Capstone Works Blog

Are you a business owner in Austin, Texas looking for a reliable and efficient way to handle all of your IT-related needs? Look no further than managed IT services. In today’s digital age, technology plays a crucial role in the success of any business. From communication and collaboration to security and compliance, IT covers a very wide area within any organization, and as a business grows, it becomes harder to manage with in-house staff. That’s where managed IT services come in. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of managed IT services in Austin  and why they are essential for your business.

Central Texas, particularly around Austin, is a pretty populous area, with lots of businesses functioning there. Just about all of these businesses will need to use IT, and will therefore benefit from a relationship with a trustworthy consultant who can help them both avoid risk and optimize their operations. Let’s go into what business owners and leaders in and around Cedar Park can do to find the best IT consultants for their needs.

If you're a business owner in Austin, Texas, you know how important it is to have reliable IT support. After all, your company's technology is what keeps you connected to your clients, your employees, and the rest of the world. Without it, everything grinds to a halt.

While no two businesses are the same, there are usually going to be some common similarities between any two office environments. When you take a typical look at the technology that runs any two offices, you’ll see your standard workstations, phones, printers, and a couple of servers tying everything together. However, if you try to run an architecture, construction, or design firm from your typical office environment, things are going to fall apart very quickly. Why is that?

Austin, Texas is one of America’s tech hubs. It’s a place where many businesses are a few steps ahead when it comes to effectiveness and innovation. That also means there are a lot of different options for computer and IT support for Austin-based companies—which makes it important that business owners weigh their options carefully.

Engineering firms are known for pushing the limits of their technology. While at a glance, it might look like your engineers need a similar setup to a normal office, the typical infrastructure that a standard office uses is only going to cause headaches for your team.

It’s easy to look at your IT spending and see it as an expense, but the very nature of computing technology in the workplace is based around improving output and making your workforce more effective and profitable. If IT feels like an expense rather than an investment, it’s likely that your organization doesn’t have a proper budget and IT roadmap.

Austin might be the tech hub of the midwest, but that doesn’t mean that every business is on the same page when it comes to their IT. Cybersecurity has been such a problem recently that it’s close to growing out of control, but Texas CEOs are stuck dealing with louder, more visible issues to the point where they might not be seeing the threats underfoot.

Nobody likes to think about being “fragile.” It’s easier to go about your day assuming that very little can harm you, your way of life, and your business. It usually takes a shocking lesson to change a person’s mind about just how easy it is for something solid to topple over.

Nobody likes getting surprise charges. It feels… dirty. So many companies do it. You’ve got those surprise processing fees attached to your phone bill, the mechanic calling you to tell you that you’ve got a cracked turbo when you only went in for an oil change, or your computer guy sending you an invoice for additional support along with the monthly bill…

It feels like a lot of these other computer support companies make a living off of surprise fees and invoices. It’s NOT it normal, and we’re going to tell you a little secret about the IT industry so hopefully you don’t ever have to pay a surprise IT invoice ever again.

Austin—or, as it’s known to some, “Silicon Hills”—has quietly served as a force in the tech world for years now. As such, the investments that Austin businesses make into their IT can be considered very impactful. After all, look who they’ll unavoidably be compared to. This makes it crucial that you prioritize your own technology investments. 

Are your servers “out of sight, out of mind?” Set up, turned on, and promptly forgotten? Your servers are a critical part of your business’ operations and if not managed properly, you are risking a lot of lost time and money.

Most businesses rely on information technology in order to operate, with accountants, CPAs, and accounting firms being no exception. This means that modern accounting firms therefore have a lot of IT-related considerations to manage—particularly related to their security.

For many, IT is synonymous with waiting on hold with technical support, dealing with frustrating, unexplainable computer issues, and running into complex problems that get in the way of actual work. It can sometimes feel like the whole world has to constantly catch up to technology, when technology is supposed to make us all more efficient and effective. The question is, how can modern IT be best utilized to drive your business forward? Better yet, can it be done delightfully?

Saving a little on your technology can go a long ways, but cutting too many corners can lead to additional problems and expensive downtime. Here are a few ways you can cut costs without creating long term issues.

Don't be Afraid to Replace

Got an older PC that's causing you a lot of issues? Older technology is typically more expensive to run, and after a while, it's cheaper to simply buy a new desktop than it is to continue pouring money into something that always seems broken. It's a great time to buy workstations, and if things are tight you can even buy refurbished desktops to keep costs low.

Tablets are definitely becoming a staple in the consumer electronics world. For the longest time, the tablet PC was an expensive, clunky device that just didn't wow consumers. Some businesses had adopted tablets back in the day, but they were difficult to use, hard to support, and they simply didn't perform for the price tag. However, like many consumer electronics, Apple reinvigorated the tablet market with the original iPad, and now it would seem tablets are here to stay. The question is, are they right for businesses?