One of the transformational trends that’s been sweeping the global workforce over the last decade has been a move to freelancing work, also known as “gig working.”
In Australia, there are approximately 3.15 million freelance workers, which represents 28% of the entire workforce.
Freelance workers often end up making more than they did when working as an employee for another company and they enjoy more flexibility. However, when someone is working freelance out of their home, they can often make poor decisions when it comes to protecting their most vital business asset, their computer.
They often don’t consider important protections for their Brisbane freelance business like managed IT services or managed backup. They feel that because it’s just them working alone, they may not need all that.
But, when you’re completely relying on your computer for your income, it’s perhaps even more important to keep it protected than if you worked for a big company with other options.
If a freelance worker’s computer crashes and needs repair or begins to get slower because of a virus infection or poor maintenance, it can mean a direct reduction in earnings.
For example, if your computer is becoming more problematic because it hasn’t had any professional maintenance, you could end up losing 1 hour of work productivity a day as a result of slowdowns.
Freelance wages in Australia can range widely, depending upon the position and experience. If you take a median of A$33 per hour and multiple that times an hour lost each day in productivity, that means a potential income loss of A$165 per week or approximately A$660 per month.
Why It’s Important to Use Managed IT Support for Your Freelance Business
It’s important to protect your livelihood when you’re a freelance worker and are depending upon the work you generate hour by hour or project by project. Here’s why it’s a cost-saving investment to sign up for managed IT services for your PC.
PC Optimisation & Maintenance
As part of our managed IT services at Connected Platforms we perform ongoing maintenance tasks on your computer and optimise your system to keep it running fast and efficiently.
The fewer problems you have, the more billable work you can get done in a week.
Security & Antivirus
One ransomware attack, and your business can be significantly harmed. You can be stuck dealing with loss of work product and deciding whether or not it’s worth it to pay an expensive ransom or just start on your files from scratch.
A virus infection can leave your system with major slowdown problems and potentially expose client information to hackers.
Managed IT support includes monitored antivirus/anti-malware protection. This is all handled for you behind the scenes, so you have peace of mind knowing your system and files are well protected.
You Have Support When You Need It
It can sometimes feel like you’re all alone without any support when you run a freelance business. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Remote IT support allows you to have a computer technician at your side virtually in minutes.
We offer 24/7 remote IT services, so if you run into a problem while burning the midnight oil, you can get help quickly. You also have someone watching your back when it comes to the technology your business needs to stay operational.
Internet Protection & Management
Another thing that can hurt a freelancer is having internet connection problems. This makes it difficult to meet with clients on video conference and can slow you down when accessing cloud-based resources.
Managed IT support can include internet monitoring and optimisation to ensure your connections are as fast as possible.
We can also manage Wi-Fi security, QoS settings, and set up VPNs to encrypt connections and keep your data secure.
Patch & Update Management
It can be easy to put off updates if they pop up at inconvenient times. You may not know how long they’ll take or worry about problems that might happen after a large operating system update.
But, putting off updates, which often include vital security patches, leaves your computer at risk. In 2019, 60% of data breaches were due to unpatched system vulnerabilities.
Patches and updates are handled for you behind the scenes when you have managed IT services. This ensures your computer is kept properly secure and you avoid update interruptions.
Affordable & Tailored to Your Needs
Many freelancers don’t consider managed IT services because they’re worried that they will be more than they need and too expensive.
We tailor managed service packages to your needs and only provide the services that would help you, which means the pricing stays lower and you’re not paying for unnecessary support.
Ask About Our Tailored Managed IT Services Today!
Keep your computer running fast, securely, and efficiently. Connected Platforms can put together a custom plan for you today.
Contact us for a free consultation. Call (07) 3062 6932 or book a coffee meeting online.
