Category: IT Solutions

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Why You Need a Managed Service Provider in Hospitality

With most industries actively embracing digitalisation, the need for having IT staff is more prevalent than ever before. Still, not everyone has the required means or knowledge to set up and manage their IT infrastructure in-house, or enough time to research the best options for their specific needs to keep up with innovation.

The hospitality industry is no exception. Many don’t realise the reliance on technology within the hospitality industry, but with booking and ordering systems, restaurant wi-fi and networks and cloud storage for venues with limited space (just to name a few) it’s more important than ever to stay on top of it.

Plus, hospitality means people. And with the GDPR regulations and the emphasis of increasing data protection from customers, you need to protect your business and technology.

Unfortunately, IT support often doesn’t follow suit here, with security threats and potential problems becoming more prevalent issues within the industry. While established players often have a dedicated in-house IT staff to manage all their needs, not all have the means to do so, and some don’t have the technical expertise to deal with this challenging industry. This is where managed service providers come in.  

What Is a Managed Service Provider (MSP)? 

A managed service provider (MSP) is a company that specialises in the management of IT infrastructure and systems for their customers. This management can either be remote or done at the customer’s office. Most often, it is offered as a continuous service for a set monthly fee.

It is different from traditional IT support because it not only covers reactive maintenance, i.e. maintenance when something goes wrong, but also proactive services and system monitoring, as well as cybersecurity, IT consulting, and upgrades. It is a flexible service that adjusts to the needs of each client instead of offering a one-size-fits-all solution.

For example, if a hotel already has good booking solution that can easily handle peak times during holiday season, they will not need infrastructure maintenance, but they might require additional services with their staffing software. A good MSP will adjust to meet these needs.

What Does a Managed Service Provider Do? 

Managed Service Providers cover a broad range of IT support – from infrastructure maintenance to incorporating automation, handling security and compliance matters, or migrating to a new platform. The range of services differs between industries – and even in the same industry – and depends heavily on the needs of each client. An MSP will always provide a fully customisable solution and can do the following:

  • Automate routine tasks
  • Provide maintenance for your entire technological stack
  • Monitor IT infrastructure to ensure all systems perform optimally
  • Develop technological strategies to address current issues
  • Do preventative maintenance to detect loss of efficiency and catch issues early on
  • Implement new technological solutions that scale with your business
  • Future-proof IT systems by upgrading legacy software
  • Apply system and software upgrades and patches to ensure system and data safety
  • Deliver responsive support so that any major IT crisis is resolved quickly
  • Handle data storage and disaster recovery

A managed service provider helps you focus on your business while taking care of your IT systems. They are more than just IT professionals – they align with your goals and ensure your IT capabilities don’t hold you down on your journey to reach them.

Why You Should Work with an MSP 

Employing a managed service provider helps businesses stay on top of the latest technologies and security requirements. MSPs help by identifying flaws in IT systems, operations, or infrastructure and working out the best solutions to improve overall business efficiency in a cost-effective way.

For example, a restaurant needs to sell more seats, not always have the latest fancy equipment, so an MSP will help identify the best option within budgets to suit the individual needs of the client.

They allow businesses to quickly implement new technological solutions and adapt to rapidly changing business environments (particularly when there is a change in legislation.)

They work with their clients to achieve the ultimate goal: ensure the best guest experiences and cultivate guest loyalty.

Here’s some of the ways they do this:

