There are so many managed IT support providers in New York, it can be difficult to know which one is the right fit for your business. So, today we’re going to go over our top tips for choosing your managed IT support and IT services provider.
- Testimonials, Reviews, & Reputation
You should check what their existing clients are saying about them. Don’t just check their website. Check review sites like Clutch.io as well, and don’t forget about Google reviews. You should also ask other business owners in similar industries to you which managed IT providers they use and whether they would recommend. You can also ask for recommendations or referrals through social networks like LinkedIn. - Round-The-Clock Support
You want to make sure that the service hours of your provider match your business. If you’re a 9-5 business in an office, then a 9-5 support service is probably fine. But if you’re a 24/7 business like a hotel, or you have multiple branches in different times zones, you’ll want to make sure that your provider offers 24/7 IT support. - Service Level Agreement
Different providers have different service level agreements (SLAs). These are contractual guarantees of elements of your managed IT support such as maximum response times. Make sure that the terms of the SLA seem reasonable and that they suit your business’s requirements. - Bundled Services
Combining other business technologies into a single package can save you money as well as simplify things by having a single point of contact for multiple technologies in your business. You should check whether the providers you are considering also supply other services like VoIP telecoms, managed print or leased broadband lines. - Remote & In-Person Support
Almost all IT problems can be solved remotely. This can be done over the phone or using a remote access tool like TeamViewer. You should ensure that your managed IT provider can provide remote IT support. That said, there are still occasionally hardware issues which can only be solved in person, so you should check that your chosen provider has engineers that can travel to your office in person if needed.
- Proactive
A lot of IT providers are too reactive. They wait for something to go wrong and then you have to wait while they fix it. Your ideal IT support would be proactive, searching for vulnerabilities and flaws in your network before they cause downtime. For this reason, it’s best to employ the services of a managed IT services provider rather than just an IT support company. A managed provider charges a flat, monthly fee – normally per device or per user. This per-user fee structure means your provider is incentivized to find long-lasting solutions to your IT challenges rather than just quick fixes.
We hope this has been a useful overview of what to look for in a managed IT services provider.
