Are you considering a managed IT provider?
Is your managed IT provider doing a good job?
You are probably not the IT guru in your office, nor are you aware of the latest technologies that could help your organisation.
This is why organisations have an IT partner. We put all our trust in our IT provider and hope they are looking after our best interests and are ensuring we are using the best technology.
But how do you select the best IT firm for your organisation? In this blog post, you’re about to learn what I’ve found to be the four signs of a great managed IT provider.
The first sign is…
1. They have a good track record within your industry
Does the IT firm have a good track record?
Do you know other companies in your industry who use the same company?
Checking references is an important step in identifying a great managed IT provider. Ask for three or four references and make sure two of them are from your industry.
What a lot of organisations underestimate is the advantage of going with a company who knows your industry in and out. Every industry is different and has its own requirements. By working with someone who knows those requirements, you can give yourself the best opportunity of finding someone that will deliver results for you and where you can leverage their experience.
2. They have well-documented and well-structured procedures
Since there is no standard body that regulates the delivery of managed services, it is very easy for an IT company to say they are the best.
The key thing that distinguishes a well-established provider from a newcomer is their systems and processes. The mature companies will have a number of different processes around things such as IT service management, problem management (root-cause analysis) and change management.
They’ll also have processes and frameworks in place for technology planning and strategic planning to help give clients high-level guidance on what they need.
Does the IT provider have a proper "problem management" procedure?
Problem management is especially important as it is about fixing problems at a root cause level to stop the same problem occuring over and over. Ask them this and they should be able to give you their procedures that clearly map out what you can expect.
3. They have a proactive approach
Does your IT firm just fix problems or do they prevent them from happening?
We hear stories all the time about organisations that repeatedly experience the same problems.
This should not be happening with a managed services contract. A great managed service provider should take a proactive approach in identifying problems before they become issues.
They should also be proactive in recommending new technologies that are going to improve the efficiency of your organisation, improve productivity and reduce the amount of problems you have.
4. They have good reporting
Your managed services provider needs to be accountable for delivering outcomes.
They need to show you they are delivering increased efficiencies through reporting. All great providers deliver reports on time, every month.
If you have to chase your provider for these reports, that’s a sign that they are unreliable, which is a good indication they are not the best provider available.
The reports should also come with a summary or commentary that gives you insight into how they are delivering the outcomes.
Transparency is important - you need to know what you’re getting for your money.
If you already have a managed services provider - are they doing a good great job?
If your IT firm isn’t displaying these four signs of a great MSP, you might want to explore your options.
A great managed IT provider can yield great benefits for your organisation. They should be able to deliver outcomes around improved efficiencies, increased productivity and minimised downtime.
Related: 6 ways an IT provider can minimise downtime
If you are concerned, I recommend you take ten minutes today to evaluate your options. Go through each of these four signs and see how you compare. Then ask some of your close business relationships about what their IT providers offer them.
From this quick analysis you should be able to ascertain whether your provider is good for you, or use it as a guide to finding a suitable IT partner.