Getting What You Need From Your Pittsburgh IT Consulting Company?

If you are like most business owners in Pittsburgh, you are too busy to run your business to worry about IT matters. However, IT is at the heart of your technology infrastructure; thus, it is a core component in your productivity and your bottom line. All it takes is a power outage, a worn out server, or a security breach to disrupt your workflow and even shut your business down.

For this reason, it is imperative that you have a basic understanding of all the products and services that your Pittsburgh IT consulting firm offers and how they benefit your company. Below, we answer a common question that many people ask:

What does a Pittsburgh IT consulting company offer my business?

These are the services that a reputable company should provide to keep your business safe and help you sustain your company for many years to come.

Service #1: Managed IT Services

At the top of most Pittsburgh IT consulting company’s list of services is Managed IT, a sort of umbrella service that includes assistance on various levels. The key component to a powerful managed IT service — and one you should look for — is a proactive strategy that prevents problems from happening instead of a reactive ‘fix-it’ strategy that deals with problems after the fact.

What components of your business does Right Hand Manage?

  • Virtual servers and desktops
  • In-house and Mobile devices
  • Network security
  • Cloud computing
  • IT Infrastructure
  • Business phone (VoIP)
  • Business continuity

Any IT company worth partnering with will offer both remote (their location) and on-site (your location) services to assist you with your IT issues. Most IT issues can be handled remotely. However, you may experience problems that require an IT specialist to arrive on-site.

Service #2: IT Security

Some of the largest most secure corporations and government agencies in the world have fallen prey to a single hacker sitting in a dark room with a simple computer. In most cases where companies either lost millions of dollars, hackers stole massive amounts of data, or employee & customer privacy was compromised, something could have been done to prevent the hacker from gaining access to the network.

If it can happen to them, then it can happen to you.

For this reason, Pittsburgh IT consulting companies add IT security as a primary service for both small and mid-size businesses in every industry. If IT problem prevention is essential in managed IT services, then it is paramount in IT security.

It really comes down to this: You can invest in protecting your digital assets and save yourself time, energy, and money; OR, you can waste thousands of dollars restoring your system, retrieving your data, and rebuilding your business after the fallout from a security breach.

So, when interviewing an IT consulting firm, find out exactly what security services they offer, how they work, and how they benefit your business. Some products or services you should look for include:

  • Wi-Fi & network security
  • Email security
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Identity verification
  • Role-based access
  • Spam filtering
  • Data encryption & backup
  • Physical security integrations
  • Antivirus & firewall implementation and monitoring
  • Internet traffic monitoring

Two added features that experienced IT companies offer are security assessments and penetration testing. These are valuable proactive strategies that test your network for vulnerabilities so that you can make the necessary changes to tighten your IT security. We perform penetration testing quarterly by simulating real-world cyber-attacks and then critiquing the results.

Service #3: Cloud Services

By now, you’ve heard of the cloud, a virtual digital platform that allows you to share files, store data, collaborate, and use your apps and software in various capacities. The best thing about cloud servers is that they are scalable. Your business will never outgrow them.

The best IT companies in Pittsburgh recognize and make use of cloud-based IT services in almost every area of your IT infrastructure. Since the cloud offers virtually unlimited flexibility, our team can show you how you can leverage your software, reduce costs, and improve efficiency by turning to cloud services. We can help you gain an advantage over the competition and help you lead your industry.

What are some typical applications that you can utilize in the cloud?

E-commerce Platforms

If you sell goods and products to customers, an e-commerce platform can offer additional revenue streams. With existing cloud-based e-commerce platforms, it is possible to start an online store in just a few minutes.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Managing customer data and sales processes are vital for your business. Because of the cloud, your business you can implement CRM strategies and integrate them with your current applications.

Collaboration Solutions

Cloud-based solutions enable a new level of collaboration for everyone in your organization. Online storage, document editing, and project management tools allow teams to work together from any on-site or remote location in the world.

Security

Cloud-based security solutions maintained and monitored by Right Hand give you access to advanced technology and highly-skilled security specialists for a fraction of what it would cost for you to hire in-house personnel.

Service #4: VoIP Business Telephone

Speaking of cloud-based services, small and mid-size companies just like yours are saving hundreds of dollars by switching to Voice over IP (VoIP) telephone systems. VoIP offers a more reliable and cost-effective way to communicate with your team, your business partners, and your customers.

Why is VoIP so popular?

Here’s why: VoIP converts your voice into a digital signal.

That simple process can completely transform the way you communicate and the way you set up and use your communication system. VoIP allows you to discard outdated, expensive, and complicated phone system and simplify your approach using a simple headset and your computer or wireless device.

And the best thing about VoIP is that, in most cases, you get the following additional features either at no-cost or at low-cost:

  • Voicemail
  • Auto Attendant
  • Call Routing
  • Caller ID
  • Follow Me Forwarding
  • Direct Inbound Dialing (DID)
  • Message Waiting Indication
  • Multi Call Appearance
  • Click-to-Call
  • Desktop Console
  • Hunt Groups
  • ACD/Call Queuing
  • Daylight Savings Time
  • Day/Night/Holiday Switching

Since VoIP is both digital and cloud-based, then it offers a fully scalable solution. You can add, remove, or change the software or hardware at any time with zero disruption in your system. Most VoIP systems are also easy to integrate and easy to learn.

Bonus: Additional IT Services

IT companies in Pittsburgh that genuinely care about their clients will continue to find new solutions and ways to improve the IT experience in all the areas we listed above. With this in mind, Right Hand also offers these supplemental IT services:

  • Cybersecurity audits
  • Vacation, maternity, and sick time fill-in
  • Off-hours emergency IT support
  • Advising on compliance matters
  • Remote security and efficiency monitoring
  • Daily maintenance tasks
  • Collaboration on strategic and specialized projects
  • Help desk for the IT questions of the other employees
  • Other duties to keep your business running efficiently

This is our way of taking the extra step to ensure that you have everything you need for your company. You will not find many of these services offered by other IT companies.

Complete IT Services in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Right Hand partners with businesses across the Greater Pittsburgh Area to discover and implement IT solutions that protect the networks and data while fostering business growth. We want to help you become more efficient and profitable through the use of computers, mobile devices, servers and other technology that drive our world today.

To find out more about how we can help you with your IT infrastructure, then contact us today at (412) 254-4448. You can also message us at info@rhtg.net or start an online chat. We are here to help you!

  •   Jason Vanzin
  •   Apr 13, 2019
  •   Blog