With over two thirds of UK companies outsourcing their IT support, selecting the right partner is essential. A smooth running, effective IT system allows you to focus on what matters most, your business. Without the right support, small issues which could have been mitigated, can quickly lead to distracting, time consuming problems.
Whatever the size of your business you will have numerous IT elements to manage, from physical hardware such as laptops and desktops to software licences, cloud services and platforms. Having a dedicated partner to manage this on your behalf frees you up to concentrate on more important things.
There are a plethora of organisations out there vying for your attention, but how do you know which one to choose. In this blog we’ll outline the key things to think about when quizzing potential partners.
What makes them different from the rest?
It can feel like you can’t see the wood for the trees when comparing IT support websites, especially when they are all shouting about the same things.
- Can they provide you with real client reference? Someone you can get in touch with and speak to personally about the service they receive.
- Have they taken time to understand your business, your way of working and specific needs?
- Do they have experience with the core systems and software that you use? And if they don’t (you may be using legacy systems or software they don’t have direct experience with) are they willing to learn rather than just sell you an upgrade that you don’t need?
How do they work?
What is the process for logging a problem, how will it be fixed and how quickly? These are all important questions, an efficient easy to use system prevents valuable time being taken away from your team.
- Who is your main point of contact, will it always be the same person?
- How quickly will your call be answered?
- How do you contact them; phone/email/online ticketing system?
- Will your problem be fixed remotely?
- What is the internal escalation process if a problem can’t be swiftly resolved?
- Do they offer 24/7 support and how does it work?
- Are they happy to work with your 3rd party vendors to resolve any technical issues they are not able to?
What’s in the Service Level Agreement
All potential partners will have an SLA in place which will form part of your contract. It should lay out typical response and fix times against priority ratings. If it isn’t in the SLA you should ask for their definitions of each priority level so you enter the agreement with the right expectations. Typically, P1 will be the highest priority with cases requiring the quickest fixes whilst P5 will be the lowest priority non time critical cases.
A priority matrix is a way for an organisation to measure its performance, so ask if response times are met, and how often they aren’t.
If the SLA doesn’t meet your needs, ask if it can be adapted. A good organisation should be flexible to meet the needs of customers.
How will they keep your data safe
Cyber security is paramount to any business and should be offered as part of your support package. As standard it should offer hardware and software security including firewalls, incident response, data back-up and checking for any weak spots in your system which you make you vulnerable to cyber-attack.
Depending which sector your business sits in, you may require more advanced security measures to protect yourself and ensure you are GDPR compliant. Check with any potential partner that they can deliver this and that it is written into the SLA.
What else can they offer you
Many organisations that offer IT support packages may also specialise in other areas including IT strategy, networking solutions and hardware solutions which may benefit your business. The world of IT is constantly innovating and evolving operating with legacy systems which may no longer receive updates or support newer technologies can create inefficiency you don’t need. Your IT partner should be able to help you create an IT strategy that keeps you moving forward.
At Corona IT Solutions our Managed IT support service provides access to all the engineering expertise and services required to provide your business with a comprehensive IT department and to maintain your IT systems. We pro-actively to monitor, manage and improve your IT systems, supporting your users and providing solutions to problems as soon as they arise, if not before they even become apparent.
