Business may often be perplexed about what their IT Company does for them.
How have they helped? How much downtime have they avoided? How many threats have they protected against?
It may seem to some businesses that their IT companies aren’t being transparent about their value.
And who knows? Maybe they aren’t actually bringing you worthwhile value.
(This is why we hold quarterly meetings with our clients and present them with a full evaluation of how we have helped them during the past quarter.)
We’ve constructed these questions to ask about your IT company.
Your IT company should be able to answer these questions and present you with worthwhile figures. And if they can’t…well perhaps it’s time to find a better fit for your business.
So, without further ado, here are 3 questions to find out if your IT company is bringing you value.
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Are my files backed up? And if so, are they being tested?
Nowadays, having a business without digital backup is the equivalent of painting a target on your chest and asking to be shot! Imagine the amount of money you would lose if you lost weeks -or even days- of data?
(We actually have a very informative case study that answers this question. Click here to read it)
Your IT company should be testing your backup at least once per month. With cyber-attacks growing by the day – not to mention the risk of hardware/software failure, disasters or rogue employees -, the importance of reliable backup is also growing.
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How long does it take to resolve my problem?
What is your IT companies SLA (Service Level Agreement) for response time and are they keeping it? Not only this, but are you proactively “kept in the know” of the status of your request?
One of the most frustrating issues people have with their IT Support company is that they are not responsive enough.
We can’t forget that responsiveness is one of the most important factors of an IT Support team. What if you’re just about to have an incredibly important meeting, and your presentation isn’t working?
There are some matters that need urgent attention, and if you’re waiting on them to be fixed for longer than seems fair, it’s time to be responsive yourself.
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Is my network monitored 24/7?
Being protected in the working hours is great, but it isn’t the perfect solution. A good IT provider will be able to monitor your network 24/7/365. Some IT companies can also set up automatic fixes for reoccurring IT issues, resolving the problem before it starts.
Some providers also offer the service for after-hours support, or the option to have an engineer on-call. Ask your IT Provider about the behind the scenes work they do for you.
I hope this article has made it more clear about the things a worthwhile IT company does for you. Don’t hesitate to have a chat with an IT company about how they help you, or to ask for any figures.
I would also like to take this moment to say that we are giving out IT Audits for £57.00. If you would like to find out more information, call us on 01273 806211.
