What you should look for in an IT Support Company
Posted by Sean Houghton on Sat, Oct 03, 2009
It can be very daunting when tasked to find an IT Support Company, there are so many different solution providers offering different types of IT support agreements.
Here are 10 things to check before you sign any agreement!
- Are they break fix or managed services?
Typically IT companies are either reactive (break-fix) or proactive (Managed Services) and some will offer a mix of both. However you must decide which model is right for your business. If you have five or more computers it is probable that you have a high dependency on IT and a fully managed service solution will be the right choice for your business.
Are they qualified?
An IT company is only as good as the staff they employ. Does the Helpdesk and on-site technicians hold the latest market leader accreditations such as Microsoft MCP, MCSE or MCTIP & Cisco CCNA, CCNP? Are they a Microsoft Gold Partner or Cisco Certified? You can usually check the status of their partnerships via the Microsoft Partner website. - What tools & systems have they invested in?
To fully outsource an IT support desk certain tools are essential to ensure your support requests are dealt with in an efficient manner. Does your chosen company follow ITIL procedures? Can you track the status of your tickets in real time via a customer portal? Can your provider connect to your pc or server in minutes or even seconds? A good question to ask is what remote tools to they use to support their customers? Have they paid for these or are they using free versions that can have limited functionality?
- Will they proactively monitor your servers & desktops?
With the right monitoring tools in place potential issues can be caught before they become a serious or critical issue. Will your Servers & PC's be monitored 24x7? Is this service included within in the price you have been quoted? If it is included, what will be monitored and what will happen once a problem is found?
- What response times will they offer?
Many companies will offer 4 hour or 8 hour SLA but in today's business environment that just doesn't cut it. Can you afford to wait this long? A good managed service provider should be able to respond to critical alerts within 15 minutes, high alerts within 30mins and while not all these issues may not be resolved 1st time you should look for a company with an above 85% 1st time fix.
- Do they keep up with the latest technologies?
IT is constantly changing and evolving. What you know today means nothing tomorrow (well not quite but you get my point). Does your IT Support provider have a continual investment program for their staff? What is their business roadmap? Will they suddenly have the desire to switch technologies vendors in pursuit of their own agenda?
- Can you obtain references for existing or past clients?
If there's nothing to hide then this should be no problem asking for references ask their clients the following questions:
Are they reliable?
Do they deliver what they promise?
Have you ever had problems getting hold of them?
Do they bill accurately?
Are they approachable or do they just speak IT geek talk?
Do they offer additional services?
- Will they be able to offer you additional services such as consultancy for project work, off-site backup, disaster recovery solutions, VoIP installation services and software licensing consultancy?
Will this be offered at a reduced rate if you are a fixed contract client?
- Will a dedicated account manager be appointed?
Having a great helpdesk is one thing but you will also want to be kept up to date with the newest technologies to see if they can fit in with your business and either improve efficiency, save costs or both!
A good account manager should not only deal with any day-to-day requirements you might have but also have an excellent understanding of your business and have the experience & knowledge in the IT industry to recommend solutions that are right for you. They should not sell you a product that achieves nothing for your business except putting a dent in your budget!
-
Why such a long term contract?
Many companies will try and tie you into a one year or two year deal (possibly three). Ask why? By agreeing to a long term contract what benefits do you receive? Look for a company that offer you the flexibility that best suits your business.
Want to find out more? Contact Aztech IT to discuss your current IT Support arrangements