Nowadays, almost all business use digital technologies in their daily operations in one way or another. In the past 10-20 years the role of technology has accelerated across all sectors, resulting in the need for strategic and dynamic IT support providers who understand how technology can help their clients. It’s therefore vital that you choose a provider that’s a good match for your business, but this is often easier said than done.
In what can be a crowded marketplace, crammed with confusing technical language, distinguishing the exceptional IT providers from the also-rans can be a challenge. So to help, we’ve assembled a list of the top 7 factors to consider when choosing your next IT partner.
Are they willing to tailor their service?
There is a lot of commonality in the IT sector in terms of the services IT providers offer. It’s common for providers to offer a package of support that centres around network maintenance, helpdesk support and perhaps certain cybersecurity elements.
While this suits many businesses, consider whether your business requires a tailored arrangement with IT responsibility split between the provider or your internal team. Or perhaps you want a conventional support package that incorporates IT consultancy to help you map out the future direction of your tech infrastructure. Choosing a provider that’s open to compromise and willing to tailor their offering to suit your needs will ensure you get maximum value out of the partnership and help your business use technology more effectively.
Consider how their billing structure works
IT providers use a number of pricing structures, but 2 of the most common are fixed price contracts and the ‘pay-as-you-go’ approach. Additionally, some providers offer their core services on a fixed price contract basis, and charge extra for specific services.
To help you budget for IT spend more easily, we’d recommend choosing a provider that offers the bulk of their services via the fixed monthly contract model. This normally includes unlimited support and a host of security services as standard, with the ability to add additional services when the need arises. Flexible but predictable pricing means that you can rest assured that you have the support you need when you need it, and that you aren’t paying for service elements that you don’t need.
Do they have the expertise you need?
The world of technology never stands still so it’s important to have access to a dynamic, multi-skilled team who can help you with any project and solve any issue.
Consider whether they have the right skillset to support your systems by enquiring about the accreditations they hold as well as official vendor partnerships/relationships that are relevant to your tech infrastructure. Look for evidence that they continually invest in their staff by equipping them with knowledge of the latest tech solutions, and seek assurances that they have worked with businesses similar to yours in the past.
If you operate in a compliance-laden sector, ask questions to determine whether they have at least some understanding of the regulatory challenges you face. Ultimately, choosing a team that is knowledgeable about the hardware and systems you use will mean they’re able to maintain and optimise your setup more effectively.
Do they offer dedicated account managers?
In today’s world, personalised service can seem hard to come by, with interactions often leaving you feeling like you’re just a number on a call handler’s computer screen.
IT support should be different!
Make sure that the provider will assign your business a dedicated account manager. This will ensure you have a single point of contact who understands your business, your IT systems and the interplay between the two. Due to this understanding, they’ll be able to fine tune your support to take into account quirks and challenges that are unique to your business, and offer strategic advice to fully optimise your IT.
Will they help you develop an IT strategy?
An IT strategy is a plan of action that aligns technology with your business’s objectives and values. It helps to ensure that every tech solution deployed adds value to your business, and is a crucial component in any IT partnership.
3 years is the typical duration of an IT plan, which some providers refer to by various names, including ‘IT roadmap’ or ‘IT transformation strategy.’ Often developed at the start of a contract, this plan should include costings to allow you to factor future developments into your IT spend, and should be accommodating to any changes you anticipate your business undergoing throughout this period.
Another, arguably far more important aspect of IT strategy, is the development of disaster recovery plan and business continuity plans. The provider should show willingness to help you develop these plans from the outset to ensure your business has the safeguards in place to overcome almost any conceivable disaster or outage.
Is Cyber Security top of their agenda?
With recent years seeing a sharp rise in cybercrime globally, it’s important to choose a provider that’s aware of and responsive to the scale of the threat.
Anti-virus, firewalls and email filtering should form part of their core service, and continuous remote maintenance should be offered to address network vulnerabilities. If your staff work remotely it’s important to ensure a provider can support secure remote access options, such as VPNs and remote device management, to provide your team with the resources they need without compromising data security.
A provider that prioritises cyber security will often be keen to promote any accreditations held by their team. These include the likes of CompTIA Security+, CISM (certified information security manager) and CISSP (certified information system security professional) among many others.
Consider client testimonials and online reviews
You can never be 100% certain of the quality of any IT provider without experiencing the service first-hand, but client testimonials and online reviews can be helpful in gauging the level of service on offer. If a provider doesn’t make these readily available, don’t be afraid to ask for references, ideally from businesses similar to yours in scale and which operate in your sector.
Conclusion
While changing IT provider can seem a daunting prospect, switching can often reap countless benefits particularly if your current provider isn’t providing the level of service or technical proficiency your business needs. By gathering some information about your options before signing a contract, you can make an informed decision and choose the provider that’s best suited to your business.
Stay tuned for our next article, where we’ll explain some of the steps you can take to ensure a stress-free transition to a new provider.
Why choose JMV Solutions?
Since 2012, JMV Solutions has provided IT support for a wide range of small and medium sized businesses throughout Exeter, Devon and Cornwall. Our company is formed of a personable, friendly and expert team of IT and Security experts that have your best interests at heart. We protect your business, your valuable data, and help sustain your compliance requirements against a rapidly growing cyber threat. Contact us today to learn more.
