IT Red Flags to Watch Out For and How a Managed IT Service Provider Can Help

As a business owner and the primary decision-maker for your company, you’re juggling a lot of balls. You’re responsible for driving the growth of your business, maintaining good relationships with clients and stepping in to get the job done when things slip through the cracks.

With so much going on, it’s easy to overlook IT issues that need to be addressed quickly and decisively. If you’re struggling to stay on top of things, your IT is one thing that can easily be outsourced to a managed IT service provider and, when done correctly, will offer peace of mind as well as delivering a service that is more robust and effective than you would be able to do yourself.

IT red flags that you should be watching out for include:

1. Strange pop-ups that you don’t recognize and haven’t opted-in for, your managed IT service provider can immediately address any malware problem to occur

These can happen at any time if your system has been infected. They could show on your screen if you’re trying to access a spreadsheet or document and prevent you from opening the file directly. Instead, you may have to click on a series of pop-ups that could take you a malicious site. These pop-ups are an indication of malware in your system.

2. An ad-ware ambush when your browser has been hijacked, your managed IT service provider can remove ad-ware to do further damage to your system.

These are pop-ups that show up on your browser when you don’t expect them while using the internet. A hijacked browser will continue showing online ads and are dangerous as a single errant click could have you downloading additional malware to your computer, which has the potential to infect your whole IT network.

3. Spam emails sent from your company’s official email addresses, it is crucial to avail email security service from an IT service provider.

Email worms are usually downloaded by a staff member, and the downloaded file then replicates across the network using email. Here, the victim's email security is penetrated, and the worms access the email contact list and send emails to all contacts.

4. Issues where software and hardware aren’t working properly, your managed IT service provider will provide all support need to immediately fix any software and hardware problem.

It’s normal to experience glitches every now and again, but if processes and programs that used to work properly are now continually failing, it’s a sign that malware has infected the network. If the problem seems to be escalating, it may mean that the virus is spreading and infecting more and more files.

All this is a lot to keep on top of and it’s difficult to be constantly monitoring the health of your computer as well as everyone else in the office. Sometimes issues creep in slowly so you don’t immediately catch a machine that’s operating sub-optimally or a program that simply doesn’t work anymore. And, even if you do notice these red flags, it may already be too late.

The cost of a malware infection may be significant both in terms of time to resolve it as well as the financial cost of hiring an expert to get to the root of the issue. A managed IT service provider is, therefore, an excellent preventative solution as they actively manage your entire network, identifying and removing issues before they have a chance to damage the company’s system.

Mobile Computer Services in Wake Forest, NC is a managed IT company that offers its clients a flat-rate maintenance plan that proactively monitors your network, significantly reduces downtime and reduces expensive repair costs. Their service gives local business owners access to a knowledgeable, experienced IT service, at a rate far lower than the cost of an in-house IT department. They have the expertise to prevent issues before they occur thanks to round-the-clock active monitoring and ongoing maintenance.

The following article was originally published on IT Red Flags to Watch Out For and How a Managed IT Service Provider Can Help and is courtesy of Mobile Computer Services, Inc. Read more on: Mobile Computer Services, Inc. LLC