Once upon a time, when Solid Systems was still in its early days, we used to say that we could help any company with any of their technology needs. It didn’t matter how big the business was, it made no difference if the job was once-off. We wanted to be the go-to-guys for anything and everything tech-related.
Ah, if only life were so simple.
The truth is, we’re not the perfect Managed IT Services provider for every company out there. Partly because not every business needs managed services. Some have internal IT teams that are meeting and exceeding their needs. Someone- or two-man shows have little need for cloud services and server environments, virtual or otherwise.
But then there are the industries where Managed IT Services make perfect sense. Where investing time and money on an internal IT team takes away from their core focus, and embracing the modern workplace has become a necessity. The finance sector is a perfect example of an industry where the right Managed IT Services partner can make all the difference.
Take Managed IT Services for accountants, for example.
What Makes Managed IT Services For Accountants A Necessity?
Technology has always formed an integral part of accounting practices. Accountants were some of the first professionals, for example, to embrace the personal computers that Microsoft and Mac were developing in the 1980s. And from Lotus, to Excel, to QuickBooks and Xero, software, apps and services that focus on and aid accountants are constantly advancing.
But with the adoption of new technologies come challenges, and having a dedicated IT team is an expense that most accounting firms can’t (and shouldn’t need to) justify. As the digital world is moving towards cloud solutions and infrastructure, accounting firms need to have a reliable team of IT professionals at hand to help them embrace the right solutions for their business that will see them meeting the unique challenges of their industry.
These challenges include:
1. Heavy Focus on Administration
Accounting is a profession that relies heavily on documentation and administration. You want to ensure that the right people have access to the files, spreadsheets and data that they need to work effectively, and to make sure that this information is secure, consolidated, and correctly regulated. This is especially important in an era when many companies are embracing remote working. While some industries do require their teams to be in an office environment, accounting is not among them. With the right tools, it is all too easy for accountants to work flexibly. At their heart, Microsoft’s Modern Workplace solutions are all about effective administration – ensuring that the right people have the right access, no matter where they are in the world, and can communicate and collaborate on clients and projects effectively. Finding the right partner who can not only help an accounting firm implement Microsoft solutions, but see them putting those tools to their best possible use, is just one of the advantages of Managed IT Services for accountants.
2. Need for Efficiency & Productivity
When every hour of time needs to be accounted for, the efficiency and productivity of your team members is one of your highest priorities. And this is never more true than for a company that handles the finances of other businesses!
With the right IT partner by your side, you can ensure that you are investing in the right technologies that will not just supplement your workflow, but enhance it. Whether it’s ensuring that your devices are running optimally, making sure that your teams have seamless access to all of the tools and data that they need to succeed, or allowing for easy and efficient collaboration, the right Managed IT services for accountants will see you optimising and making the most of your time.
3. Data Security is Essential
More and more, your average, everyday person is realising the value of their privacy and personal data, and the risk that companies who have access to it can pose. But this risk is nothing new to accounting firms. While many businesses are having to go through instrumental changes to the way that their data is stored and accessed thanks to the GDPR and POPIA regulations that have emerged over the past few years, to financial institutions, these procedures are practically engrained in their working habits. After all, it’s not just personal information that they’re dealing with, but the intricate financial data for their customers.
There are few industries where data security is more important than in finance. Financial cybercrime and cyber financial fraud are on the rise, and the right Managed IT partner not only understands this, but emphasises the critical nature of data and cybersecurity throughout their services and offerings. Their solutions are designed around making sure that your business is secured in every possible way against cyber crime in the financial sector, through implementing top of the line security technology, and through training your teams to recognise and avoid attacks and respond to them in the right way.
4. Need Top-Class Hardware
There is no space for cutting corners when it comes to the hardware that accounting firms make use of. Whether it’s PCs, laptops, printers or servers, everything needs to be working optimally at all times for accountants to be efficient and productive. Time is money, and money is an accountant’s bread and butter. Any time wasted waiting for a machine to respond, to boot up, to allow access is money lost.
This is, once again, where the right Managed IT services provider can make all the difference.
They don’t just provide exceptional customer service, ensuring that any problems that are encountered are dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. They delve deeper to find the root cause of issues, tackling the fundamental problems head-on to ensure that problems only happen once, rather than recurring again and again.
They don’t just provide technology and hardware. They source the best possible hardware for your needs, and onboard every device that your company acquires, ensuring that it’s setup in the right way every single time to boost your business’ security and your teams’ productivity.
What Makes Solid System The Perfect Partner for Accountants?
Now that you understand the four technology challenges that accountants and accounting firms face, and how Managed IT service providers can help them, you may be asking yourself, is Solid Systems the RIGHT partner for my finance business?
The answer is yes.
Finding a Managed IT services partner is one matter, but finding the right partner is critical, because not all MSPs will meet your unique needs. Solid Systems has spent the past two decades honing in their services and ensuring that every company that works with them receives exceptionally human customer service. But they have also refined their offering to uniquely suit financial institutions. Accounting firms are just one of the business types that find tremendous benefit from making use of Solid Systems’ tailored Managed IT services solutions.
Why?
Because as a Microsoft Gold Partner, we are hyper-focused on extracting the most value out of the Microsoft Modern Workplace solutions. Our experienced IT Pros are Microsoft certified and know how to train your teams in making the most of the apps and programs that your business is already using, and making sure that you are putting Microsoft technology to its best possible use. Solid Systems is also one of a select few companies in South Africa who are able to provide Microsoft Surface devices to companies, and we know the real impact that these devices can have for businesses, since we make use of them ourselves.
On top of that, our strategic planning sessions are all about making sure that you are putting your existing technology to its best advantage, and are implementing the right technologies to keep your business secure and help you not just meet, but exceed, your goals. Our aim is to see every cent that you spend with Solid Systems have a measurable business outcome, and this makes us the ideal partner for businesses that are focused on finance.
Are you ready to see for yourself the impact that Solid Systems’ Managed IT Services for accountants can have? Visit our dedicated page that highlights the value that we can offer today.
