Two trends in the global workforce that have been accelerated by the pandemic are virtually run businesses and freelance workers. Both groups forgo the traditional office environment to reduce costs and rely heavily on cloud services to run their businesses from anywhere.
In 2019, there were 211,000 Singaporeans that freelanced as their regular employment. There are several tangible benefits of running a business virtually, whether it’s a company with several employees all working remotely or a freelance business. These include:
- Lower overhead costs
- Savings and added convenience for employees
- Improved productivity
- Fewer sick/personal days off taken
- Ability to avoid downtime from things like pandemics or natural disasters
- A resilient business that can be run from anywhere with an internet connection
However, there can also be some disadvantages to working entirely remotely.
51% of Singapore businesses report suffering cyberattacks due to remote working during the lockdowns from COVID-19. Businesses and freelancers can fall into an “at home” mentality when it comes to their technology and its need to be secure and maintained regularly.
The fact is that they are still running a business, even though it may be from a home office, and their computers and data security are just as important as if they were in a physical office. If a freelancer is getting paid by the hour and they experience downtime due to a computer problem, that directly impacts their paycheck.
For example, if a freelancer is making an average of S$20 per hour and loses 5 hours of work due to a computer issue, they make S$100 less that week as a result. A virtual business is also heavily dependent upon technology, which can be spread out over multiple employee homes.
If just one employee has an IT problem and no immediate help, that can leave a business without a vital function, impacting their revenue and customer support. The bottom line is that freelancers and virtual business owners need to have an “at work” mentality even if they work remotely from a home office. This means putting the same types of systems in place that you would in a physical office, the most important of which is managed IT services.
The Benefits of Remote Managed IT for Virtual Businesses
Keeps Your Data & Devices Secure
Just one data breach or ransomware infection can mean your business is down for hours or days. Hackers are going after home networks because they tend to have less security and are now holding the keys to the same types of business data and assets as office-based networks.
Managed IT security includes vital safeguards to keep you protected from data breaches. This includes things like an automated patch/update management, disaster recovery, and managed antivirus/anti-malware. Your computer is just as vulnerable when working from home as when working from an office building.
Improves Productivity by Keeping Systems Maintained
When computers aren’t properly maintained, they begin slowing down and becoming problematic (error messages, reboot problems, etc.). This can significantly impact productivity in your virtual business. For a freelancer that depends upon being able to do a certain amount of paid work per day, if a sluggish computer reduces that by just an hour a day, that could result in losing hundreds of dollars a month in income. Managed IT services include regular proactive maintenance of your device(s). This includes ensuring they’re running optimally and aren’t slowing you down.
Support is There When You Need It
If your virtual business has employees with computer problems, it can be just like having those team members out sick. They’re at a standstill until they can get some technical help, and because they’re remote, this can be more challenging if you don’t have a managed IT plan.
At Managed IT Asia, we offer unlimited telephone, email, remote, and even on-site support with our plans. We can often handle software or hardware issues via remote login, allowing the user to get the help they need quickly. This is also a benefit because freelancers and remote workers don’t have to feel like they’re on an island all alone. You have an IT partner that has your back and will be there to help you succeed.
You Can Focus on Your Business Instead of Dealing with IT Issues
If you log on in the morning and are hit with an IT problem at your virtual business, it can derail your entire day. Instead of running your business, you end up trying to resolve a technology problem. When you have a managed IT plan in place, you not only can save money, you can focus on your business because you know that experts are handling your IT for you. Any issues? We’re only a click or call away!
Ask About Our Affordable Remote IT Management Plans!
Managed IT Asia offers custom small business IT management plans to fit any size budget or IT complexity – from freelancers to larger virtually run companies. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation. Call +65 6748 8776 or reach us online.
MANAGED IT ASIA, we are an IT Support, IT Solutioning and Managed IT Service Provider specializing in serving Small Businesses across Asia. Call us at +65 6748 8776 and let us manage your Small Business IT today!