  1. You Get Access to Fully Customisable Solutions – MSPs offer cloud-based infrastructure solutions meaning if you open (or close) a new location, your solutions can be upgraded or downgraded easily to match!
  2. They Improve Your Efficiency and Give You a Competitive Advantage – MSPs have the resources to immediately begin working on specifically tailored solutions that are then deployed and integrated with your existing systems. This process is much faster than it would take to do the research, development, and implementation in-house from scratch. For example, if you wish to update your data storage and improve security systems to keep all guest and consumer data safe, an MSP will do that for you.
  3. They Help You Plan Ahead and Predict Expenses – They help determine peaks in your traffic and help you prepare for it by adjusting your infrastructure to withstand the higher demand. For instance, if you have peak reservations and stays during holidays, your MSP will ensure that your network can carry the increased visitor load and handle billing efficiently.
  4. They Lower Your Business Costs – Instead of using a one-size-fits-all solution that has elements you will never need, you will only pay for services you use and nothing more. In addition to this, they eliminate the costs of hiring, training, and retaining in-house IT staff or hiring emergency or temporary staff only to fix or update your systems. Plus, because they are often on a contract, you get a better rate than if you were to hire an ad hoc IT consultancy firm.
  5. They Eliminate Issues Quickly – Because MSP resolve issues daily, there are a few unknowns left. When your business has an IT issue, they will be able to solve it quickly as opposed to an in-house IT employee who might have never had to deal with that specific issue.
  6. They Help You Focus on Your Business – All businesses have limited resources and focus available, hiring an MSP helps you focus your attention to where it’s really needed – your core business. Leave the IT decisions to them.
  7. They Handle Risk and Compliance for You – Shifting markets and financial conditions make every business decision a risk. MSPs have the required expertise and industry knowledge to choose the best possible strategy. In addition to this, they can help you remain compliant under technological and data protection legislation. .  
  8. They Keep Your Systems and Data Secure – A good MSP will ensure your systems are fully secure and up to date on security patches. They will handle PCI compliance standards for online payments and reservations, ensure your firewall is active, and your guests’ data and sensitive information are safe.

Who A Managed Service Provider Would Suit Specifically 

Managed services are used through a broad range of industries but are particularly effective in the following:

Hospitality Industry

Hotels, resorts, restaurants, and bars have embraced digitalisation and are striving to offer the best online and in-house experience to their guests, from the initial landing page all the way to booking, reservations, and payment options on the day.

The key challenge to success in the hospitality industry is providing the perfect customer experience. And innovative technology helps you get there.

A growing number of hotels and other key players have migrated to cloud software to improve their business operations and get access to data analysis capabilities to detect trends and potential customers. On top of this, in restaurants or hotels where you can’t have large equipment or server racks, it’s an effective space saver too.

Because the hospitality industry handles vast amounts of sensitive guest and customer data, they require the right security solutions and must ensure they are compliant with government regulations (like GDPR.)  Financial transactions play a big role, so having safe IT security is the prime objective.

Smaller hospitality establishments often don’t have fully equipped IT teams available, so complementing their existing team or relying on managed services for all their IT needs improves their IT security and quality, gives them access to newest software, and helps them compete with big players.

Small Business Owners and Start-Ups

Small and medium businesses, as well as start-ups, often struggle with keeping up to date on newest IT solutions. It takes a lot of time and money to keep their IT professionals on top of the newest trends and solutions which are often things that a startup doesn’t have.  

Managed Service Providers help SMBs and start-ups with a full suite of IT services that are customised to their needs, goals, and preferences. This brings down overall costs and distributes them evenly throughout the year thanks to fixed monthly fees. Plus, business owners and start-ups get access to the latest tech and software solutions, as well as security options.

Companies With Unfavourable Opening Times

Any company working 24/7 knows that IT costs can run high because you have to hire a team to rotate so you have someone on site. Telephone support only goes so far and hiring emergency IT professionals when something goes wrong can be difficult and costly to fix if they don’t know your business or setup.

Employing an MSP gives them access to IT monitoring and support around the clock, which eliminates overtime pay or shift costs for internal IT staff. MSPs can complement and manage on-site  IT staff as a standalone solution.

