Deck the Halls with Managed IT Services
FullScope IT’s Holiday Guide to Cybersecurity, Cloud, VoIP, Business Continuity, and Compliance.
As the holiday season gets closer, the sense of excitement is palpable. But for small and medium-sized businesses, this isn’t just a festive time—it’s a critical period that can affect their whole year. In fact, 25% of SMB owners expect to make more than half of their annual revenue in the final months of the year.
During the holidays, businesses get busier, interact with more customers, and often have more staff working remotely. This can make managing technology a bit tricky. Fortunately, the right managed IT services provider can help.
Managed IT support can help businesses keep the busy holiday season running smoothly and keep them safe from the increased cybersecurity risks that come with it. For example, FullScope IT offers a number of IT services specially designed for businesses during the holidays and beyond.
This guide discusses why managed IT services are important during the holiday season. We’ll cover everything from cybersecurity to phone services (VoIP), online services (cloud), keeping business running smoothly (business continuity), and following rules and regulations (compliance). We’ll also show how partnering with FullScope IT can give businesses peace of mind during this busy time.
Managed IT Services during the Holidays
The holiday season is challenging and rewarding for small and medium-sized businesses. There’s an increase in sales (of up to 3-4%, or between $957.3 billion and $966.6 billion in spending) and customer interactions. At the same time, many staff work remotely to fit the holiday schedule. During this time, having the right technology setup is important for keeping businesses running smoothly. This is where managed IT services come in.
Managed IT services do more than just fix problems during the holidays. They help businesses get ready and adjust their technology to handle more work. When online shopping is at its peak and with consumers planning to spend an average of $1,625 this season, businesses need strong online stores, safe ways to handle payments, and good customer service. Managed IT services ensure these important parts are working well and can handle the extra work.
Having managed IT services during the holiday season means businesses get the tech support and security they need to make the most of the season’s business successes. Working with a managed IT services provider like FullScope IT lets businesses concentrate on what they do best, knowing that their technology is being taken care of, is safe, and ready for the holiday rush.
Cybersecurity during the Holidays
The holiday season is a happy time, but it also increases the likelihood of cyberattacks like phishing, malware, and ransomware. This is because there’s a lot more online shopping, and businesses are doing more online transactions, making them bigger targets for these attacks.
Employees might also be more likely to make mistakes with security during the busy holiday season. Plus, businesses often collect more information from customers, so keeping this data safe and following all the rules about handling data is extra important.
Cybersecurity Holiday Tip: Make Sure Your Staff Knows About Cybersecurity
Teach them again about the risks, especially fake emails and scams that happen more frequently during the holidays. A team that knows what to watch out for is the best way to protect against these cyber threats.
FullScope IT’s Cybersecurity Services help businesses keep their operations and customer information safe. We use strong security methods like advanced encryption and teach staff about cybersecurity, so our clients have a safe and secure online space during the holidays and all year round.
Cloud Services during the Holidays
During the holiday season, many businesses see a lot more customers and online activity—around a 4.8% increase from last year. To handle this spike, they need technology that can change and grow quickly, especially to manage more website visitors and customer interactions. The best cloud service provider can adjust to these busy times, help with team collaboration and remote work, and keep data safe with good backup and recovery plans.
Cloud Services Holiday Tip: Plan for Scalability
Get ready for more people to visit your website by increasing your cloud services. Make sure your website and online systems can handle more visitors and sales so customers have a smooth experience.
FullScope IT’s Cloud Services let businesses safely get to important files and programs from anywhere. This is a secure, efficient way to handle the busy holiday season.
VoIP Services during the Holidays
During the holidays, businesses often get a lot more calls and messages from customers and employees. In fact, contact call center volume was up 41% in 2022. This is why having good communication systems, like VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), is critical.
VoIP is great because it’s reliable, lets you talk clearly, and you can use it from anywhere. It has helpful features like turning voicemails into emails and letting multiple people join a call, and it doesn’t cost too much. This makes it perfect for handling lots of calls during the holidays.
VoIP Services Holiday Tip: Set Up Holiday-Specific Features
Use special VoIP holiday features, like custom greetings, automatic call answering, and directing calls to the right people. This helps handle lots of calls well and keeps things professional, making customers happy and making work easier during busy times.
FullScope IT’s VoIP Services make sure communication is smooth and easy, helping businesses stay in touch with customers and their teams throughout the holiday season.
Business Continuity during the Holidays
During the holiday season, businesses often have to deal with more customers and ensure operations run smoothly. It’s especially important to keep services going without any breaks to avoid losing money and to keep customers happy.
Being able to quickly fix problems, like if your website stops working, is important for good customer service. It’s also good to be ready for any unexpected problems that might come up.
Business Continuity Holiday Tip: Conduct a Pre-Holiday Check
Before things get really busy for the holidays, check your business plans for keeping things running. Make sure your backup systems work and that everyone who needs to know understands how to recover from any issues.
Working with FullScope IT for Business Continuity Services means you get help with these things. This lets you focus on selling more and taking care of your customers, knowing that your business can handle the busy holiday season well.
Compliance during the Holidays
In the holiday season, it’s really important for businesses to follow rules and regulations, especially as they deal with more sales and customer information. Making sure to do things right keeps customer trust and helps you avoid any legal problems.
Compliance Holiday Tip: Review Data Handling Procedures
Take a good look at how you handle and protect customer information. Make sure your team knows how important it is to follow privacy rules, especially when you have a lot of customer data during the holidays.
FullScope IT’s Compliance Services help businesses keep up with changing rules and regulations, especially when it’s busy during the holidays. This helps businesses relax, knowing they are doing things right and lets them focus on their main work and look after their customers.
Contact FullScope IT
As the holiday season starts, with all its challenges and chances, it’s really important for businesses to have a good IT partner. A managed IT services provider like FullScope IT offers a full range of IT support that’s just right for what businesses need during the holidays.
Working with FullScope IT over the holidays is not just about fixing IT issues. It’s about making your business better and ready for the busy time. We help with everything from making plans to setting things up and keeping everything running smoothly. This means your business can handle the busy holiday season well and maximize all the opportunities.
Contact FullScope IT today to learn how we can help your business succeed this holiday season.
Want more Black Friday and Cyber Monday tips? Check out Episode 08 of our Cybercast, Deck the Halls with Holiday Tech Tips.
