Not-for-profit organizations, for obvious reasons, have traditionally been late to adopt the latest technology. With strict budgetary constraints along with a heavy reliance on charitable donations, they face unique challenges keeping their technology relevant and up-to-date, a managed IT company presents several important solutions.

PROBLEM: TECHNOLOGY COSTS

With technology advancing at a blinding pace, most not-for-profit organizations opt to employ a single ‘IT specialist’ who often overcharges and is slow to respond when you face technology issues.

CompTia says that 60% of small to medium-sized businesses feel that cost prohibits them from seeking out managed IT solutions. However, of the companies that have enlisted help from service providers, only 6% said that their cost savings weren’t realized.

Managed IT offers a cheaper solution

One of the biggest strengths of managed IT is that it greatly reduces costs and gives not-for-profits an opportunity to implement technology infrastructure previously available to traditional for-profit firms. Many MSPs, follows an economical, flat-fee, meaning you have access to a dedicated team of pros for a consistent price which can be accounted for well in advance.

PROBLEM: TECHNOLOGY RELIABILITY

With technology changing and getting more complex, it’s difficult to keep systems running reliably.  In addition, the need to rely on technology to get your daily work done becomes greater every year. When internet or computer systems go down in the office many staff are left with nothing to do because all their work is information technology based.    This downtime can cost many thousands of dollars per hour in lost productivity and wasted paid salary for idle time. A managed IT provider will manage and monitor systems to avoid this downtime.

PROBLEM: SCALABILITY

Not-for-profits often feel the heat when they find themselves suddenly facing increased demand. Since it’s frequently too expensive to upgrade in-house software and hardware to meet this sudden spike, not-for-profits often run into periods of inefficiency, unable to spend their funds in the most appropriate manner.

Adjust resources without incurring extra costs

With an IT vendor by your side, you can enjoy the same degree of flexibility as large businesses. The ability to shift data to meet new demands, without incurring more costs gives you a better control over your budget, as well as the ability to keep operations smooth even during periods of rapid growth.

PROBLEM: COLLABORATION

It comes as no surprise that many employees and volunteers within a not-for-profit business have limited time and resources to put into the cause. Consequently, there is a greater need for simplified management and flexibility. With limited resources as a not-for-profit, the majority of your budget is probably going towards running day-to-day operations instead of developing an in-house tech infrastructure.

Increase collaboration without hiring additional employees

Managed IT service providers offer a centralized and easily-accessible approach that makes staff support easier and more productive. Because IT vendors ensure that your organization uses the same up to date software versions, your employees and volunteers can work on projects without being bogged down by compatibility issues . This means projects get done faster, and you save money that would otherwise be invested in employing a full-time coordinator.

PROBLEM: INDUSTRY COMPLIANCE

Not-for-profits often have to follow compliance requirements when running operations and handling sensitive data. Oftentimes –especially when handling overseas currency–  you may have more specific benchmarks to adhere to. There’s no room for error in these areas, which means you might end up paying a high fee to professionals and auditors to ensure safety and compliance.

Compliance to regulations are included in the subscription

By partnering with an experienced IT vendor, you’ll gain advice on how to respond to these regulations. Most managed service packages also guarantee compliance to industry regulations  such as HIPAA or PCI.

PROBLEM: DATA SECURITY

It is more than likely that your donors use either credit/debit cards or online platforms for donations or contributions, however, storing and securing sensitive information is a tough task, particularly with the myriad cyberthreats looming daily. This means you might have to purchase software specifically-built for protection and possibly have to invest more money into license renewal upon expiry.

Moreover, sophisticated malware can still get past the basic signature-based detection systems in use by security software.

You don’t need to purchase additional software with managed IT:

Employing managed IT services means you have real people looking after your network 24/7/365. Your IT vendor will be on the lookout for suspicious activity — either within or from outside your organization — and can inform you of any potential dangers (JIG personally responds to alerts in less that 15 minutes), as well as resolves the issues before it causes downtime.

In conclusion, let’s summarize the list of benefits a not-for-profit gains when employing managed IT services.

First, there’s the economical, flat-rate fee allowing you to n budget expenses better. Second, you can alter the amount of resources you use without incurring extra costs. Third, your technology is secure and compliant with industry standards, meaning you don’t have to hire external help. And finally, your business becomes a collaborative, communicative machine which allows for project completion within deadlines.

All of these factors signal towards one thing: the affordability of Managed IT for a not-for-profit business.

At JIG Technology, we understand that every not-for-profit relies on its ability to carry out many of the same processes that profitable businesses do, albeit within much lower budgets. That’s why we offer managed services that align with your vision and your budget. Call us today to find out more.

Outsourced managed IT support has come a long way in the last two decades. With advancements in technology such as cloud services, virtualization, and remote support, help desks are slowly overtaking their in-house equivalents. And thanks to some intelligent strategizing and slick software, keeping your organization ‘always on’ is easier than ever!