Things To Look For In A Managed Service Provider

A good managed service provider will have the required industry knowledge, qualifications, and certifications to back up their expertise. When choosing an MSP, look out for the following:

  1. Qualifications and Certifications – The MSP of your choosing should be up to date on industry-specific knowledge and have experience working in your field. For example, those working in the hospitality industry should look for an MSP who provides cybersecurity solutions that are compliant with GDPR (if you or your customers are in Europe.) Ensure that the IT professionals who handle your infrastructure have the required certifications, but also experience working with your frameworks.
  2. Partnerships – For example, an MSP who is a senior Microsoft partner will suggest they have the knowledge, expertise and vetting of Microsoft to work with their systems. Meaning you have peace of mind that they know what they’re doing.
  3. Pricing, Range of Services, and Customisation – Depending on your needs, you will be able to choose what services you need and which ones you don’t. The right MSP will be flexible and understand your specific needs. They will listen to your goals and get to know your business before offering their services. The pricing options should reflect the services that you will use, and those that you won’t should be excluded from the price. Most commonly, you will be offered a monthly retainer based on the service and level of support that you need.
  4. Service Level Agreements – A good MSP will offer a service level agreement (SLA) that determines all the details, such as quality and performance metrics that should be met, details about liability in case of performance issues or outages, a list of services and responsibilities offered by the MSP, and a framework to resolve service issues.
  5. Availability – Always choose an MSP who provides flexible assistance that includes remote monitoring and emergency support. If possible, opt for one with a local presence so that their professionals can visit your office if needed.

If you’re looking for a managed service provider in hospitality, Contact us HERE today.

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How to Install Microsoft’s Azure Information Protection for Small Businesses

Until now, Microsoft’s Azure Information Protection (AIP) has been an enterprise level IT solution for the big brands and businesses. So, you may not have even heard of it! But, its tools are perfect for small businesses and allows you to get AUTOMATIC file and email encryption that is easy to use, and affordable.

Let’s look at why you should be looking at this solution for your small business, how you can use it and what it can do for you:

Why do I Need File Protection?

We could advocate for file protection but it’s easier just to show you, here’s how easy it is to gain access to your sensitive data if you don’t have file protection:

The solution to this? We recommend, Microsoft’s Azure Information Protection (AIP)

Update: 23/09/20 – Microsoft’s AIP has actually been upgraded to MIP, with a few extra features. This article is still relevant and if you scroll to the bottom you can see a demo of a recent project we just completed on how it looks in action.

What is Microsoft’s Azure Information Protection?

It’s an excellent cloud-based file and email encryption solution that allows you to create certain ‘rules’ to protect your files and emails automatically.

What Does This Entail?

Although it’s also an excellent option for smaller businesses because it offers unique cyber security features which make GDPR compliance easy and seamless, you can’t really “figure it out” as you go.

It’s not as simple as downloading a piece of software. There’s a little more to it than that. But, once you know how, it’s our recommendation for keeping your company, files and emails protected. The installation looks a little like this:

Different Stages of AIP Implementation

Once you’ve set up your active directory and assigned your licenses, there are 3 steps to implementing Microsoft’s Azure Information Protection:

Assessing Your Data

Although only roughly 5% of your data is sensitive, you still need to protect it and in order to do so, you need to understand what it is, where it is and how you handle it.

Installation

This is the easy part (if you know what you’re doing) and is a simple installation of the AIP client onto all of the machines/servers that you want to have automatic encryption capabilities.

Monitoring/Testing

This is all about tweaking your settings to match your usage based on what you’re using your protection for in your business.

So, How Can I Do It Myself?

We originally created an AIP course (you can still take the legacy course HERE.) However since the update to MIP (Microsoft Information Protection) there’s a lot more backend setup, licensing crossovers, and implementation that just make this a project that is really tricky.

If you get it wrong you can accidentally encrypt and lock yourself out of all of your data, and to be honest, we don’t recommend doing this.

We still want to make MIP accessible for SMEs so we offer a half hour consulting option to give you the best tailored advice on what forms of protection are best for you, and then we can help you set up MIP if it’s suitable.

Book in for your consultation CLICK HERE.

Check out the MIP Demo below to see it in action:

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Get Free IT Support for Small Businesses

We’re constantly looking for ways to use our knowledge and expertise to help others get to grips with their IT. We are offering free IT support for small businesses, particularly with the increased emphasis being placed on cyber security for businesses big and small in the wake of GDPR.

With this in mind, we are offering free IT help and support for small businesses in our Facebook support community. If you’ve purchased a course from the TowerWatch Academy, you’ll already know about the support group, but we’ve decided to open it up to help others too.

