Five Great QualitiesTo Look For A Reliable IT Service Provider

Most businesses will use every possible way to have a leverage in the competition, and Information Technology is a great tool to achieving the goal.  With the recent advances in the IT world such as cloud-based technologies and applications, businesses want to to jump in the bandwagon to maximize their company’s growth potential.

Higher management who has recognized the importance of getting a reliable IT support from third-party service providers is of great importance since they have the means, experience and the necessary skill-set to transform your business plan into reality.

In order to facilitate your business’ online presence, here are five key features that your future IT support service provider should have:

Comprehensive Technology

The IT service provider should be equipped with technology solutions that your business may need.  Different types of businesses and different skill level have a variety of specific needs.  They should also be able to accommodate your requirements as your business expands.

A good service provider can support several skill levels of the so-called virtual infrastructure, such as different storage capacities, and colocation capability.  The IT support should also be able to assist your end-users (your employees and your own customers) with the programs and software that your business will be needing.

The service level agreement should indicate that they will be able to support you from the application stage  up to the technology stack.   There might come a time that you may need to use another platform or system and the service provider must be able to accommodate this.

Customizability and Best Practices

A good IT support service provider will allow you to customize the infrastructure to your specific needs.  As early as in the design stage, they should be fully aware what your business goals are. The IT support should also be able to ensure a problem free migration, if you have an existing infrastructure, to lessen the negative business impact it might cause.

Customer-Centered Mindset

IT support service provider should provide your business a single point of contact, an account manager to say the least.  This kind of setup will eliminate you, as the customer, going around in circles to get something done. The assistance coming from the service provider should be precise and done in a timely manner.

A Robust Infrastructure

An ideal service provider should be able to operate even if there are natural disasters and service interruptions that may happen to your current geographical location.  It will be disastrous to your business if they are unprepared for such things.  Be aware that an uninterrupted service is the most beneficial to your business.

The Right Size Matters

Proper communication is important to any kind of business or organization.  So you have to choose an IT service provider that you can work with and discuss matters effectively.  An under-staff provider may mean that you might not have the personalized attention that should be given to you since they are doing a balancing act between two or more customers. Having a direct communication line to a higher management team of the service provider will also be an advantage to you.

In a nutshell, an IT support provider that you will employ to handle your IT needs, be it on the cloud, hybrid or traditional schemes will definitely and positively affect your business online.

What Can You Get Out Of Outsourcing IT Support?

Choosing between outsourcing and in-house IT support  is a big decision to make, not to mention that it is time consuming.  Determining which of the two suits your IT requirements better could greatly affect your business operation.   

Businesses greatly depend on technology and computers.  Even a simple document that needs to be created, either be sent out through email or to be printed-out for internal use, needs a computer.  Sales, support, manufacturing or accounting – they all need computers.  We all use and maximize information technology to make things simpler and easier to manipulate.

Outsourcing, by the way, means that you need to get into an agreement with another or an external business that will do the service for you.  Here are the top reasons why you should outsource your IT support and management:

Cost Effective

Outsourcing greatly reduces your operating cost.  No benefits, extra training and education needed.

On the average, a network administrator gets $60K per year.  Aside from the salary, additional benefits must be given to such employees like holidays and coverage if your It administrator needs to be out of the office for a number of days. Outsourced IT personnel are already trained and certified to handle your information technology needs.  It will definitely cost less.

Wider Expertise and Skill-Set

Outsourcing your IT support needs means that you have the advantage of a bigger knowledge base.  The IT provider employs multiple technical personnel with different experiences and multi-skilled compared to your own three-man team IT department that is limited in terms of knowledge.Most of the time, an IT provider will send out a technician based on the issue that you are having.

More Attention to Your Business

With the IT support being handled by a service provider, you have one less issue to think about.  You can focus more on your business core and find ways to improve or enhance the growth of the company rather than think about computer network issues. Having less of a problem will also let you focus on your employees’ performance, on making them more productive and making the most out of their talents and skills.

Better IT Performance

The IT service provider will definitely give you a good service.  They will always perform at their best and bring you satisfaction so that you will hire their business again for the next term of agreement.  While an in-house IT personnel will be there for a steady paycheck, most of the time. While this isn’t true most of the time, an in-house service provider will not be in a hurry of fixing technical issues.

Latest Technology

IT service providers have access to the latest technology available in the market.  They have the adequate resources to continuously train and educate their personnel andbe up-to-date with the latest in the IT industry, and all these could be applied to your business.  This, in a way, lessens your expenditures in terms of education and training for your own IT support.

With the benefits of ousourcing over employing in-house IT support, a business could easily save on overhead expenditures and be ahead of what technology could provide businesses. Call Acrodex today and consult on what IT support services could do for you.