For your typical SME, managed IT support has numerous benefits. It can alleviate the stress on your internal IT team, fill gaps they can’t handle themselves, lower your costs and much more. But before you capitalise on these, you need to find and vet your outsourced IT support provider. Read on to learn about a series of questions you can use to ensure that your managed IT support is delivered properly, and your business gets the service it’s looking for.
Who will I be working with?
Ensure you know exactly who your technicians and account handlers are. You’ll want to get to know their personalities and core competencies. Some outsourced IT support providers will introduce you to their best, only to pull a bait and switch and pair you with someone else who might be less capable or suitable for your business. This question is designed to prevent this and ensure you establish an effective IT partnership.
Do you have any certifications?
Alongside the previous question, this will help you ensure that you’ll be working with professionals. Certifications prove that your managed IT support company has addressed all the right areas. These include Cyber Essentials and Microsoft 365 certifications.
What is your average response time?
Every minute of system downtime experienced by your business is money down the drain. Unfortunately, plenty of outsourced IT support providers deal in days, whilst the good ones deal in minutes. Asking this question and being clear on your expectations will ensure that you receive a reliable and rapid response when technology issues arise.
What cyber security provisions do you offer?
Unless you already have a dedicated cyber security team in house, you’ll want to work with managed IT support that prioritises good cyber security. Ask about what strategies they employ, what certifications they have, what tools they use and whether they can train your staff in cyber security awareness.
What are your service-level agreement (SLA) terms?
An SLA is essentially the brass tacks of what your outsourced IT support provider will be doing for your business. It’s a contract that outlines what services will be delivered, what metrics will be measured, targets to be met and what will be done if those targets aren’t met. Getting all this in writing before you start working together is one of the most effective ways to get the outcomes your business wants.
Who are your partners?
No good managed IT support provider works alone. They’ll partner with technology vendors and other specialists so that they’re ready for anything your IT demands. Have a careful think about what your IT requires and check to see that their partner roster will serve your business accordingly.
At SPC IT we ensure that all of the above concerns are addressed from the very start. Our services are designed to designed to address any problem your business might encounter and ideally solve it before it becomes problematic. Speak to one of our experts today about how SPC IT can be the extension of your business that your technology needs.
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