Contrary to what many believe, outsourced IT is more than a call center. If used to their fullest potential, your business will enjoy a plethora of benefits. Here are six of the most impactful ones:

A Single Point of Contact

Inquiries, requests, modifications, or complaints — an outsourced IT help desk functions as a one-stop-shop for all your needs. By combining remote and on-site support, they can troubleshoot any of your customers’ needs. Not only does this save your customers time and money, but it also relieves your staff from additional responsibility.

Of course, in order for your managed IT support to function properly, software must be put in place where employees and customers can submit requests. Not to worry though, as outsourced support will typically install, integrate, update and maintain this for you. You’ll also get the option to select between numerous industry-specific applications on the market today, making it even easier for you to contact help.

Expert Coaching for Your Staff

Managed IT support can also serve as consultants and educators for your staff, thanks to their extensive experience in the field. With occasional training and face-to-face instruction, your employees can be updated on technology best practices, upcoming IT trends and more.

Help desk staff can also provide security tips against issues like phishing scams and spam emails, and advice on how to make your staff’s job easier by automating processes to avoid unexpected IT issues in the future.

This functionality allows you to cut the need to offer training and education courses for in-house staff, meaning you can reinvest those expenses into more business-growing ventures.

Extended Support

If you’re like most small-to-medium-sized businesses, you operate between nine-to-five, meaning your in-house IT department cannot fix issues before or after hours. With managed IT Support, no issue is too early or late to solve as most will offer round-the-clock service.

 Reduce Risk

All business investments have a certain amount of risk, and technology is no different. Managed IT Support shoulders these risks for you. With industry knowledge on compliance, security, and maintenance, they provide the advantage of deciding how to avoid risks, and maximize your IT infrastructure.

More Time to Focus on Business

Since an IT help desk takes care of the technical problems, your employees will be able to focus on the work they’re so good at. As a result, you as a business-leader can concentrate on more business-expanding ventures instead of support tickets.

We know that many managed services providers promise to put their customers ahead. We do that too, but our IT support takes it a step further with 15 minute response times to solve any problem regardless of complexity! Contact us today to learn more!

Technology today has helped businesses reach their goals and objectives in record time, and those in the healthcare industry are no exception.  Healthcare practitioners go about processes using technology daily, much to the benefit of their patients.

But as new technologies enter the marketplace, in-house IT departments struggle to keep up, manage, and maintain them effectively in conjunction with their existing responsibilities — this is where Managed IT Services can help. Not only do they take the IT burden off your shoulders, they come with numerous other benefits specifically tailored to your healthcare organization! Let’s take a look at 5 of these:

They Cover All Bases

A Managed Services Provider not only monitors your IT infrastructure to avoid small, daily IT glitches, but also allows you to leverage up to date technology for maximum results. This includes technologies such as cloud computing, which allows your employees to work anywhere with an internet connection.

An MSP can also provide you with IT support and expert advisory whenever you need it,  or craft a custom technology roadmap to set your organization up for long-term digital success.

They Free Up Resources
As the demand for healthcare increases, the industry continues to deliver amazing results. This however, comes at the cost of employees being stretched thin, and when you add managing IT to the mix, your resources become directed to an area where they don’t have to be.

Outsourcing IT to an expert allows you to focus your staff on more strategic, business-relevant projects for the progress of your organization.

They Provide the Most IT Value
As with any organization, budget is a crucial component to your success. If you’re paying for an in-house IT team that can’t address your problems in a timely manner (if at all!), this can start becoming an issue.

With an MSP, you’ll get a secure, responsive, and always available infrastructure for an affordable, flat-rate monthly fee. And because they monitor your systems 24/7, you can rest knowing that your technology is always operating at maximum efficiency.

They Handle Technology While You Focus on Healthcare

Healthcare organizations typically get into Managed Services initially for cost alone,but what they don’t realise is an MSP has more utility than that. Your IT partner can also help you optimize processes and improve caregiver experience through their custom software development services.

They can develop the following:

• Custom Electronic Medical Records software (EMR)
• Patient Management systems
• A framework for innovation and operations
• Software for measuring customer satisfaction
• Clinical Patient Access Solutions
• Personalized Enterprise Risk Management
• Patient Portals
• Integrations between existing systems to avoid double data entry
• And more!

By proactively adopting IT Managed Services and asking them to build custom software to automate and streamline processes, your return on investment increases, and so does your efficiency and service.

Peace of Mind
Lastly, working with an MSP gives you peace of mind, because you realize it’s OK not to be an expert in everything technology related. When you choose an IT vendor, you don’t need to worry constantly about whether your infrastructure and systems are working the way they’re supposed to, or if your data (and that of your patients and employees) is secure — your MSP takes over that responsibility, allowing you to sleep easy at night!

Managed Service Providers can decrease the overall IT support costs by as much as 30% to 50%. If you need an MSP you can trust with plenty of experience in the healthcare sector, contact JIG technologies today!