could be worth getting a second opinion on your IT setup to see if there is another way of doing it making your business more efficient.
If an IT consultant finds out that your current system is slow and is causing bottlenecks in your system then fixing this could allow your business to be more profitable which would pay for the IT consultants fees over the long term.
Is IT consulting the same as business consulting?
There is a big overlap between the two, as business consulting can look at the equipment you use within your business to see if it’s cost-effective. The same can be said for IT consulting.
However, with that said they should be seen as two separate job roles. An IT consultant should concentrate on the technical side of a business including its network architecture, its security protocols and configuring hardware and software for its users.
A business consultant on the other hand should look at processes and strategies for making a business more profitable. This could be anything from deciding on markets to enter to building out buyer personas to target through their marketing.
Are there alternatives to hiring an IT consultant?
An in-house team of IT experts can be an alternative to hiring an IT consultant to provide your business with IT support. This is something larger companies will turn to when developing their IT infrastructure. There are benefits and disadvantages of building your own in-house IT support team so it all comes down to your personal preferences.
Generally budget plays a huge part in deciding whether you should hire an in-house team or an outsourced IT consultant.
Benefits of hiring an in-house IT team include:
- Very quick at solving problems.
- Quality of work is monitored.
- Nothing is out of scope.
- In their interest to solve problems quickly.
Disadvantages of hiring in in-house IT team include:
- Limitations in knowledge as one person can’t know everything.
- Costly to hire a big team of experts.
- Support is often limited to work hours (9 am to 5 pm)
- More expensive than hiring an IT consultant.
Should your small business hire an IT Consultant?
An IT consultant for your business will save you money compared to hiring a whole team of IT experts to provide your business with both IT services and Support.
If you find yourself having problems with your businesses networks or computers then talking to an IT consultant could take a whole lot of stress away from you.
If you are looking for an IT consultant in Ottawa that can provide your business with the help, support and IT services that your business needs then Firewall Technical can help.
We have provided IT support and services in the Ottawa area for many years and have helped Canadian businesses with everything from email setup to whole network configurations. We understand that hiring an IT consultant or an IT support company can be difficult so we make it as simple as possible and keep the computing jargon to a minimum.
If you would like to discuss your IT needs talk to one of our IT consultants today.