Perhaps you’ve just thought about hiring managed IT services, but you don’t know what you should expect. At PCH Technologies, we would like to walk you through the process so that you can learn what to expect from these services and how you can benefit the most from them. Especially as newer customers, this could help you to make the most of the services because you see what level of service you’ve been given.
They Open with Outlined Expectations
Before you ever start to receive managed IT services, they will first establish your expectations for the services. For a managed IT service provider to meet your expectations, they must first know what you want from the services.
To do this best, they will draft an SLA agreement to write down everything and create a legal document. The SLA is a contract that outlines the technology services that you wish to receive, and how you would like for the company to deliver them. You can draft specific clauses during the SLA to meet your demands better.
You might create an SLA specific to your industry. For example, you could create an SLA that will say that they respond to email tickets within the hour. They specifically say this in the SLA because customers won’t need to wait two to three hours to receive a response. At the same time, they understand how it takes more than 10 minutes to receive a response. Setting the right expectations from the beginning will make both sides happier.
We would even encourage customers to use the SLA as a point of conversation about the types of services that they will receive. You want the freedom to scale it up or down as needed.
Technical Support is In-House
You want to establish that the technical support will come from the in-house department of the managed IT services. Otherwise, they may send you to an external vendor who belongs to a country different from your own. Worse, they may speak from a flowchart or a script rather than experience, which won’t give you the best services.
At the same time, it helps when you can speak to someone who knows your account and understands the specific solution track that you use. This will lead to faster and more responsive IT support. In general, your experience will improve when you deal with a knowledgeable professional who understands problem-solving and can problem-solve quickly. This is preferable to having to tell multiple people about your IT problem.
Easy Integration with Your Existing IT Infrastructure
You have a right to expect that the managed IT services will blend with your existing IT infrastructure. Now, you may experience some pain in the beginning, but managed IT services should never cause total disruption to your business. It should cause the minimal disruption possible. At the same time, you should be allowed to continue to work with your current software and applications.
Beware of any managed IT services that try too hard to sell you on any software or application since they may be getting a commission. While they can recommend, they shouldn’t be forcing you to use any software or application that you don’t want to use. You should be able to get the full functionality of your applications from wherever you might be.
Check to see what type of experience the managed IT service has since they might specialize in specific things. For example, one company may specialize in regulatory compliance or cloud security. They might help a specific industry, such as law firms.
Security Matters: Don’t Go Without
In today’s age of sophisticated cyberattacks, we need to prioritize cybersecurity. Every managed IT provider must take your cybersecurity seriously, or they risk your data falling into the hands of cybercriminals. Every managed IT service provider should have the following to protect your business:
- Intrusion detection
- Intrusion prevention
- Firewall settings
- Encryption
All of this should go into a services contract, and if you don’t see it there, you may want to look elsewhere. Along with that, keep in mind that that is the minimum that you will want. You should also understand how they will carry out those services.
Data Backup
How long can your business function without your data after a disaster? Your data will include everything from sales numbers, customer feedback, raw analytical data, statistical information, and other types of information that you need to operate. When that goes down, it can destroy a business. For that reason, when you hire a managed IT service provider to handle your data, they should create a backup plan for you. While creating this backup plan, they will test it from time to time to ensure that everything would work in an emergency.
Let’s say that you back up your data with an on-premises solution, but the company says they will back you up on the cloud. You want to first determine the security of the cloud. Do they use a public or private cloud server? Public clouds are shared with a group, and they’re not fit for the security of a business that needs to keep its data confidential. You can request that they back you up on a private cloud server. Let’s say that the company won’t back it up on the cloud. If they won’t back it up on the cloud, where will they back it up? You want to know that the company you hired has a data backup plan, and it will work if you ever need it.
Conclusion
At PCH Technologies in Philadelphia, we have the knowledge and expertise to assist you with your managed IT services. Our experienced team of technicians will resolve any issues that you might have quickly and effectively. In today’s technological world, we have an increasing need for better IT support. Our company can help with that, and if you’re interested, you can give us a call at (856) 754-7500.