What to look for when choosing managed IT services?
Outsourcing your company’s IT and networking to a managed service provider (MSP) can help you reduce your costs while boosting your productivity and efficiency. To maximize the value of managed IT services, you need to choose experienced experts who are a fit for your business. To make it easy for you to find the right provider, we have put together a list of key considerations for selecting an MSP.
1. An emphasis on network security
Keeping your business networks secure protects your employees’ sensitive data, your proprietary information, and the technology you rely on for your business to function day to day.
Choose a service provider that has extensive experience setting up and maintaining safe and secure networks and protecting businesses in your sector from a range of threats.
2. Business process experience
Your managed IT company should have experience with the specific types of business processes your company relies on for HR, sales, accounting, manufacturing, and other operations. The better they know your systems, the more effectively they will be able to enhance your daily workflow.
3. Experience with your computing environment
What types of computers, data storage devices, networking equipment, and software does your company currently rely on?
Whether you want your MSP to maintain your existing computing environment, scale it, modify it, or replace it entirely, you will get the best results when you are working with experts who are well-versed in the solutions you are already using.
4. A proactive approach
When it comes to running a business, the last thing you want is to be constantly reacting to things. If you are always fixing errors and patching vulnerabilities after something goes wrong, you will find yourself in a constant scramble to catch up.
An MSP that is proactive instead of reactive anticipates what can go wrong, and takes measures to prevent problems from occurring in the first place. That way, you stay ahead of issues and your systems and business continue to function smoothly.
5. Responsive communication
At times when you need help getting your networks or workstations back up and running, the last thing you need to be dealing with is a slow customer support team. Downtime for your systems can be very expensive.
When you are choosing an MSP, ask them what you can expect. What is their typical response time during normal business hours? What about during nights and on weekends? What methods can you use to contact them?
6. Friendly, professional support staff
Finally, when looking for a managed IT service partner, customer support from an MSP shouldn’t just be fast; it should also be enthusiastic.
Thankfully, you do not need to leave anything up to chance since you can evaluate an MSP’s support team just by contacting them. Ask some detailed questions about their services, and see how they respond. If they are friendly, patient, knowledgeable and dedicated while answering those initial questions, that bodes well for the relationship you will build with them in the future.
Let Us Manage Your Networks So You Can Focus on What You Do Best
O’Rourke Technology Services has managed networking and IT for businesses of all shapes and sizes for more than 25 years in the Delaware Valley. We can tailor our services to your specific business processes, computing environment and needs. Book an appointment today!