Do you ever wonder if you are actually getting what you pay for when it comes to your IT support? There's a laundry list of things that your IT company should be taking care of for you, but at a high level, here are 5 things they absolutely MUST be doing for you.
Ideally, your IT partner should help to craft a strategy that explains how your use of technology will evolve for your business goals. As your business grows, the way you rely on technology and the tech tools you employ can be a strategic advantage to your business’ growth (or hold you back.)
A true IT partner will talk to your team, listen to their concerns or aspirations, and make strategic recommendations to streamline, simplify and improve the way you work– from processes to hardware. A technology roadmap details those plans for months and years to come, helping you to budget appropriately.
A tech support partner should do more than fix what’s broken. You should expect a proactive plan for the maintenance, upgrades, and training that prevent downtime and stop your technology from breaking in the first place.
Today, it should go without saying that you need a strong cybersecurity strategy, not a one-app or one-software solution. Your tech support partner should at least be able to source and maintain a cybersecurity system that keeps your business within industry best practices and aligned with applicable regulations. TotalCare IT specializes in Zero-Trust cybersecurity. Ideally, your managed IT service provider will as well.
Your technology environment will be unique to your business. A 'one-size-fits-all' strategy just doesn’t work for everyone. Look for a technology partner that actively finds ways to improve your existing infrastructure, data security, and network to work better for the ways you use them.
Be wary of any service provider that’s too focused on pushing fancy technology. Before you start upgrading equipment and devices, it’s important to get your technology fundamentals and infrastructure right. After you have the basic equipment your business requires, upgraded technology and new devices are usually a nice-to-have, not a vital need.
An essential element to a tech support partnership is the ability to work with and train your staff as needed. From cybersecurity basics to navigating new programs, your support partner should teach your team how to deal with minor issues themselves, explain industry best practices, and guide them in using your system to its full potential.
Download our free guide here. It's a deep dive on everything you need to know to hire an IT partner for your business in 2022.