Introduction
The vast majority of modern businesses are utterly dependent on their IT systems and when their Computers, Servers or networks malfunction business operations can grind to a halt.
Most of these businesses are on “middle ground” - dependent on their IT systems and big enough to have invested substantially in them, but rarely of a size to justify employing and maintaining full-time, in-house IT staff with the inevitable burden on overheads.
Accordingly, many business owners are increasingly finding it makes sense to concentrate on what they do best, running the business while sourcing a competent IT firm to manage their IT systems.
Problem is, there are hundreds of IT companies out there and the trick is locating a great IT partner.
Compentance & Availability
The first, most obvious considerations to ask any potential IT partner concern their competence. Do they have the experience, accreditations and professionalism to look after your IT Systems?
Don’t be afraid to ask searching questions on this. IT is a world of jargon that easily confuses the average businessman and you should ask your potential IT partner:
- What training and accreditations do you have appropriate to my IT Systems?
- What is your experience track record in IT?
- Please supply three organisations you have worked with and improved their IT operations
You may be surprised how many IT companies will fail at least one of these questions.
Ensuring Value for Money
Key questions you need answering:
- What rates does the IT company charge?
- What does that include?
- How quickly does the company respond to customer issues?
- What internal processes occur when you receive my request for help – the firm may have the best IT trained team in the world, but without efficient systems your problem will be lost with the rest
Different IT companies offer widely varying operational procedures and charging:
Pay-As-You-Go
You call when something isn’t working, they come, fix it and you receive an invoice based on an hourly rate.
Block Hours
Some IT companies offer block hour deals where you purchase an agreed number of hours per month at a reduced rate.
Managed Services
Where the client company pays the IT firm an agreed fixed monthly fee in exchange for it providing all your IT service needs: support, server monitoring and hardware support.
Getting Help When You Need It
One of the most important reasons for employing a third party IT Company is to fix things when they break.
So a critical question is “How do I get help when I need it?”
- Are you required to call a helpdesk?
- Do you have an engineer’s mobile number?
- Do you have a contact email address?
- What systems does the IT firm have in place?
- Are customer issues dealt with swiftly and efficiently?
Remote Monitoring & Managed Services
Prevention is cheaper than the cure and nothing is truer than in today’s IT world where IT companies offer the facility to monitor your IT systems 24/7 - 365 days a year with remote software.
When the software spots a potential problem, the IT Company is immediately informed by SMS or email and is able to act swiftly to resolve the issue, all of which links to a managed service contract.
The IT Company monitors all your systems and provides all your support for one monthly fee. This is a fixed cost IT management agreement which gives you a peace of mind. You can find a great managed service contract with the right IT partner.
Project Management
IT projects are invariably ongoing - software upgrades, new premises or the installation of a new server.
If you already use a company for IT support, it makes perfect sense to turn to it at the time of a project. But you should be satisfied that any IT support company you hire:
- Has suitable systems in place for project management
- Has the necessary tools to set deadlines, ensure they are met without anything critical “falling through the cracks.”
- Has a foolproof mechanism for ensuring projects are completed on time and within budget
Putting It All Together
The more important your IT systems are to the running of your business, the more important it is you select the right IT Company. When something breaks (and it will!) it will be your business that depends on them. Monday morning on the busiest time of your year when your server goes down isn’t the time to realise your IT company hasn’t got what it takes.
Last Updated: April 22, 2009