IT Support for Trades Businesses in the Berchtesgadener Land

Trades businesses in the Berchtesgadener Land share a recognisable IT pattern: a server or NAS tucked away in a corner, Windows PCs in the office, one or two tablets for the field crew, DATEV or a trades management package like Sage or Streit, and a router from the internet provider that hasn't been touched in five years. It works — until it doesn't.

And when it stops working, the damage is disproportionately high. No access to quotes, no time tracking, no visibility into stock. An electrical or lift-technology contractor with ten employees can lose several thousand euros in a prolonged IT outage — not in hardware, but in staff time and missed jobs.

Why trades businesses have specific IT requirements

The IT infrastructure of a trades business differs from an office operation in one key way: it has to connect mobile and static workplaces. The technician on a building site in Berchtesgaden needs access to customer data, job details and stock levels — ideally in real time, from a phone or tablet.

This requires a clean, structured central data store, working VPN or cloud access, and mobile devices enrolled in device management. In practice, many SME trades businesses lack exactly this: no unified device management, passwords passed around verbally, and a departing employee who still has access to company data six months after their last day.

What a basic IT setup costs for a trades business

For a business with eight to fifteen employees, we recommend a setup built on three components:

Device management (MDM): Microsoft Intune or Jamf manages all devices centrally — phones, tablets, laptops. Permissions can be set and revoked from one place. Cost: included within Microsoft 365 Business Premium (€22 per user/month).

Secure Wi-Fi and network: A Cisco Meraki access point with separate guest and business networks, proper firewall configuration, monitoring. One-off hardware cost €400–800, no monthly licence fee for small setups.

Data backup: Daily backup to an off-site location — either a NAS with off-site replication or direct cloud backup to Azure. For most trades businesses in the BGL, a simple automated backup setup configured once and left running is sufficient.

An electrical company in the Bad Reichenhall area that we've been supporting for several years had recurring problems with data synchronisation between office and field before we started working together. After migrating to Microsoft 365 with Intune and a structured SharePoint file structure: no more synchronisation issues, all employee devices manageable from one interface.

Trades software and IT: the most common integration problems

Most trades management software — Sage, Streit, Speedikom, HAPAK — runs on-premise, meaning on a local server. That's not inherently a problem, but it has implications for maintenance and backup.

What we see regularly: software updates are handled by the vendor, but nobody is responsible for the server itself. Windows Server is running a 2012 or 2016 version, security updates aren't applied because "the software vendor might break something". This is a real security risk — particularly when the server doubles as file storage and email server.

Our recommendation: separate the server operating system from the trades software. The application stays on-premise, the OS gets patched regularly — in coordination with the software vendor to maintain compatibility. It's not a major effort, but it's the difference between a stable and a vulnerable system.

DATEV in a trades business

Trades businesses working with a tax adviser who uses DATEV often have a DATEV interface or even a local DATEV installation. These setups need particular care: DATEV updates have their own operating system requirements, and not every Windows version runs smoothly with every DATEV version.

We support several businesses in the Berchtesgadener Land where we take responsibility for the DATEV environment alongside the rest of the IT infrastructure — tax adviser and business coordinated, one point of contact for IT questions on both sides.

Response times: what counts in an emergency

The biggest difference between a regional IT partner and a national provider isn't qualification — it's response time for physical problems. When a server won't start, a Wi-Fi access point needs replacing, or a device needs setting up on-site, what matters is whether someone can be there within an hour.

For businesses in the Berchtesgadener Land, we're typically on-site within one to two hours from Anger — with no call-out charge for businesses within the district.

We're available for a free initial conversation about your IT situation — on-site or via video call.

---