IT is such an integral part of business these days. So there’s a large element of planning that has to go into choosing a partner to take care of your company’s IT infrastructure. With so many managed service providers in the marketplace, it’s a difficult choice to make. A choice that doesn’t come without its stresses.
We want to take some of that stress away from you today and help clear your pathway to finding your right managed service provider. We won’t dwell on their techy offering and industry services, more on the traits and characteristics they should portray if a successful, sustainable business partnership is going to take place. Here are some of the things we believe you should look for.
An Interest in Your Business
A good Managed IT Services Provider is going to want your business to grow and thrive. Now you may be in a niche industry that they have never worked with before, so you can’t expect them to have first-hand knowledge of what you do. What you need to look out for is a genuine interest in your company and how it generates turnover. Associated with that should be a willingness and desire to learn about what you do. Not just how you make money, but also your business ambitions, your timeline, what’s important to you and where you see yourself going.
Once your IT service provider has this understanding, they can optimise their product offering to ensure it’ll contribute to your positive journey of business development.
Integrity
When choosing an IT business partner, bear in mind that this is the company who’ll be responsible for your cyber-security. You’re entrusting your data and your client’s data to them. You want to be assured that they’re technically capable of the task and have the integrity to handle private information in a sensitive manner. You need to be assured that your confidential information is remaining confidential.
Integrity can be a hard thing to measure but looking at the MSP’s track record and social imprint will give you a good idea of how they’ve fared in the past. Do they have Google reviews? Are they positive or negative? Do they have positive engagements with clients on social platforms like Facebook?
Communication Skills
When you’re looking for a managed service provider, you want clarity in what they can provide you with. Top notch communication skills mean they will be able to explain complicated process and technology in an easy to digest way. They can get straight to the heart of the matter without confusing you with complicated tech terminology. If they can do this, it shows an in-depth understanding of the topic.
You also want evidence of transparent, regular communication as your client relationship with them progresses. What updates do they provide? How are your projects being handled? Do you receive monthly reports or something similar? You want to be kept in the know about your IT infrastructure, particularly when it comes to cyber security.
Resourceful and Resilient
Recent times have shown us that resourceful and creative companies are the most resilient and will weather the storms. Managed Service Providers that are solution-focussed will be able to navigate different ways to reach those solutions, employing resourcefulness and creativity to get there. The ability to be flexible and think outside the box will stand them in good stead when the going gets tough. That’s the kind of business partner you want on your side.
A Calming Presence
There is much about IT that can instil stress, fear and panic. When a catastrophe occurs, it happens in an instant and there’s always a sense of desperation about solving the problem at hand. An MSP who calmly figures out what has gone wrong and then puts a solution in place will have a soothing effect on everyone involved. When everyone is calm they can maintain their focus and positively contribute to overcoming the problem.
Hopefully those five pointers will help you in your quest for an IT service provider who really helps your business grow and succeed. If you have any questions about managed services providers and the services they offer, please get in touch with one of our team at Smile IT. We’re a Brisbane IT company offering progressive solutions and clear, ongoing support for businesses across all industries. And yup, we’re also a pretty calm bunch! We’d love to chat, so give us a call today on 1300 766 720.
When he’s not writing tech articles or turning IT startups into established and consistent managed service providers, Peter Drummond can be found kitesurfing on the Gold Coast or hanging out with his family!