Non-profits, like all businesses, run best when they have people heading each department that are qualified and excel in their fields – do you have the best IT Services?
What Should Nonprofits Be Looking For In IT Services?
Nonprofits in St. Louis must make the best use of their funding to support the causes they serve. Some think that spending money on technology is too expensive – but that’s not the case if you use have the right St. Louis IT company.
Nonprofits struggle with many challenges that traditional enterprise-based corporations do not, given that they often operate on the bare minimum of resources, staff and volunteers.
While you’re grateful for every last person who gives of their time, talent, and treasures to assist your efforts, they don’t always have all of the skill sets you need to successfully run the operation. This often means that you have to pick up the slack – and while you are happy to help, you have limitations yourself.
Nonprofits, like all businesses, run best when they have people heading each department that are experts in their fields.
That’s not easy to come by when you are dependent on volunteer labor and have a small budget. More than that, you have a lot of places you need your money – and personnel – to go. Unfortunately, technology and IT employees are sometimes the last things to be considered in the budget.
That means that non-profits like yours often run into the same challenges:
- Finance: Every dollar you spend on IT is a dollar you can’t devote towards your purpose as non-profit. That means every dollar (no matter how few) has to count.
- People: It can be difficult to hire expert team members when other industries offer larger salaries, better hours, and more benefits.
- Mobile: Staying mobile means investing in new technology, and refreshing it every few years – that takes time (and, again, money).
These are all areas in which Managed IT services can provide an advantage…
What Are Managed IT Services?
When you subscribe to Managed IT Services, you’ll have access to enterprise-class technology without buying, configuring or maintaining it yourself.
The IT company in St. Louis you work with should provide comprehensive server and computer management services that proactively update, manage and backup your information technology. When issues crop up, they can be resolved remotely before they cause interruptions or downtime.
Some of the services you’ll benefit from include:
- Setup of network infrastructures, Internet, firewalls, wireless, phones, antivirus, backups and more
- Unlimited support for computer hardware
- A Helpdesk staffed by IT professionals
- Automatic data backup and disaster recovery services
- Automated patch management and system optimization
- 24/7 Remote Monitoring and Management of your network and systems
- IT asset inventory and license management
- Cybersecurity and compliance services
- Web content filtering and threat protection
- Mobile Device Management for BYOD devices
- Email service and encryption
Easy To Budget For
Managed IT Services help you use technology in a cost-conscious way. Your IT company in St. Louis will help you learn how you can increase your efficiencies and achieve your mission by using effective, productivity-boosting IT solutions.
With Managed IT Services there are no upfront costs. Instead, you pay for them via a fixed monthly fee that’s manageable and predictable. This makes for easy budgeting.
And you can preserve your money and use it for the charitable work you do. And rather than spending your funds on hardware and software licensing, you can subscribe to solutions like Hardware as a Service and Software as a Service where you pay according the to what you use. You never have to worry about wasting your money on outdated or inefficient technologies.
A Complete Outsourced IT Department
Working for a nonprofit means that you must wear many hats. Employing staff is costly and so are IT techs. Hiring IT staff is expensive, and especially so in St. Louis. You’ll probably have to pay close to $100,000 a year for one IT specialist. Then you’ve got the benefits, sick days, vacation and training to cover. When you sign up for Managed IT Services and outsource your technology needs, you’ll have an entire team of IT specialists for much less.
Reliable, Secure & Complies With Regulations
An IT environment that’s monitored and managed by professionals promotes reliability and security. Managed IT Services close the gaps in your security and keep your technology up and running.
Your data will be protected by a range of industry-leading security solutions, best practices, and expert cybersecurity personnel. Your St. Louis IT company’s team will keep your systems running smoothly and protect your data so you don’t have to worry and can focus on your mission.
And, if you must comply with state or government regulations, your IT company in St. Louis can provide services to make sure your technology complies. Your members’ and donors’ confidential data will remain private with cybersecurity services and RMM your St. Louis IT company delivers.
Customized To Your Exact Needs
Having access to the right technology is essential for nonprofits. You can’t afford to waste money on solutions that don’t work. Your IT company in St. Louis will align your technology to help you achieve your mission. And, they can procure the technology you need at a better price than you can on your own.
Managed IT Services Are Scalable
Managed IT Services provide a highly reliable and flexible solution that can grow as your nonprofit does. You can easily add services as you need them, as well as software and hardware for new projects and additional employees or volunteers.
Services can be customized to include things like cloud hosting, VoIP business phones, collaborative software like Microsoft Office 365 and other capabilities that nonprofits benefit from. And, you can expand your IT infrastructure quickly as you increase your membership or outreach.
Rapid Deployment Of Cloud Solutions
Cloud computing provides many benefits. It can reduce costs and provide the anywhere -anytime access your staff and volunteers require.
Investing in services from the right St. Louis IT company will provide you with cloud solutions like Software as a Service or hosted products like Hosted Remote Desktop Services, so you can have access to enterprise-class technology without the costs and management worries.
Strategic IT Consultants Are Always Available
Just like you’ve developed a 3-year business plan for your nonprofit, you need a strategic IT plan for today and tomorrow. A St. Louis IT company can help you design a plan to make the most of your technology budget and advise you as new technologies emerge. And you can take advantage of their CIO services without hiring one.
Like this article? Check out the following blogs to learn more about St. Louis IT:
IT Security & Cybersecurity Services For Nonprofit Organizations
Microsoft Office 365 and St. Louis Nonprofits (Questions/Answers)
