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looking for IT support companies

Here are five things to look for when looking for IT support companies:


1. There is no long-term contract

Some IT companies will lock you in a two or three-year contract. Think about other companies that lock you in a long-term contract. Most people are not fully happy with their cable or cellphone providers. Do you really want that experience with your IT company when you have a server down or can't enter your computer?


If you are not satisfied with the vendor (or if you only have changes in your business and need to reevaluate vendors), you must be able to change your contract or go anytime.


Look for the company with a month-to-month contract with a 30 to 60 day clause. Most modern IT companies move towards this model, but you will still see a long-term contract for some IT companies.


2. Proactive management

Some IT companies only work on Break / Fix reactive service tickets such as repairing damaged printers and solving email problems. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this kind of ticket, and this will make a big chunk of your IT support needs, no matter what you choose and what tools you use.


At the very least, this usually involves monitoring your network for blackouts (in some cases, they may know you have blackouts before you do it!).


Proactive management must exceed only monitoring. Your IT company must be familiar with your environment and industry and help you choose a tool to make your team productive and reduce downtime. The best IT companies will do that and regularly meet you to discuss your business goals and form a technology plan to help you meet these goals.


3. Ongoing experience, certification and training

Your IT support company must be experienced in the system they support - do not learn on your machine (and your dime). A good way to get a measure at their level of experience is certification.

Most technology vendors, including Microsoft, offer certification programs to IT companies and other professionals who serve their products. This is usually at the individual level, so you might need to file a prospective company for what their employee certification and how often they are updated.


Employees must continue to last until the date with the latest technology. Ask them about training - do they have a budget set aside for employee training (and is it used)? Do employees cross trained in different systems? IT supporting engineers with certification in the backup system are very good, but not if they don't know anything about applications and other systems that are reserved by backup.

4. Data security expertise

Strong data security is no longer optional. It must be wrapped in every part of your business - especially your technology. Find IT companies with data security expertise that can make a security plan to suit your needs and budget. If you are in a regulated industry, they need to understand the industry and how to help you stay obedient.


Data security is a place where ongoing training is very important - cyber security threats continue to grow. If your IT company is not in accordance with speed, they will not be able to help you protect.


Remember, even with the best tools and training, there has never been a 100% guarantee in terms of data security. Every company that promises you will not experience violations of data lying to you or do not know what they are talking about.

5. Clear response time

Your contract with IT companies must have a clear guaranteed response time (usually called the service level or SLA agreement). This must be described in your contract (along with what happens if they do not meet the SLA for a reason). You shouldn't be wondering when your problem will be handled.


Please note, SLAS usually refers when they will start overcoming your problem - not necessarily when it will be repaired. If they guarantee they can fix problems within a certain time, it actually must be a red flag.


Unfortunately, some IT problems can take a long time to fix it, especially if it involves dealing with other vendors (such as internet service providers) that are not bound by SLA. If your IT company promises to fix any problems in a certain amount of time, maybe they only use band-aid solutions - not handle the source of the problem.


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