In today’s business landscape, sufficient IT resources to meet the growing needs of your infrastructure are essential. Technology is imperative in all aspects of business, from the day-to-day operations to the security of the company. It’s important to have an IT provider who you can rely on.
If you’re not sure whether your IT provider is offering the right solutions for your business, there’s an easy way to find out that it’s time to switch providers. Take a look at these 6 signs that you’re in need of upgraded IT solutions:
1. Your current IT provider doesn’t strategize your IT according to business goals.
In order for your IT to work as optimally as possible for your unique business needs, your IT provider has to understand what it is that your business does and your goals for growth. Beyond just providing the day-to-day basics of email, fast internet service, up-to-date software, they need to understand the core of your business to truly provide effective services.
A one-size-fits-all approach is rarely viable when it comes to IT. A law firm, for example, will have different compliance regulations and industry standards to follow than a healthcare organization. If your IT provider doesn’t take the time to understand your business’s specific needs, not only could you fall out of compliance, you’re not getting the ideal solutions for your business model.
An IT provider who understands your needs, on the other hand, and who is aware of your industry, will offer consulting and solutions based on what you need to accommodate the market or thrive in the industry.
For example, one IT company in Birmingham, Integrated Solutions, tailors its entire Managed Services model around custom solutions that align with your business goals. They even offer total infrastructure optimization to ensure your environment best fits the needs of your unique enterprise.
These types of IT solutions can ensure you’re getting the most out of your IT investment rather than wasting time and money on services that aren’t optimized for you.
2. They push products and services instead of doing what’s best for you as a client.
If your IT provider doesn’t understand your business, then they won’t understand how to offer you the best solutions. You may well benefit from products and services that they offer, but unless they have a clear understanding of how products fit into your business strategy, there’s a good chance they’re offering the wrong solutions and negatively impacting your bottom line.
A reliable IT partner will talk to you about your specific needs and not try to just get more money out of you by pushing services that won’t benefit your business, help you save money, and improve productivity. A good IT provider will tailor products and services for you so that you get exactly what you need for the right cost.
3. They aren’t proactive.
As technology is the fastest growing industry there is, there will always be new tools or methods that could benefit your business and help streamline processes. Your IT provider shouldn’t wait for you to research new tools yourself; rather, they should be the ones keeping you updated on how new products and services can maximize efficiency or save you money. If there is a quicker, better and cheaper way of doing something, they should be coming to you with these solutions.
The current global pandemic can provide you some insight—did your IT provider prepare you in advance and give you remote solutions to carry on working despite the lockdown, or did you have to go to them and ask for help? If they weren’t preparing a strong business continuity plan early on and offering you service continuity during the pandemic, it’s probably wisest to cut ties and switch providers.
4. Your network is slow or unreliable.
These days, there is nothing more frustrating than a slow and unreliable network, and with the advances in technology, there is also no reason or excuse for this. A slow or unreliable network can negatively impact your business as you experience costly periods of downtime, and if your IT provider can’t solve a basic problem such as this, then it’s time to move on.
A reliable provider will continually monitor your systems round the clock to ensure that any inefficiencies or vulnerabilities that could slow down your systems are immediately detected and resolved. This keeps downtime to a minimum and ensures your network is fast and reliable at all times.
5. Your cybersecurity is out of date.
Professional managed service providers will often provide you with 24/7 monitoring in order to prevent cyber-attacks and catch them before they can do any damage. However, cybercriminals are constantly using new ways to attack, so it’s important to work with a provider who will work consistently to mitigate new threats and implement strong security architectures.
If your provider hasn’t made any changes to your cybersecurity provisions as you’ve moved to remote working, this is a huge red flag that your systems could be at risk and you need better security services.
6. They aren’t communicating regularly with you.
Is your IT provider slow to respond to your problems? Alternatively, are you always getting passed around to different people before getting an actual solution to these problems? If a problem arises, you should be able to easily contact your provider, and they should be able to deliver a quick solution, whether it requires remote or onsite support.
Your provider should not only communicate when you have problems, but they should help you understand what they are doing and why at all times. They should let you know what solutions they are implementing and how this will help you and your business, eliminating geek speak so you can clearly understand what’s going on with your technology. If your IT service provider has poor communication skills or can’t explain their service in a way you can understand, you may want to rethink your options.