Whatever the niche of your business is, today you will need to have an IT sector. As it can be very expensive, if you are hiring IT experts, and that is not your niche at all, outsourcing is becoming more and more popular. Managed IT service actually means that you have entrusted someone else to take care of your IT sector. Most people decide to do this usually when the business grows and then the needs become very big. It is certainly a great choice because these are companies that specialize in it and have a lot of experience.
It will also be much more cost-effective for you than any other option. But there is one potential problem. You will find many IT managed services providers known under the acronym MPS, but the question is which one to choose. Each of these companies is very different in its expertise, as well as in what they offer, price, and the like. That is why it is not a choice that you should make lightly, so you will need our tips for finding reliable managed IT services.
Contents
1. Know your needs
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To make a good choice, you need to know what the needs of your business are. No one can help you and make the right offer for you before you know what you are looking for. Analyze all your jobs, as well as how you have managed IT so far and in that way, you will get to what your real needs are. Maybe you just need the basics, and maybe some of the most advanced options. When you analyze everything, then the future service provider will give you an offer. If you fail to analyze your needs, it is certain that you will not get what you need or that you will pay more than you have to.
2. Find out about the reputation
On their site, you will surely find only the most praiseworthy reviews given to them by clients. However, that does not necessarily mean that it is credible. So ask for the contact of at least some clients to get in touch with them and check if the reviews are true. And then search on Google and find out everything there is to know about them. It is certain that you will also find negative reviews, but then it is up to you to separate those who have something to do with them and those who do not. Some of the red flags are bad customer service, failing to update regularly, security breaches, and similar. On the other side, problems like billing have nothing to do with them.
3. Check if they are available 24/7
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This is one of the most important things you need to pay attention to. They need to be available 24/7 because you never know when a problem will occur. And it is important to solve the problem for you as soon as possible so that your whole business does not suffer as consequence. That’s why they must have customer service, as well as experts who will monitor your site and everything else around the clock. Troubleshoot must be done within a few hours because a lot depends on it. So be sure to ask for availability first.
4. Don’t underestimate the importance of cyber-security
Cyber-security is a growing problem due to the increasing number of hacker attacks. That is why it is necessary that MPS constantly maintain and update firewalls and all other security systems. Only in that way they can prevent cyber intrusions, which can lead to the loss of money or important data. Hackers can also steal your customers’ credit cards or phone numbers, which would be disastrous for your reputation. Which client or customer will want to do business with you again after that has happened to them? So check what security methods the provider will implement so that you don’t have to worry about cyber attacks.
5. Scalability is very important
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You never know if your business will grow significantly in just a few months. Or the volume of work will drop significantly due to causes such as the coronavirus pandemic. It is important that the service provider offers the option that you can increase or decrease the volume of services you pay for at any time. When it comes to reducing workload, that is not a problem. But when you need a significant increase in the services they provide you very quickly, they must have both the technical capabilities and the sufficient number of employees to be able to respond to your new requirements. If I can’t do that, you will be in trouble and you will probably have to change provider. So check their infrastructure as well as the number of employees.
6. Find experienced ones
While you may be tempted by the price offered by beginners, this is not something you should save on. There is a clear reason why they are cheaper, and that is the lack of experience that is necessary in this business. It is necessary for IT experts to be experienced and to have encountered all the problems many times, because only then will they be able to solve everything quickly and successfully. So choose only those with many years of experience, otherwise, it is very possible that you will regret your choice to save money.
7. Check how often backups are updated
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We all use the cloud for personal needs, such as storing photos and important documents. The same should be the case with our business data. Clouds are probably the most secure places in the world where we can store our digital data. So make sure your MPS offers backup of your data to the cloud so you know you’re safe in the event of a breakdown. As experts from Veiteast told us, data backup and disaster recovery plans play a crucial role in minimizing downtime in a disaster and preventing data loss.
Conclusion:
Once you outsource everything related to IT, to those who are experts in it, you will realize how much it will improve the business of your company. In addition to being secure in terms of data and website maintenance, you will also have all the time just for what your niche is, not to spend time on IT.
