Ranked ahead of Chicago and Frankfurt, Washington DC is a top 10 Global Financial Center. As the city is the world political capital with the World Bank, IMF, Organization of American States, and so on, it serves as the focal point for the economic stability of the US. Since the city’s highest occupation constitutes Public Administration and Professional services, the city is also ripe with federal contracting opportunities and innovative business ideas.
Therefore, whether you are a business that has just opened doors or a well-established company, you may have a lot in your hands as a business owner. With the growing pace of advantaged technology, you may find yourself lacking the technical expertise to manage your IT systems. This is where Managed IT services present an opportunity to ease your burden and help maintain, monitor, and execute complex IT tasks.
With the best managed IT services in Washington DC by your side, you can free up your time to focus on operational challenges and strategic initiatives. However, given the plethora of choices for managed IT services providers (MSP) in DC, it can be challenging to choose the right provider. Here are some pointers to help you make the right choice:
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In-House IT Support
Washington DC is ranked as the second most popular city to attract and grow tech talent as the Washington metropolitan area produces more tech graduates. There are greater chances that you might already have an in-house team of tech talents and are looking to augment the team with external help for managed services, cybersecurity, and network solutions. Check with the provider whether they are comfortable working with your in-house team and collaborate to maximize business productivity.
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Fast Support Response
While your business in DC may follow regular work hours, IT system issues can strike unannounced at any time and impact your networks. If you belong to the healthcare sector or federal agencies in DC, this could translate to downtime that can dramatically affect your service delivery. Hence, check whether the MSP can assist you 24/7 with faster turnaround times so that you can keep your systems up and running without any interruption.
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Security Management
Washington DC and Maryland have introduced tighter data breach laws governing the definition of personal information and protect confidential information that is an easy target for cybercriminals. If you don’t have a dedicated team to manage security protocols and protect your system from security vulnerabilities, the impact of a data breach can be severe. And, left on your own, your confidential data, especially if you are a small business in DC, can make you a prime target for cybercriminals.
The best managed IT services in Washington DC should provide security management as part of the contract and have specialized cybersecurity professionals on the job to protect your systems and network.
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Proactive System Maintenance and Upgrades
According to reports, Washingtonians spend more time at work than New Yorkers, with an average of 43 hours and 50 minutes. Often with the heavy workload and day to day operations, you may miss running critical software and hardware upgrades as they become available.
On the other hand, the MSP you choose should include patch management programs, service updates, antivirus updates, and network event notifications to proactively manage your IT infrastructure. Letting your MSP handle the responsibilities of actively monitoring your IT system for security flaws and patch updates can remove your burden.
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Industry-Specific Experience
Apart from the government-related industries, Washington DC has other growing industries like healthcare, research, public policy, and commercial sectors. Different industries have varied needs, and a one size fits all approach cannot be applicable.
Hence, check if the MSP you choose has relevant experience and is familiar with your industry and its operations. For instance, in the healthcare industry, where compliance requirements of HIPAA and EMR are needed, an MSP that can manage such needs will be beneficial.
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Disaster Recovery
Network crashes and cyberattacks are commonplace in DC, especially in the public sector, where hackers keep testing and trying new strategies to attack and compromise public data. Thus, you require contingency and disaster recovery planning. Ensure that your MSP has a contingency plan in place with data backups and other remediation to keep your downtime minimal. Downtime can cost your business significant losses and degrade your reputation, so it’s best to contract with an MSP with disaster recovery services.
If you have a business based in DC and Washington metropolitan, it’s vital to choose an MSP that aligns with your industry, tech requirements, and business goals. The above pointers will come in handy to land on a contract with the best managed IT services in Washington DC that will help your business thrive and take a positive turn.