In business, there are a lot of things that seem like extra expenses, right up until the moment you try to go without them and something bad happens. Having things like good insurance, a strong accounting team, or even a high-powered salesperson can all put a heavy dent in your budget, but each one is well worth the expense when you need it most. After all, going without one of them for too long, at the wrong time, can put you out of business.

The same applies to some of the technology services that you might be contemplating right now.

Although it might be tempting to skip out on the expense of some items your outsourced IT team recommends, there are a handful that need to be part of any business. To help you understand why, here are five IT investments you can’t afford not to make:

Paying for IT assistance by the hour sometimes seems like a great idea, and a way to get the technology help you need for less money. It can be for a little while, but what happens when you need a technician on-site – and the overtime hours – during an emergency? Not only does the managed services agreement protect you from these unexpected costs, but could let your IT team proactively fix the problem before you even notice it.

In a way, this is a poor name for great service, because it implies that you don’t need it unless a meteorite sweeps your office building away. In reality, most IT “disasters” revolve around small fires, hardware failures, employee mistakes, theft, and other issues that seem minor until you realize you can’t access the files and data you need. Having a dependable plan to get your company back up and running in an emergency – even a minor one – can be invaluable when you need it.

Why is it that nearly every Fortune 500 business is going “into the cloud” all of a sudden? It’s because they know what you should: that cloud computing is safer, more reliable, and less expensive month to month than keeping all kinds of hardware and software at your own facility is. Throw in industrial-strength data encryption and the ability for employees to share in real time, even from remote locations, and it’s easy to see why cloud computing is a trend that isn’t going away.

The numbers don’t lie: Hundreds of millions of Americans are accessing the Internet via smart phones, tablets, and web-ready devices. Even more importantly, that number is expected to grow in the next few years, with mobile web tools overtaking traditional desktop and laptop computers within a couple of years. Building and mobile functionality for your employees and customers helps you stay efficient and productive on the go.

The great thing about IT consulting is that it’s hard to even predict how it can help your company. It could be that your technology team finds a problem with your hardware configuration before it costs your business more money. Or, they could help you forecast expenses more accurately for the coming years. It might even be if they can show you how to take advantage of new technology to leave your competitors in the dust. All it takes to find out is a good conversation with someone who knows your company, and how new hardware and software solutions could fit into the mix.

Has your company been going without any of these IT elements? If so, schedule a free consultation with us today and we’ll show you how easy and affordable it is to put the right technology on your side.