Hiring independent managed IT service providers is increasingly becoming a common phenomenon in the business world. In terms of cost, scale, availability, and reliability, it makes sense to take advantage of their technical expertise rather than shouldering the more considerable expense of maintaining an in-house IT department.

However, before hiring managed service providers Dallas business owners need to inquire in detail about their data security policies. With rapid technological developments and increasing cybersecurity attacks, you cannot afford to be lax about the safety and security of your business data. It is essential to make sure the managed service provider that you hire has well-trained experts who can implement the necessary safety protocols and provide immediate assistance in case of a data breach or any other IT-related issues.

Keeping your data safe with managed IT service providers

To ensure that your data remains safe with managed service providers Dallas business owners will need to confirm if:

The data storage locations are secure

Given that data is one of the most valuable assets your business has, the most important step in data security is preventing the loss of data. Many companies never recover after a setback involving data loss, so you want to take extra precautions. Along with backing up the data multiple times, the managed service provider should store it in different remote locations that are at least several thousand miles away from your business location. Doing so will ensure data safety and protection in all events, even in the case of natural disasters like fires, floods, and earthquakes.

The best-managed service providers will have storage facilities with the same security heft as that of military storage and will also have extra-strong encryption systems to discourage hackers.

The support services are available 24/7

Along with implementing data protection, you want to be sure that breaches or breakdowns won’t affect the everyday operations of your business. Ideally, the managed IT service providers should have professionals available 24/7 throughout the year. That way, they will be able to respond to emergencies quickly, resolve issues, and have your IT systems restored and running within no time. It will ensure that your business won’t suffer from too much work disruption.

The data monitoring services are comprehensive

The managed IT service providers should offer comprehensive, round-the-clock data and network monitoring services in real-time and from any location. They should install alerts and get data monitoring reports. Additionally, they should create quality control policies for your data and its intended use, and refer to these to routinely check the data you store within various applications. When necessary, they may edit and update these policies to meet established standards.

Such regular monitoring will ensure that the managed IT service providers can detect and stop attempts at data breaches and also prevent malware, ransomware, and viruses from affecting your IT system. With regular data monitoring, you will also be able to make your business more agile and take immediate measures for data migration when necessary, without having to undergo extensive and time-consuming data preparation.

The data management services are adequate

Some managed IT service providers will also provide data quality management services to ensure that you can process, analyze, and profile large amounts of data. They will check it for consistency and formatting uniformity, cleanse irrelevant data, filter out unwanted data, pinpoint data relationships, and allow you to maintain better control of your business databases. As they track your data, the managed IT service provider will highlight any existing data issues and alert you to take appropriate action and avoid any negative impact on your business.

The system and license updating services are current

Whether you use Windows or Linux, with new technological developments, it will be essential to update your software and servers at regular intervals. Doing so will keep your system safe from viruses, malware, and other external threats. You will also need to renew your software licenses. By hiring a managed IT service provider to handle these matters, you can count on unlimited support for your IT system. Additionally, the Dallas IT support provider will take care to prevent business disruption as much as possible by minimizing the downtime for testing and implementing current updates.