Just about every modern business could use a little IT assistance in today’s digital frontier. However, many small and medium sized businesses don’t have the budget to afford in-house IT staff. Even the businesses that do find that their needs exceed their own team’s capabilities. With the growing and ever-evolving threats to cyber security in an increasingly connected world, IT management is a top priority.
And so, businesses of all shapes and sizes turn to third party IT companies to keep them running safely and smoothly. The question is, with so many IT companies on the market, what should you look for in a partner?
The world of IT has become very broad. There’s hosting, technical support, systems monitoring and management, cyber security protection, compliance control, software and firmware updates, access management, and more.
When selecting an IT partner, you want to make sure they can cover all of your needs.
In addition to your current requirements, you should also consider your future needs. As your company grows and develops, your IT company should be able to keep pace without compromising their level of service. Speaking of…
As your company matures, it will likely grow bigger while its offerings become more advanced. This means that the systems and infrastructure supporting your company will likely become more complex. There will be more devices to manage, more critical data to protect, more information that needs to be hosted, etc.
Outgrowing your IT company can result in either a decrease in service quality or a forced migration to a more advanced IT company. The best way to avoid either of these scenarios is by selecting an IT partner that’s built to scale their services.
If you’re a small company now, you also don’t want to pay for services you don’t need. A scalable IT company will be able to give you the level of service you need right now while preparing for whatever changes lie ahead.
When choosing an IT partner, it’s important to understand what you’re paying for. Some IT companies are known to charge outrageous hourly rates when special needs or emergencies arise. If you’re in crisis mode, you’ll have little choice but to pay them what they’re asking.
To avoid this, you should look for a company that operates under a preset rate so that you know exactly what you’ll be paying each month. Once again, this is where a scalable IT partners comes in handy, as they can better tailor their services to fit within your budget.
Obviously when working with any third-party, you want them to know their stuff. In the case of IT, however, it’s not just enough to have the basic knowledge and skills. The world of IT is in constant flux, which means a good IT company needs to keep up to date with the latest tools, threats, and security measures. Otherwise, your business could be left underperforming and exposed to dangers.
IT companies aren’t always known for their customer-service. Some might come off confusing (or even condescending) in the way they speak to you. They end up talking in technical terms and industry lingo that most people can’t decipher. Other IT companies are simply impossible to reach when you need them most.
A good IT company understands that customer experience is one of the most important parts of the process. They should be able to speak to you at your level, and they should definitely be available when you need them.
While this might all sound like a lot to expect, the importance of quality IT practices cannot be overstressed. Whether an IT company is providing support for your own team or acting as your entire department, they should have all of the qualities listed above.
At Expedient Technology Services, we provide a variety of IT services designed for businesses of all sizes. We place special emphasis on customer service, ensuring that you feel well-taken care of. It’s our goal to provide our clients with true “Stress Free IT®”.
We take pride in keeping up with the latest requirements, practices, technology, and trends. We don’t just provide IT. We live and breathe IT.
We are also a Microsoft Silver Competency cloud partner, which means we can handle all of your Modern Office needs including 0ffice 365, Teams, Azure, and Microsoft M365 advanced security.
We can even provide on-site technical support in the Dayton, Ohio and Cincinnati regions. Of course, we’re more than capable of working remotely as well. If you’re in need an IT partner you can trust, contact ETS today.