Pick a Lane: Choosing the best IT support from a place of fear or proactivity

If the signage on the famous Las Vegas Strip suddenly transformed into businesses’ biggest fears related to IT, it would be a long thoroughfare of bright lights announcing, NETWORK FAILURE! DATA LOSS! SECURITY BREACH! What a frightful place that would be. 

Much like Vegas high rollers, though, businesses that are not investing in reliable, comprehensive IT support are running high risks and placing poor bets on some of their most valuable assets. It’s only when a major security breach or an irrevocable data loss strikes that these businesses pivot toward a more sustainable solution. Making decisions like this from a place of fear that history may repeat itself, however, can further push a business into a hasty solution that doesn’t actually fit their needs or their budget.

Other consequences of choosing IT support from a place of fear:

• Employing a piecemealed solution that does not integrate with existing systems
• Locking into a contract with a service provider that doesn’t understand your operations
• Signing off on a service level agreement (SLA) that grants the service provider a lot of leeway in terms of response time and responsibilities and doesn’t put you - the client - first
• Suffering unexpected interruptions in service
• Not having a contingency plan in place for when the service provider is on vacation/out of the office

When businesses seek IT support from a proactive position, they are more likely to receive support that is appropriate to their needs, within their budget, and scalable as their business grows. So, how can your business be sure that it’s driving in the proactive lane when it comes to IT support, rather than veering into the rocky lane of fear?

The key is to remember why you are in business. Is it to deliver a quality product or a whole suite of products? Is it to offer consistently outstanding service to your own customers? Your IT solutions and service providers should align with - not interrupt or threaten - these objectives.This is why gauging an IT service provider from a place of proactivity is essential.

When evaluating prospective IT companies for your IT needs, here are some questions to ask:

• How well does the provider understand the environment in which you are operating? Have they/do they work with clients in a similar industry?

• What kind of monitoring does the provider offer so that potential issues can be addressed or tackled before they pose problems?

• Does this provider have a track record of helping to elevate other businesses? As your business grows, is the IT service provider in a position to scale alongside you?

• Does this provider have highly qualified staff who are also excellent at customer service to ensure that you get the best solutions for your business?

A proactive approach to IT should effectively keep your company in the right lane, cruising past the competition.

Are you sick of playing with the high stakes of fear-based IT support?  Contact us to receive a free assessment.