As IT consultants and experts with over 10 years’ experience in:

  • Cyber security
  • Online data protection solutions
  • Cloud-based data storage
  • Cyber Security Training
  • Penetration Testing
  • Complete IT Support
  • Large Scale Projects
  • IT Health Checks
  • Local & Global Hosting: Microsoft Azure/Amazon AWS
  • Remote Backup Solutions
  • 365 Implementation
  • Hospitality IT support and project installation

We have an idea of the issues that plague the IT of small businesses. Budget (or lack of) being one of them!

So, if you can’t afford an IT team and need some help or advice for your business. Join our support community below and let us help you by answering any questions you may have.

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Top 10 Software and Tech Solutions for Small Businesses

Don’t shy away from technology in your business! It’s time to get acquainted with some of the best software and tech solutions for small businesses at the moment.

1. Encrypt emails for free with My Protected Mail

Of course we’re going to start with one of our own products! The introduction of GDPR has placed a renewed emphasis on email security. All small businesses have a duty to protect the data of their customers, clients, and employees. A reliable, straightforward way to protect data sent electronically is to use encryption.

Encrypted emails can only be viewed by the sender and specified receivers; they are protected from interception, even when an email is forwarded.

My Protected Mail is a tech solutions for small businesses that does this for free. There’s no software to install; simply send your email to a dedicated mailbox, and the platform will issue a Microsoft Protected Email that can be accessed only by the intended recipient. There’s also scope to add enhanced features for a reasonable monthly fee for developers to encrypt web portal or app communication. Try My Protected Mail here.

2. Defend your business from online attacks with Acronis Ransomware Protection

Ransomware attacks, in which malicious software blocks access to devices with the aim of extorting money from the owner, can completely devastate a small business. Not to mention the risk of a data breach. It’s critically important to proactively prepare; you can find out more by clicking here.

Ransomware protection software mitigates this risk, and it doesn’t have to cost the earth! Acronis Ransomware Protection monitors suspicious behaviour, blocks malicious applications, encrypts files, and recovers damaged data; all for free.

3. Organise every aspect of your business with Asana

Asana is a project management platform that helps your entire team to stay organised and efficient. It allows you to create projects and tasks, assign team members, set deadlines, allocate documents, run reports, and myriad other jobs. It’s suitable for use on computers and mobile devices; even when travelling, you can keep on top of your business!

Asana also interacts seamlessly with 100 other platforms, helping to manage emails, files, calendars, workflows, and dozens of other tasks from one place, simplifying your business processes.

4. Take storage to the cloud! 

Cloud-based storage has proven itself to be a reliable and economical alternative to traditional hard drives and servers. The key benefits to small businesses include cost-effectiveness, automatic backup and recovery, remote accessibility from all devices, and no ongoing server maintenance.

There are countless services to choose from, but our favourites are Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive. All have common features, such as free storage (although the amount varies; 2GB for Dropbox, 5GB for OneDrive, and a whopping 15GB for Google Drive), document collaboration, link sharing, and file privacy. You can also upgrade to a monthly plan for expanded storage.

5. Automatically guard sensitive information with Azure Information Protection

Azure Information Protection (AIP) from Microsoft is a cloud-based tech solutions for small businesses that automatically encrypts emails and files. The system is managed across all Office applications using labels, which are configured to detect sensitive data and protect it. For example, if a credit card number is entered into an Excel spreadsheet, a rule can be set up to prompt the user to protect the information automatically.

Traditionally this can be quite difficult to set up for small businesses, but we created an Azure Information Protection for Small businesses online course to make it easy for you, regardless of whether or not you’re a techie!

6. Bring the team together with Zoom video conferencing

No matter how scattered your team is, video conferencing fosters the collaborative spirit that can otherwise be absent when working remotely. You needn’t be together to succeed together.

Zoom is a complete video conferencing service that includes high-definition online meetings, webinars, instant messaging, document sharing, whiteboards, virtual breakout rooms, calendar integration, and analytic data for meeting organisers. It can be accessed from computers and smart devices; so travelling team members can still participate!

