If one of the world’s largest technology companies can miss a certificate renewal, what hidden technology tasks might be slipping through the cracks in your small business? If you don’t already have a good relationship with a Proactive IT Support provider, or Managed Service Provider, chances are there may be quite a few.
Recently, users visiting part of Microsoft’s online services were greeted with browser security warnings after a digital certificate expired.
The issue was resolved quickly, but it serves as a useful reminder that even the largest technology organisations can occasionally miss routine maintenance tasks.
The Problem Isn’t the Certificate
Most business owners don’t spend their days thinking about SSL certificates, domain renewals, software licensing, firmware updates or security policies.
Why should they have to remember all this stuff anyway?
Their focus should be on customers, staff, efficiency, growth and profitability.
Every one of the following (and rather dull) tasks has the potential to cause operational disruption, if overlooked or not managed properly:
- SSL certificate expiry
- Domain name registration expiry
- Microsoft 365 licences
- Security patching
- Backup monitoring
- Missed anti-virus & firewall updates
- User account reviews
- Device warranty or care plan expiry
Why do things get missed?
Simple. They’re all rather dull, routine tasks, especially if you don’t really understand the implications of not keeping on top of them.
Frankly, business owners and directors have better things to be doing, especially when under pressure to make sure customers continue spending, and expenditure isn’t getting out of hand.
What can happen, and we see this often, is the finance director renews one service.
A manager remembers another.
An external web developer handles something else.
Documentation sits in several places, if it exists at all (and most of the time it doesn’t!).
Then someone leaves and takes the knowledge of how to carry out the important but ‘oh so boring’ task with them.
The Real Value of Proactive IT Support from a trusted MSP
A good Managed Service Provider (MSP) isn’t simply there to fix problems. They are proactive, not reactive.
Their job is to make sure many problems never happen in the first place, by providing the following services:
- Automated monitoring
- Renewal tracking (domains, software licences, subscriptions and certificates)
- Security management
- Asset management
- Documentation
- Regular reviews
So, what are the key takeaways here?
Microsoft’s certificate warning was resolved quickly and caused only limited disruption.
BUT it illustrates a very important point.
Technology increasingly depends on hundreds of small administrative and security tasks being completed at the right time.
For small businesses, the challenge is rarely understanding every technical detail. It’s ensuring somebody is consistently keeping track of all the things that matter.
That’s where proactive IT support and systems management can make all the difference. It’s about responsibility and accountability being with the right people.
Finding and engaging the right MSP to take care of the technical, so you can focus on the operational and business development tasks, is a much better investment of your time and money, than struggling on and playing whack-a-mole with licence and certificate expiries!
And when you do find the MSP you can trust, who understands your business, its challenges and goals, and who feels like they’re truly part of your team, you’ll feel like you’ve won the lottery!
To read about the benefits of our managed services, take a look here
We’d love to help you start making your next smart move with a conversation. Give us a call!
