No matter what kind of business you run, IT issues come up from time to time. This is why you partnered with an IT Service Provider. Right?.. So, you don’t have to worry. But, are you worried?
Are you facing recurrent IT issues despite this? Are you facing outages that are taking longer and longer to fix? or in the case of an issue, have you found it hard to get hold of someone to deal with it?
If you can’t answer these questions satisfactorily, it may be time to change.
An able IT Service Provider will use best-in-class people, tools and technologies to deliver the best solutions. They will take a proactive approach to be able to detect and solve problems before they arise. They will also prevent the likelihood of issues happening again.
Here are five tell-tale signs that might make you think, do you need to change your IT Service Partner.
1) Your IT Service Partner Has Slow Response Times
Any business can be faced with server crashes and internet outages. However, when it does, your provider should be on it immediately. If it takes a long time for your provider to respond, you are potentially faced with a severe loss of production and money.
2) Your IT Service Partner Does Not Have 24/7/365 Monitoring
Most company employees may typically work 9 to 5, but your network and your data never sleeps. As such, your solution provider must be round-the-clock too. Your provider must have the correct blend of remote and on-site personnel available at all times of the day and night to give you proactive 24/7/365 monitoring services.
3) Your IT Service Partner Does Not Provide Data Backup
Any business will run dead without its data. How long could you business survive if you lost your data or it was compromised? Our guess would be, not very long. Your provider should have ironclad data protection and secure data backup plans for you.
4) Your IT Service Partner’s “Strategic Guidance” Sounds More Like A “Sales Call”
The correct provider for your business can double up as a virtual IT Director. Many organisations have rudimentary knowledge of enterprise IT systems, and as such outsource their IT. However, due to bad business practices, many providers use this as an opportunity to milk more out of their clients. Stuck with unnecessary expensive upgrades to your software you hardly use? Your provider might just have tricked you.
5) You Have Outgrown Your IT Service Partner
Sometimes, your provider might struggle to provide you with the best support, despite their best efforts. This might not always be their fault. Maybe, your company outgrew your provider. Maybe, they just don’t have the manpower or access to the latest technologies that you need to sustain and better your own growth. It might be time to part ways with your provider.