There’s a free version of this tech solutions for small businesses with essential functionality that may be suitable for some small businesses, or there are monthly packages that include expanded features.

7. Protect your business with ESET antivirus

Malware attacks can be extremely disruptive to small businesses; leading to potential loss of files, equipment, and revenue. A high-quality antivirus is therefore essential.

ESET has a strong reputation for keeping computer equipment safe from malware, including viruses, ransomware, rootkits, worms and spyware. It’s easy to use, low in power-consumption, and backed by 30 years of experience and 110 million global users. A free trial is available, with the full version priced from £29.99 per year for one user.

8. Clean up your computer with MyDefrag

When we create files on a computer, they are broken up by a process called fragmentation; this is completely normal, and helps files to fit on a hard disk. However, repeated fragmentation makes reading and writing files a chore for your computer. Defragmentation is essentially a spring clean; a process that puts files back together, boosting your computer’s onward performance.

Windows comes with a built-in defragmentation program, but there are more efficient alternatives. MyDefrag is the best of the bunch; it works quickly and can accommodate external storage. Ultimately, this nifty little program helps your business to avoid slow equipment, repairs, and replacements. For more ways to speed up your computer’s performance, check out our free course here.

9. Cut your phone costs with VoIP

Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is the technology that facilitates phone calls via the internet. It’s cheaper to make calls by VoIP than a standard landline, and you’ll notice a huge improvement in sound clarity.

The best VoIP service for small businesses in the UK is VoipFone; it’s easy to set up, with excellent customer support, reasonable prices, and a free trial. Global businesses looking for similar features are recommended to try Ring Central or Vonage.

10. Keep on top of your finances with online invoicing

Invoicing is a critical aspect of small business management; online solutions make the process efficient by collating due payments, generating invoices, sending them, and overseeing the collection process.

Invoices contain sensitive information, so it’s important to work only with a trusted platform. Check out this post to find out how small businesses should protect their financial security when using online invoicing.

The most reputable platforms are Freshbooks, Due, Invoicera, And Co. and Harvest. All have at least one free option, whether a trial or essential version, and each has paid subscriptions, which vary in price according to the features you need.

Need help with your IT or tech solutions for small businesses or have a question on software to suit your small business? Join our free support community here.

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How to Send Encrypted Emails Without Installing Anything

If you want to protect the personal data that you send and reduce the risk of a breach, you’ll want to encrypt your emails or use an email encryption service! Did you know that you can send encrypted emails without installing anything?

Why would you want to send encrypted emails? 

You may think that encrypted emails don’t apply to you or they are a bit too “techy” to use. But, we’re making it simpler because hackers don’t care whether you’re techy or not. There are some other instances where you might want to send encrypted emails (for industries prone to email breaches check out our other article here.)

  1. If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur communicating about employee/subcontractor personal data, sharing sensitive information or ideas and secrets you want to protect.
  2. You’re sending attachments that contain personal information, e.g. recruiters sending CVs, accountants handling account data, members of the public sending copies of ID or official documents.
  3. Lawyers sending case-specific information
  4. Developers trying to create encrypted messages from their web portal

But, there are a few issues with the solutions that are out there at the moment: 

  • They require you to use a different email client entirely (and sometimes they aren’t user-friendly for beginners)
  • The other person (recipient) can’t read the encrypted email if they aren’t on the same service
  • You need to install an extension, app or program onto your computer (which many businesses won’t allow as it is directly on the network) in order to use them at all

How do you send encrypted emails without installing anything?

This is something we’ve developed. Encrypted emails as a service and it’s really simple. Anyone can use it (whether you’re techy or not). Simply:

  1. Write your email as normal
  2. Put “[email protected]” in the “To” field
  3. Add your recipient in the “subject” field
  4. Hit send

Test it right now: 

  1. Write your email as normal
  2. Put “[email protected]” in the “To” field
  3. Add your recipient in the “subject” field
  4. Click Send

It works on mobile, MAC or PC as well as any existing platform you’re on. Here’s what the process looks like from a MAC:

What the receiver will see (and do) to read the encrypted email:

In Gmail

In Outlook

If you want to protect your emails and your data for free, check out My Protected Mail for more!

