If you are thinking about hiring a Managed Services Provider, the first thing to do is identify your organization's requirements. Once you have figured out your specific needs, then it is much easier to choose a Managed Services Provider and define the right level of support for your organization.
Here are 5 questions to ask before you even meet with potential IT service providers:
- How satisfied you are with the level and quality of support that you have today? Are there specific improvements you want from your service level agreements, such as response time or 24/7 support? Do you need on-site support or is remote support sufficient?
- Where are the gaps in your organization’s IT knowledge and skill sets?
- Are there pain points you would like to resolve on an ongoing basis?
- How mission critical is IT to your organization? For example, how do downtime, outages and other IT problems impact your business?
- Who will be the primary point of contact with the IT services company? Are they tech savvy or do they need “plain English” explanations?
Once you are clear on your needs, it is much easier to evaluate which Managed Services Provider is the best fit for your organization. You can let any prospective partners know specifically what you are looking for, rather than have them “sell” you are services that may not be of real value to your organization.
At Skyriver IT, we provide small and mid-size companies with the information needed to make better IT and business decisions. Contact us to learn how we make your IT experience frustration free.
