Today’s founders, owners, partners, and even managers often lack a tech background. The problem associated with this known fact points to a likelihood that without sufficient knowledge in technology, important decision-makers are often prone to selecting the wrong IT support teams for their business. As new technology breakthroughs make headlines, having a reliable IT company in Boston will become a key factor in boosting productivity, efficiency, security, and reliability (and thereby the success) of your company for years to come.
Evidently so, giving deliberate thought into your IT support partner’s experience, expertise, and reputation will come a long way in fuelling operations. But finding an IT support provider who consistently delivers on these needs in a sea of options can put immense pressure on business leaders. For this reason, Welsh Consulting put together a comprehensive list of benchmarks to guide you through the selection process.
Key Takeaways
- A 2023 World Economic Forum (WEF) report describes cybersecurity as one of the top ten risks globally, with the cost of cybercrime expected to reach $10.5 million annually by 2025.
- As humanity’s collective data edges closer to 175 zettabytes by 2025, a growing need for tighter security can be felt across organizations. That’s because poor data management can lead to a bad reputation, legal penalties, and financial risk.
- Proactive system and network maintenance is essential to your business’s overall efficiency and performance.
1. Assess the Provider’s Understanding of Your Business Needs
Each contribution to your product/service’s success starts with a profound understanding of key milestones and important features, to state a few. Beyond this, business managers and their departments are expected to meet certain objectives.
A significant portion of this collective burden is shouldered by the tech department; where in-house and outsourced IT teams are tasked with keeping on-site and remote tech resources in good condition and in tune with the company’s main goals. The problem, however, sets in when your tech knowledge is limited. It’s during this time that identifying what technologies and strategies are required to drive success becomes taxing.
On the bright side, since you know your product better than anyone else, finding an IT support provider that expresses extensive thought into what goes into its success is easier than expected. Ask questions to weigh their understanding of your business needs and listen carefully to their response. At minimum, they should share a mutual understanding of the challenges you could be facing and provide the solutions that would be necessary to make the product a success.
2. The Weighted Response to Potential IT Challenges
A lot can go wrong with business IT nowadays; cyber threats have become more rampant, with unstable and ill-protected networks aggravating the situation. Software incompatibility and disaster can take a toll on your business at any given moment. In these desperate times, every business needs a proactive response. Your IT support partner will have a certain impact on how quickly your operations get back on track.
- Cyber threats: A thorough assessment of the company’s cyber risks would determine your most vulnerable assets. Mitigating the impact of malware, ransomware, and data breaches automatically calls for ongoing monitoring.
- Software compatibility issues: As developers stamp out bugs and patch up security with new updates, there is a possibility that legacy software and hardware could be left out. IT support providers develop customized IT roadmaps for these very situations, ensuring that new upgrades work in unison with existing systems.
- Network stability concerns: An unstable network often foreshadows deeper issues in your broader network infrastructure. Your ideal IT support partner will conduct regular performance tests and weed out issues before they culminate in a disaster.
A proactive approach seeks to treat the symptoms without waiting for a full-fledged system failure. And in so doing, proactive management decimates the chances of a data breach, viruses, and data loss.
3. The Cost of IT Support Against Projected Milestones
At the beginning of your cooperation with an IT support provider, various agreements will alter the costs of service depending on business size – larger businesses need more IT support for their larger workforce and devices – industry, and region. Most IT support providers today will take up an hourly rate or fixed monthly fee (or flat rate) for their services.
Service level agreements outline the projected milestones for the period of service. The mode of service delivery could take a fully managed or co-managed approach, inflicting varied costs on your business.
Other providers offer scalable solutions to enable businesses to meet their unique needs regardless of size and industry. This is a flexible service enjoyed by companies operating in a regulated industry like finance, which requires additional security measures that could skyrocket costs. At the end of the day, it’s about working with a provider that has given thought to your business’s needs and avoiding one who hasn’t.
4. Industry Expertise and Relevant Experience
Treat relevant industry expertise as a must-have attribute and relevant experience in your industry as a bonus when hiring an IT support provider for your business. Simply put, relevant industry expertise is just as important as communication; without it, the cooperation will likely fail. Experience, on the other hand, while great to have, is not a mandatory requirement so long as your chosen vendor commits to understanding your company’s needs.
When selecting an IT support provider, assess their acquired certifications and qualifications; peel deeper into the qualifications of your assigned team members. Industry-specific qualifications are an essential show of capacity to tackle the challenges that are specific to your industry.
5. Evaluate Testimonials and Previous Client Reviews
Even if your chosen IT support vendor holds unparalleled expertise in their craft, the long-term success of the partnership boils down to excellent communication, reliability, service quality, and professionalism. Traces of past interactions with similar partners provide a historical mirror into the provider’s track record through client reviews and testimonials.
Positive reviews are reminiscent of reliable partnerships that last well into the future. In your assessment, look into the provider’s response to different challenges to get a sense of how they would respond to yours.
Making Final IT Support Decision
After careful consideration of your tech needs, it’s time to partner with a managed IT service provider. To arrive at this strategic decision, you need to carefully evaluate and analyze all the available options.
- Can the IT support provider address all of your concerns?
- Is the pricing model favorable to your budget?
At the same time, remember that the relevance of 24/7 IT support in a volatile business environment can never be underestimated.
- Minimizing downtime: Downtime in businesses results in missed opportunities, revenue losses, and frustrated clients. An IT support provider addresses and resolves network issues, technical issues, and system failures, ensuring uninterrupted operations and an increase in employee productivity and satisfaction.
- Quick assistance if and when you need it: Having skilled professionals handling IT issues provides comfort not only to employees but also to customers facing issues with your product or service. So long as your IT support partner can provide prompt assistance in case of repeated attacks, constant software glitches, network problems, or a prolonged system failure.
- Flexibility and scalability: As your business expands its scale of operations, IT support will be essential in sustaining the growth without losing sight of the company’s objectives.
IT providers are specialists in their respective fields. Accessing such specialized knowledge is a boon to your business’s operations, reliability, and credibility.
Summary
Since providers offer varying work terms for the same services, finding the right provider can be overwhelming. A careful analysis of your existing IT infrastructure points to the areas that need IT support. Consider hiring a local IT support company. At minimum, they will be able to break down specific issues affecting your industry at a higher level, and even visit your location in person should the need arise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of training and qualifications should a good IT support team possess?
A proficient IT support team should have qualified experts with certification in, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) 4 Foundation, Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification, Google IT Support Professional Certificate, and VMware Certification. Continuous training keeps the team updated on emerging trends.
How does IT support help in improving the efficiency of my business?
IT support streamlines business operations by importing specialized expertise in managing complex and routine IT duties, freeing up employees to focus on other critical operations. IT support partners are also strategic IT consultants, providing valuable insights that shape decisions around IT investments.
What are some common mistakes businesses make when choosing IT support?
Some common mistakes businesses make when choosing IT support include setting unrealistic expectations without a clear understanding of the technological requirements needed to run the business. Some companies make very little investment of their time in evaluating the MSP’s performance and reputation in handling compliance and security matters.
Can IT support assist in data security and protection?
IT Support providers implement cybersecurity measures starting with proactive monitoring, advanced firewalls, and regular patches on your infrastructure. They provide technical support in the event of a breach or a disaster. Also, IT support providers are always updated on the latest cybersecurity trends that help an organization prepare for future challenges.
How regularly should we update our systems and software?
Regular updates should be implemented on business systems. A monthly update schedule is recommended for software apps. Lengthier, more expensive updates can be scheduled on an annual or biannual basis to keep your data and system safe.