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Case Study of GDPR Cyber Security Vulnerabilities in the Hospitality Industry

Everyone has recently come out of the woodwork to discuss how they can help keep you safe from GDPR cyber security vulnerabilities and threats due to the looming deadline.

But, for most of them, it’s just theory.

After all, GDPR doesn’t become enforceable until May which leaves some room for them to figure it out as they go. With this in mind, we wanted to set ourselves apart and show we know EXACTLY what we are talking about because we have ALREADY DONE IT. By already implementing several successful projects to protect our clients, not just for the sake of GDPR, but for the increasing amount of cyber security threats.

Our Case Study

But don’t take our word for it. That’s why we have created a case study to look specifically at the GDPR cyber security vulnerabilities we have detected in the hospitality industry while implementing IT solutions and GDPR protections. We look at two different cases, a small-to-medium and medium sized organisation and the solution for protecting from internal and external cyber security threats in line with GDPR. Are we giving away our secret formula? No. But, it should give you an indicator of the vulnerabilities to look for to see if you have the protection you think you do.

CLICK HERE TO READ OUR CASE STUDY

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Find Out Who Is Using BCC External Emails on Exchange Online 365

Get IT Help For Freelancers, And Small Business Owners for $69!

Who In Your Company Is Using BCC Emails on External Emails? (on Exchange Online 365)

There are cases especially when dealing with Data Leakage Prevention scenario in which you need to know who is using BCC and to whom are they sending, usually the focus is on internal to external emails.

* Yes, you can block the BCC availability if you wish (Via GPO and other options)

 

Finding out who is using BCC seems like an easy task for your IT Systems admin to check but when using Exchange Online 365 or Exchange 2013 and onwards, the task is a bit complicated, there is no BCC log.

In order to enable this type of logging in Exchange Online 365 we need to make a small workaround:

  1. Recommended – Create a dedicated mailbox
  2. Create a new rule in 365 Exchange Admin to Generate Report for every internal > External email, this is also a very useful tool as a Journal ( because Office 365 online wont let you use an online mailbox as a Journal)
  3. Make sure the “Custom Content” has BCC select
  4. The above rule will send reports on ALL internal > External email that are being sent in your organization, now we need to filter them.
  5. Create an OUTLOOK Rule ( the rule will work on the server level but created from OUTLOOK) to move any Report to a specific Folder
  6. Now we need to Separate an email that has BCC in the report from “normal external emails”, Create an OUTLOOK rule to separate the emails based on “BCC:” content , VERY IMPORTANT to make this rule AFTER the previous rule
  7.  Now you can create if you want another rule to delete any report that does not have a BCC in it, i personally recommend having a dedicated mailbox which will hold all reports as a type of a Journal – very useful for forensics and quicker that MESSAGE TRACE
  8. for the Advanced user – have a look at Microsoft FLOW features that can convert Emails to SQL, when the data is in SQL you can create alerts and combine the system with your DLP policy
  9. The same logic is even more useful when you have RMS or AIP , then you can make the same reports run via classification, for example WHO is sending CLASSIFIED emails with BCC.

No shortcuts – we always need to be one step ahead.

Written by Eli Migdal – TowerWatch Solutions – CEO

*This article originally appears on Linkedin here*

Have more questions? Check out our Smiley Geeks IT Help Membership from only $69 a month!

