Every business needs IT. But what kind of IT is the real question. There’s plenty to choose from, and it really depends on your product/service, compliance reqs and cybersecurity needs.
Don’t forget business goals, employee needs, budget, how you store data — the list goes on!
There are 12 major types of IT services for business. Take a look below to understand each one. Are any a “Definite Yes” for you? What about “Maybe” or “Unsure”?
Remember, we’re here to help! Let’s talk through your current IT and what services to consider.
In this guide, we’ll go over the top 12 IT services. They are:
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- 1. Managed Network Services
- 2. Data Backup Services
- 3. Data Storage and Management Services
- 4. Public Cloud Hosting Services
- 5. Private Cloud Hosting Services
- 6. Network Cybersecurity Services
- 7. IT Consulting Services
- 8. Software Support Services
- 9. IT Help Desk Services
- 10. Hardware Support Services
- 11. Project Management Services
- 12. Product Development Services
Consider this as you read through: IT works in an ecosystem. It’s only as strong as the weakest part. Let’s talk about the top 12 IT services. We’ll help you understand which service is right for your business.
1. Managed Network Services
What Are Managed Network Services?
Having a managed network is an important IT service for businesses. It means that your entire IT system is managed under one umbrella.
Managed network services keep everything organized. When you think of all that IT touches — payroll, hiring, sales, operations, compliance — you can understand why it’s easier and safer for one entity to manage everything.
Benefits of Managed Network Services
Managed network services have these benefits:
- Identification, notification, prioritization and escalation of alerts
- Management and support of your network devices
- Management, monitoring, and support of your servers and storage
- Management, monitoring, and support for private and public clouds (Azure, AWS)
- Track and manage your company’s IT assets
2. Data Backup Services
What Are Data Backup Services?
Data backup services ensure businesses don’t lose their most important files. Whether an employee accidentally deletes last year’s financials or ransomware hits your system, data backup services offer protection from the unpredictable.
Data backup services ensure your data is stored in more than one place. Methods involve tapes, to file servers to cloud-hosted storage.
We recommend cloud services to our clients. Jump down to learn more about cloud computing benefits.
Benefits of Data Backup Services
There are tangible benefits to data backup services including:
- Storage management and optimization
- Core Network Management and Security
- VDI Delivery and Optimization
- Application integration
READER PICKS: Data Backup Strategy: 3 Steps to Success
3. Data Storage and Management Services
What Are Data Storage and Management Services
Data storage and management goes hand-in-hand with data backup services. It’s the “where?” in “Where should we back up our data?”.
If you’re ready to back up your data. The next question is where? There are plenty of options.
- Private cloud
- Public cloud
- Onsite
- Offsite
- The list goes on
Benefits of Data Storage and Management Services
For most clients, we recommend a cloud service. It’s fast, accessible from almost anywhere and highly secure.
Our own data storage service goes a step further.
- Local backups and cloud-based backups to redundant facilities
- Encryption at-rest and in-transit
- Multi-year retention options
- Full system snapshots of virtual and physical servers
4. Public Cloud Hosting Services
What Are Public Cloud Hosting Services?
Public cloud hosting stores your data in publicly offered infrastructure owned by third-party vendors and shared by many different businesses.
It’s a good option for businesses that need cloud services, but don’t require strong security protections. Also, businesses that don’t have the necessary resources (money and manpower) to allocate to managing and maintaining a cloud infrastructure.
Benefits of Public Cloud Hosting Services
- Cost-effective: many public clouds offer pay-as-you-go cost structures
- Maintenance free: you don’t own the infrastructure you use
- Scalability: you can grow your business with virtually unlimited space
- Reduce hardware and software purchases
- Help meeting compliance standards (HIPAA, HITECH, SOX, PCI, and more)
5. Private Cloud Hosting Services
What Are Private Cloud Hosting Services
Private cloud-based services are offered via private IT infrastructure that’s placed on company property or housed in the cloud provider’s own data center. For example, we offer clients our own private cloud, the iVenture Vault.
