Not all IT support partners are the same

When the time comes to outsource some IT support procedures and work with a third-party to improve technology performance, there are a few stumbling blocks that can get in the way. For example, signing a contract with the wrong partner, one that doesn’t understand what the client business needs or cannot provide an appropriate level of expertise, may impede operations for a long time. Managed IT support providers exist to make processes better and offer expertise and perspectives that don’t exist in-house. If they fail in this mission, they are just draining your money and getting in the way. Therefore, it’s important to match your needs to the IT Support partner’s offerings.

Areas of expertise
The IT outsourcing market contains plenty of entrants today. Choosing the right one is largely a matter of matching your business needs with their prospective offerings. For leaders that don’t quite know where their weaknesses lie or what to do about them, a firm with a strong consulting presence might be the best choice. This means working with the organization from the onset to ensure the client organization gets everything it needs – and only services it needs, rather than superfluous projects that will drain the budget without delivering measurable results. Once the areas of need are outlined, it’s time to begin the partnership.

Depending on which services a company needs most, leaders may want to team up with partner organizations that have official certificates and ties to software vendors. For example, current or prospective users of Microsoft CRM or productivity applications may want to ensure their chosen partner has achieved Microsoft Gold Partner Certification, to ensure that the support professionals will be able to provide optimal experience and service. There is a distinct difference between getting an application back to full availability quickly and letting the problem linger. Always working with qualified personnel can help buyers avoid the latter scenario.

A sensible decision
Sending IT service out of the building and handing off the responsibility to a third party may seem like a drastic move, but in today’s fast-moving and technology-centric business world, it’s an intuitive choice, especially for small or medium-sized organizations. Paying to employ a large in-house IT support team may prove prohibitive, especially when a company expands rapidly over a short period of time. Combined with the absolute need to keep tech functioning to avoid a troublesome and lengthy shutdown, employing an outside source that can deliver 24-hour service availability may be a pivotal and positive choice for leaders.