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8 Reasons Why The Hospitality Industry Needs IT Management

We are going to answer the common question on why IT management is essential for the hospitality sector because it is one that is frequently asked! Simply put, the hospitality industry needs IT management. Firstly, you need to remove the mindset that IT needs are exclusively in an office environment and consider the technology used to run a business in the hospitality industry. From restaurants to theme parks, the dependence on technology is increasing and therefore so does your need for IT management, for example, let’s look at the amount of technology used in a restaurant and set aside the service element for a second, you have:

  • EPOS (Electronic Point Of Sale)
  • Databases with staff and client information
  • Ordering systems (for customers)
  • Stock ordering and management (in-house)
  • Tablet managements system
  • Security systems
  • Online ordering
  • Websites
  • Employee computers/laptops
  • Internet Accessibility

And this doesn’t even consider the advancement of technology such as smartphone payments, new apps and ongoing changes in security regulations. A business in the hospitality industry is still a business and needs to be treated as such because the industry as a whole is years behind on tech, partly because what is available it isn’t managed or maintained. This is where an IT manager comes in and here’s a few of the things they do to prove why you need them:

  1. Online Security

Whether it’s customer data, sensitive documents and emails or your employee databases, your information needs to be kept secure and changing your passwords regularly won’t cut it (although it’s an excellent place to start. With the new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) legislation coming into effect, your business can face massive fines regardless of whether you are in finance or hospitality, you have a responsibility to keep data secure. An IT manager can provide safety protocols and security measures to safeguard your data as well as train you and your staff on how to avoid lapses in security for the business. Technology is advancing and your security needs to go with it.

  1. Project Management & Installation

Thinking of expanding, having a site overhaul or changing the way your business looks? We can help with the technology side to liaise with the project managers so that you can still provide the service in the aesthetic that you like. Doing this during the building phases helps to minimise disruption to your business and makes sure that you don’t have any lapses or poor technology issues which can look bad to customers. An extension is great but if your free Wi-Fi doesn’t reach outside anymore your patrons aren’t going to be happy.

  1. Upgrades

An IT manager knows when it is time to upgrade and what you should upgrade to and that doesn’t always mean the most expensive or newest products. Stability and performance are the two key factors we aim to combine and with our insider knowledge we know what is going to work and what software or hardware hasn’t quite worked out the kinks.

  1. Day-To-Day Assistance

The hospitality industry tends to require multi-tasking as processing are different than a standard office, you need day-to-day maintenance and checks as well as someone being on hand to deal with issues that arise. While your go-to IT person can handle some of the problems, you can’t expect them to handle multiple sites and locations as well as any projects, upgrades, repairs and installations all by themselves!

  1. Quicker Resolutions Of Problems

Knowing who to talk to can get a job done quickly and right! Have you ever been passed around from one department to another trying to get support, with everyone claiming nothing is their fault? Cut out the middle man and let us do it for you, not only can an IT manager discuss and organise on your behalf but they also have the contacts to get things resolved swiftly (and escalate problems properly that aren’t getting fixed) This solves problems in half the time and allows you to focus on the other important aspects of running a business.

  1. Translate Tech jargon

Those error messages that you don’t understand, we do! We know what they mean and how to resolve them as well as what’s normal and when to start panicking! Technical language can be confusing and with our knowledge we can provide the translation and help make it easier for users to understand, removing the “fear” of something going wrong.

  1. Back Up Solutions

Have you ever been writing a document, your computer freezes and you have to restart it, then you remember you haven’t clicked save for about half an hour? Imagine this on a larger scale. Sometimes things go wrong, it’s a fact of technology but an IT manager can help provide regular back-ups to ensure you and your employee’s data is safe. We make sure that redundancies are in place so that there is minimal disruption when restoring information and everything is backed up. We offer cloud based solutions which we feel are the most flexible, secure and effective (as well as quick and easy to restore to get you back up and running in the event of a failure.)

  1. Staff Training

Let us teach your staff how to use their technology in the most effective way, from shortcuts to user-guides, IT management aims to create a unified relationship between user and technology so you are using it to its fullest potential for your business. Knowledgeable staff are able to cope with problems without panicking as well as knowing what to do in basic situations and when to call the experts, think first aid training for computers. A handy skillset for your employees.

Ultimately, IT management can streamline processes, boost productivity and improve customer service in the hospitality industry and at the end of the day, it’s the service that matters. For these reasons, hospitality industry needs IT management.

If you’re in the hospitality industry and want more info on what our IT managers can do for you, visit our list of services or get in contact.