The need for effective communications and the importance of managing technology are putting the spotlight on IT services. So Inside Franchise Business asked Michael Dowling, national manager, Computer Troubleshooters, to share some statistics demonstrating why this is a good business to invest in right now.

For starters, he points out, IT services declined by 1.5 per cent last year but are set to grow by 2.3 per cent in 2021 to $34.4 billion, according to a report by analyst firm Garner. At the same time communications services will gain an uplift of 3.4 per cent to $26 billion, bouncing back from a decline of 2.2 per cent during the pandemic, the predictions suggest.  

Managed service provider (MSP) customers, especially small businesses, have been facing increased security threats year over year, Michael Dowling points out. The Kaseya white paper 2020 MSP benchmark -survey 2020, showed 29 percent of respondents listed ‘‘meeting security risks’’ as the top IT need for their clients. Another 14 percent of respondents listed cybersecurity services as a top need.

Deloitte Access Economics in 2017 indicated that there are more than 2.1 million small to medium businesses in Australia. The impact of the NBN means more businesses are connected and the area of VoIP unified communications is a growth opportunity for all of our franchisees. All franchisees undertake the NBC training program to become accredited advisers.

On average, two in five SMEs report that they’ve fallen victim to a ransomware attack. In particular, SMEs who don’t outsource their IT services are more at risk, according to a Datto ANZ Ransomware Report 2019.

In addition the residential market becomes more interesting with the trends of remote working, Internet of things and more connected devices, Michael says.

“It’s a growth market driven by the client. During Covid 80 per cent of our franchise network reported growth in 2020 calendar year.”

The Internet of Things (IoT) market in Australia is set to explode to $4 billion by 2020, according to a forecast by Telsyte. Australian households are expected to have 29 devices connected to the internet by the end of the decade, nearly tripling the current number of 11, the report says.

Key issues are security, connectivity and ensuring devices are performing optimally.

At Computer Troubleshooters, franchisees deal with both business and residential services.

Business services include managed services, managed cybersecurity, business continuity – backup, Microsoft 365 Solutions, VoIP communications, IT support, repairs and hardware and software procurement.

Residential services on offer are cyber security, computer repairs and support, hardware and software, data recovery and backup plans.