How to get the most from your IT services with Andromeda Solutions
How to get the most from your IT services with Andromeda Solutions
You know your business relies on its computers, but how well do you know the machines? Can you fix them, restore network connections, repair corruption, defend them from hackers or, most importantly, understand the many new things they could do for you?
It is difficult for any in-house IT department to master every skill that falls under the umbrella of “information technology”. IT department development is itself restrained by the burden of daily routines. Typically, the workload of in-house IT departments is dominated by mundane chores such as website updates, OS repairs, cabling, backing up, installing patches and server administration. Few have staff to spare for creative tasks like software development, digital marketing or business transformation.
Yet nobody understands your business and its potential better than your own staff. Free your IT personnel from chronic problems and you can liberate them to help develop your enterprise. You build an agile in-house team, outsource the most specialised challenges – such as maintaining cutting-edge security, and also the most routine – including backup routines.
Choosing the best local IT services:
Establishing a strong partnership with an external service provider is always important, but never more so than in IT. If you outsource payroll, staff soon start complaining at the end of the month if their wages aren’t right, but when you outsource IT, an uncorrected error could stop your operations today. So, how can you ensure your provider understands your priorities?
Using local IT services means that you can invite them to visit and see how you work. It is often easier to convey your concerns and ambitions in a face-to-face. For the same reason, it helps to choose a local IT services provider that is neither too big nor too small for the scale of your own operations. IT companies in your own area are more likely to share your passion for success.
Preparing to outsource IT:
Before you ever dial a number or meet a rep, there are two things you should do. The first is to clearly itemise all the targets you want to achieve from your IT resources. The second is to research the companies in your area willing to provide it.
Itemising your objectives:
Your list, or lists, should include both your routine performance targets and your longer-term ideas for applying new information technologies.
Routine requirements might include reliable automated backups, easy data restoration, improved document control, effective spam filtering and rapid repair callouts. If you can set specific performance targets, all the better.
Your development objectives may include migrating to Office 365, integrating VoIP telephony into a new CRM system, developing an e-commerce shopfront, or providing collaboration tools that will enable remote outworking.
Vetting local IT services providers:
Every point you have listed now suggests a useful question to ask your prospective provider. A great IT team soon reveals its genuine interest in your business by making creative suggestions that will help you advance those plans. Even if your primary objective is to delegate laborious routines, an IT service provider happy to volunteer advice is worth its weight in gold.
Of course, check their customer service reviews, professional accreditations and contract small-print, but always remember – you are looking for an IT partner not just a utility.
