When speaking with businesses we often hear some common feedback. They know that taking care of their IT Infrastructure and security is important and they want to see good value from their IT Company. No news is not always good news when it comes to smooth IT, Businesses want regular check ins and proof that things are running well. The benefits of having an outsourced IT provider is that they are constantly coming in as a fresh set of eyes. to assess your business. Here are some common misconceptions we often discuss with businesses when they are making changes to their IT Infrastructure or hiring.
Misconception #1: My IT network doesn’t need regular monitoring and cyber security.
This is probably one of the biggest and most costly misconceptions that business owners have. Usually this is because they’ve been fortunate enough to have never encountered a major system failure that caused data loss from human error, failed hardware or even a ransomware attack.
IT networks are complex and dynamic systems that need regular updates and maintenance to stay up, secure, running fast and problem-free – especially with ransomware, phishing and financial redirection. Here are just a FEW of the critical updates that need to be done on a weekly – if not daily – basis:
- Cyber security patches, updates and management
- Antivirus updates and monitoring
- Firewall updates and monitoring
- Backup monitoring and test restores
- Spam-filter updates
- Operating system updates, management
- Monitoring hardware for signs of failure
Misconception #2: My nephew/neighbor’s kid/brother-in-law/office manager knows this IT stuff and can take care of our network.
Most people look for a part-time “guru” for one reason: to save a few bucks. But this often comes back to haunt them. We frequently get calls from business owners who desperately need our help to get them back up and running or to clean up a mess that was caused by an inexperienced employee or friend who was just trying to help.
If the person you have working on your IT systems does not do IT support for a living, there is a good chance they won’t have the knowledge or experience to truly help you. Do you really want a part-time, inexperienced person responsible for handling something as important as your data and IT network? As with everything in life, you get what you pay for. That’s not to say you need to go broke to find a great IT firm, but you shouldn’t be choosing someone based on price alone.
Misconception #3: You shouldn’t have to pay “that much” for IT services.
We agree, your IT partner should be working with you to make the right choices for your business to grow. However you should be mindful of the size of the business supporting you and the team they have in place. They improperly diagnose problems, which means you’re paying them to fix the wrong thing and they still won’t resolve your issue.
They could take three to five times as long to do the same repair an experienced technician could fix quickly. Again, you’re paying for those extra hours AND you’re frustrated and unproductive while you wait for the SAME problem to be fixed!
They could do things that put your security and data in jeopardy. Don’t let a cheap, inexperienced tech do this to you! With your client data, accounting records, e-mail and other critical data at stake, do you REALLY want the lowest-priced shop working on your machine?
Misconception #4: An honest IT services company should be able to give you a quote over the phone.
I wish this were true, but it isn’t. Just like a good doctor, an honest and professional technician will need to diagnose your network before they can quote any price over the phone; consider the example above where all that was needed was to plug in a simple cable. If someone brought that to us, we would just plug it back in and not charge them, but without SEEING the computer, we could have never diagnosed that over the phone. Also just like in home renovation you have to peel back a wall or two to see any underlaying problems in order to give a client a realistic quote. When we visit businesses we often see future projects that should be planned for so that it does not cost the business more money later.
3 More Recommendations To Find A Great IT Company You’ll Love
- Ask to speak to several of their current clients. Check their references! Don’t just take the sales guy’s word that they are good – ask to speak to at least three or four clients that are similar to you in size and scope. If they hesitate or cannot provide you with references, don’t trust them! Another good sign is that they have good online reviews and client testimonials on their website. A lack of this may be a sign that they don’t HAVE clients who are happy enough to provide a good reference – again, a warning sign.
- Look for a company that is large enough to support you but small enough that you can easily connect with them and have a main contact for regular updates.
- Choose an IT consultant who is concerned about keeping your employees, clients and business secure.
A Final Recommendation
I hope you have found this guide to be helpful in shedding some light on what to look for when outsourcing IT for your company. As I stated in the opening of this report, my purpose in providing this information was to help you make an informed decision and avoid getting burned by the many incompetent firms offering these services.
If you are looking for someone you can trust to take over the care and maintenance of “all things digital” in your office, we’d love the opportunity to EARN your business. To that end, we’d like to offer you a FREE Cyber Security Risk Assessment And IT Systems Checkup.
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