Businesses face many challenges in this increasingly competitive marketplace so many times IT issues take a backseat in order of importance.  IT is sometimes overlooked as a source of competitive advantage merely being seen as just another business expense.  However more companies are realising the advantages of keeping up to date with technology and remaining flexible to meet their ever changing customer requirements as mobility and 24/7 demands put strain on their service offerings.  For small to medium sized companies not in a position to invest heavily in in-house IT resources outsourcing their IT service requirements is an excellent solution.  Not only does it mean that they keep abreast of technology and how it can assist them it also makes them more productive getting rid of a lot of the technical headaches that would have caused downtime for their employees.

While there are many IT service providers claiming to deliver “outsourced managed IT services” not all providers are the same.  It is worth researching and checking out your options before you make any commitment.  The following is a checklist of questions you should ask a potential IT Service provider to see if they are right for you.

1. Does the service provider track and monitor the entire network 24×7?
   If not, how will they locate and resolve problems when they occur? Or resolve small, hidden problems before they become large, critical ones? SLAs (service level agreements) should cover the activity of all the routers, switches, paths and Points of Presence across multiple vendors and platforms.
2. Can the provider secure its own network traffic and manage priority traffic across other networks?
   If not, they may not be adequately able to support your voice, data, video and other mission-critical applications.
3. What are the performance thresholds for network latency and availability?
   If these don’t match your optimal performance requirements, your service may be inconsistent and unpredictable, resulting in frustration and lower productivity.
4. How is network performance measured and how will you know if it is meeting expectations?
   Every second of uptime counts. It’s best if a provider gives you the ability to access actual network performance data on the web whenever you want or provides you with regular reports.
5. Are there procedures for trouble escalation, load rebalancing, network security assessments, and regular data backups?
   If not, what best practices are in place?
6. Can its helpdesk support your requirements for physical and network security, capacity, availability, operations, and  connectivity?
   This is most important should a disaster affect your business.
7. How quickly will the provider respond as your business grows or changes?
   Managed network services should give you flexibility. You need to be able to add or remove services as required.
8. What are the terms if the network goes down or the level of agreed-upon service is not maintained?
   Service Level Agreements typically enforce a business payment in the form of a credit if the service provider fails to deliver on the level of service you agreed to when you signed your contract.
9. Does your IT Service provider offer strategic planning and advice to your business to assist you in achieving your business goals?
   Your IT provider should sit down regularly with you to look at your business goals and help you assess what needs to be done with your IT infrastructure and software to achieve these goals.  They should be a trusted partner who can be relied upon for sound technical advice.

Spector is a professional IT service provider specialising in supporting Small to Medium sized Enterprises.  We would be happy to discuss your IT needs with you and you can get further information on our services at www.spector.ie or call us on +353 1 6644190.