Benefits of Private Cloud Hosting Services
- Secure access anywhere, anytime, from any device
- Flexible architecture to accommodate business applications
- Reduce expensive hardware and software purchases
- Integration with public cloud platforms
- Help meeting compliance standards (HIPAA, HITECH, SOX, PCI, and more)
- Customization: the equipment used is your own; no sharing with other businesses
- Safety: you have greater security and protection from hacking
- Compliance: you can meet regulatory standards specific to your industry
READER PICKS: Public or Private Cloud – Which One is Right For Me?
6. Network Cybersecurity Services
What Are Network Cybersecurity Services
Network cybersecurity services include all the protection and defense around your technology. This means anti-virus and anti-spam software, consistent patchin, multi-factor authentication, monitoring and more.
It’s also meeting compliance requirements. For businesses who deal with CMMC, HIPAA, NIST SOC, ISO and more, cybersecurity is a critical part of the audit.
Benefits of Network Cybersecurity Services
- Compliance and Governance
- Help meeting CMMC, HIPAA, NIST, SOC, ISO, etc.
- Essential protection for your servers (security patches, anti-virus, anti-spam, and web security)
- Essential protection for your desktop and laptops (security patches, anti-virus, and web security)
- Two-Factor Management
- Event Monitoring/Management
- Firewall Management
READER PICKS: Anatomy of a Cybersecurity Attack
7. IT Consulting Services
What Are IT Consulting Services?
IT needs to grow with your business. Whether you plan on expanding your team, opening new offices or transitioning to something different, IT plays a major role. This is where IT consulting services come in.
IT consulting services help you plan for tomorrow. We call our plans “technology roadmaps” because they take you from A to B. IT consultants look at what you have now (type of tech, amount of equipment, current software, etc) and figure out what you need to reach your goals.
Benefits of IT Consulting Services
- Regular technology planning
- IT Budgeting
- Planned Upgrades
- Technical Design
- Best-practice guidance
- Access to Technology Design Architects
8. Software Support Services
What Are Software Support Services?
Technical support for your business applications to ensure availability and performance
Benefits of Software Support Services
- Latest updates and upgrades
- Security patches
- End-of-lifecycle support
- New software rollouts
- Mobile Device Management
- Support for mobile device management platform enrollment
- VoIP Management
- User management on your VoIP phone system
9. IT Help Desk Services
What Are IT Help Desk Services?
Fast technical support for those common IT issues like password resets, file restores, troubleshooting and more. The best IT help desks are the dedicated ones AKA full-time help desk technicians.
Benefits of IT Help Desk Services
- Dedicated wheelhouse of services
- Fast support
- Desktop Management
- Escalation process
10. Hardware Support Services
What Are Hardware Support Services
Management and support for your desktops and laptops. Think of the physical equipment you use to work everyday
Benefits of Hardware Support Services
- End-of-lifecycle support
- Application Support
- Technology Upgrades
- Equipment refreshes
- Sunsetting old tech
- Fixing broken equipment
READER PICKS: All-Inclusive IT Services
11. Project Management Services
What Are Project Management Services?
When you have a big project ahead of you, like securing all work-from-home equipment with a safe private network, you need PM services.
Benefits of Project Management Services
Project management services handle the work for you. You need a project done, experts (who’ve done this countless times) take care of it. This way, you can focus on running the business.
- Service Request Management
- Help Desk Support
- Desktop Management
- Hardware and Software
- System and Data Migrations
- Cloud Migrations
- Office and Data Center Relocations
12. Product Development Services
What Are Product Development Services
This is where innovation happens. Product development services are constantly researching new ways to make your business run faster and easier.
Benefits of Product Development Services
Your business will always improve. You have a team that’s vetting and implementing tech solutions to help you work better.
- Reduced service interruptions
- Competitive edge
- Increased productivity
- Tailored solutions
- Leverage best tech for business
Which IT services stick out to you? Remember, IT works in a ecosystem. The best IT solutions are comprehensive — where network, cybersecurity, data management and more work together to support the business. So let’s talk about your best fit.
