Many businesses use their website 24/7 to reach clients and capture new prospects, and the site going down is a critical event which could significantly impact operations. A real estate agency is an excellent example of an organization which requires constant uptime and network monitoring. Because people look to move to Florida from across the country – and the globe – they are searching on your site at all hours, scrolling through properties looking for their dream home, researching real estate agents, or even signing documents you have available for them.
A real estate agency does not follow banker’s hours, that is for sure. Because potential clients are searching your site 24/7, your site needs to be up and running at all times – you simply cannot afford any down time. But agents and brokers typically don’t have the knowledge (or time) to worry about network issues. Managed services may be the perfect answer for real estate.
Here are some of the benefits of managed services which real estate firms may not be aware of – but that they may need to stay competitive in the Sarasota market.
Monitored Uptime: Imagine that a million dollar prospect is up at 2 am, looking for their dream vacation home. They click on the link to a listing on your website, but the connection goes down. That client will likely not wait until the next morning to view the property on your site, but will instead simply look on another website. Managed services offers constant monitoring of your website, and a guarantee of uptime as outlined in your SLA. You can rest easy, knowing that someone is making sure your site does not go down.
IT Recommendations: Because managed services providers are intimately involved with your communications and IT networks, they can identify a problem and recommend a fix – even before a glitch occurs. They can also monitor traffic, speeds, and performance of your site and equipment and make suggestions as to new hardware or services which may optimize your site’s performance – and give you an important edge in a hyper-competitive market.
Economies of Scale: You want to spend your money on marketing and promotion, not computer hardware and software licenses – but these are requirements of your business. Because of how fast technology moves, you’ll want to keep up, and managed services can help. We purchase the latest hardware and software. We can not only get special pricing because of the quantities we purchase, but can share those costs among multiple clients. You’ll enjoy state of the art capabilities at less cost. Not only that, but you’ll have expert recommendations as to what you need to move onto the next level.
Cyber Security: One of the greatest benefits of managed services providers is the fact they we have a team of experts who monitor and track cyber security threats. Because real estate companies handle large financial transactions and personal data, they are a prime target for cyber criminals. Our team of full-time professionals track and stop cyber threats before they can damage your business.
A real estate agency may not have an IT department, but you can avail yourself of the expertise and technology of Alliance IT in Sarasota. It’s like having your own IT services department, without carrying the expense and overhead of an onsite team. If you are interested in hearing about ways we can assist you in streamlining and protecting your business, call us today.
