Business Technology

When running a business, IT can sometimes feel like a big mystery with lots of twists and turns. It’s all smooth sailing until someone can’t access their email, or a file disappears right before your eyes. It’s common to feel frustrated and wonder, “Is this just part of the process?” Remember, you're not alone in this. Many business leaders are facing the same challenges. Lucky for you, there are solutions out there!

The world of technology can be daunting to navigate. The terminology is confusing, the solutions are complex and accountability is essential. This emphasizes the importance of partnering with an accountable IT provider who not only completes the job effectively but also has the right people and processes in place to ensure smooth execution. But what does that look like?

The state of Maryland has included a three percent tax on data and information technology services in its fiscal year 2026 budget. Let’s discuss what that will entail and who it will directly impact.

When searching for a managed service provider (MSP), you’ll likely hear them talk about their SLA (service level agreement). While many MSPs may tout their SLA to impress prospective clients, it’s crucial that your business digs deeper to understand their service, metrics and accountabilities.

A couple of weeks ago, a widespread IT issue caused downtime for industries worldwide. This downtime was caused by an update from the cybersecurity application CrowdStrike that crashed Microsoft operating systems.

Ever since the start of the pandemic in 2020, we’ve seen rapid growth in the number of people working remotely. Pre-pandemic, roughly five percent of full-time employees with office jobs worked primarily from home. In 2023, 28.2% of employees had a hybrid work schedule. You’d love to see more of this in your business so your workforce has the flexibility, but you only want to do so if they can be supported.

If you’re trying to run a small business, your day-to-day schedule is probably pretty busy. You’ve got a lot that you’re accountable for, technology included, and it’s causing a lot of headaches. Maybe you have an internal IT employee or a small team, but to no fault of anyone, you feel like your business needs more, and you and your internal IT employees need less on your plate.

Technology is crucial in today’s business world. Sometimes, it takes a couple of issues to really highlight that. Perhaps your business has been feeling this lately. Whether it’s headaches caused by slow devices or just a gut feeling that your business technology isn’t where it needs to be, you know it’s time for something to change.

So, you’re preparing to discuss a possible IT partnership with a new managed service provider. There’s one issue: IT is a very broad and sometimes overwhelming term, and you’re not really sure what services you’re asking them for. You have a pretty good idea of what technology your business needs and you may even have an OK understanding of the services your current IT partner is providing. So why does it seem like this new MSP is speaking a different language?

So, you’re in the DC-Metro area, and you’re trying to decide which IT company is right for you. You know technology is valuable to your business operations, so you want someone who is up to the task. While you might have a pretty good idea of the type of IT company you need, there are a ton of options, and you still need some help differentiating between all of them. What does a good option look like?