.
CEOs and business leaders need to know that they’re getting the maximum value when they outsource their IT.
By Rob Wildman
When it’s done right, outsourcing IT services saves time, money and a lot of frustration. More and more of our clients are choosing MiAssurance, a managed service package that can take the place of an in-house IT department. The solution can save clients anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 in annual IT labor costs, and works best for small- and medium-sized businesses that just want IT to run smoothly so they can focus their efforts elsewhere.
Outsourcing your IT function doesn’t happen overnight, and it requires a partner you can trust to be there day and night, as well as help your company make the right strategic technology decisions. That’s why it’s critical that if you decide to rely on an outside provider to run your company’s IT, you get the answers to these five questions:
1. How flexible is this contract?
IT service providers offer similar suites of services, but do those services meet your company’s needs? Do you require some services and not others? If your company grows, or shrinks, how easy is it to change the contract? CEOs should ask potential providers about how they create custom service contracts as well as whether they have the experience, insight and know-how to draft a contract that aligns with their strategies and helps them achieve their goals.
2. Who will work on my business?
As we all know, the person who sells you the contract won’t be your day-to-day contact once you enter into a service agreement. Before you sign, you should know exactly who your point person is as well as their contact information and experience level. Better yet, you should get a chance to meet with this person – or team – and make sure they’re a good fit with your company’s needs and culture.
3. What’s your onboarding process?
An outsourced IT firm can’t jump in on day one and take over as the IT team. It’s important to know how they approach the process – how they plan to meet your company’s needs, learn about your operations, and understand your people before they take over the IT function.
4. What do you consider emergencies and how do you handle them?
Hacking and security breaches are on the rise, but other technology issues can take your company down too – everything from power outages to equipment breakdowns. Your IT service provider should be able to handle adverse events like these. Ask them to talk through their emergency process and how they remediate specific issues.
5. What’s the bottom line?
Ideally, outsourcing your IT costs should save your company money by simplifying what may have been multiple contracts and processes. The company you choose to run your IT functions should be able to provide you with a concrete, monthly cost that you can evaluate against alternatives.
Many longtime clients, as well as new ones, are making the move to outsource their IT services with us through our premier offering, MiAssurance. It provides you with everything you need to outsource your IT, including 24/7 systems monitoring, managed backups, hardware procurement, and any other custom services your business requires. If you have any questions or are interested in exploring this option for your company, contact us here.
# # #
