Business leaders understand the important role their technology infrastructure plays in keeping their business moving, safe and efficient. And when there are problems with the IT backbone, it’s unsettling and the problems need to be addressed.
So, where do you start? If you aren’t sure, this article is for you!
In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to take to make sure you get the right IT solution for your business.
In the interest of full transparency, we want you to know that Kelser is a managed IT support services provider.
But, don’t worry, we are fully aware that even though our IT solution is comprehensive and a good fit for many businesses, it may not be the best solution for your organization. And, we’re okay with that.
The reality is that you have options when it comes to IT support. We are fully committed to helping you explore those options so you can find the solution that is right for your organization.
In this article, we’ve outlined five steps that will help you determine the right IT solution for your organization.
What Steps Can You Take To Find The Right IT Solution For Your Business?
Having been in business for more than 40 years, we’ve talked with many organizations about their IT pain points. Here’s a five-step process and top questions to ask to identify and evaluate your organization’s unique IT requirements so you can find the right solution for you.
Step 1 – Evaluate Your Current Technology Infrastructure
Evaluating your current technology infrastructure ensures that you know the tools you currently have.
Questions to Ask:
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- What is our current IT setup?
- What is the age of our infrastructure tools and devices?
- Is our infrastructure complex?
- Do we run unsupported equipment or apps?
- Do we run legacy software that hasn’t been updated?
- What gaps exist in service, security, or efficiency?
- Are there technology issues that limit our ability to do business and need to be addressed?
- Is our current capacity adequate or do we need to scale up capacity to meet business demand?
- Do we need new devices? Do we need other new hardware or infrastructure equipment? Should we consider on-prem or cloud-based servers?
- Do we have contractual or regulatory requirements that need to be considered? (i.e. NIST 800-171 or CMMC 2.0)
Step 2 – Understand What Technology Tools Can Help Your Organization Achieve
Technology tools helps businesses successfully achieve their goals. But what can they specifically help your organization achieve? Efficiency? Security? Consistency?
Questions To Ask:
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- What are our business goals?
- How can technology help our organization be more efficient? (i.e. sharing information)
- What cybersecurity risks can technology address?
- How can proactive monitoring prevent cyber attacks?
- Could we benefit from strategic planning and budgeting?
- What is the best way to align your business strategy and IT infrastructure?
Related article: Align Your IT and Business Strategy: Why It Matters, How To Do It
Step 3 – Research Your Options
The next step is to research your options for IT support.
Questions To Ask:
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- What options exist for IT support? What do each feature? What are the pros and cons?
Related article: Internal & External IT Support: When Is Combining Resources Best?
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- How do we get the best information about our options?
- ask internal users
- perform external research (ask industry experts, business colleagues)
- How do we get the best information about our options?
Step 4 – Decide Which Solution Is Best For Your Organization
Once you've completed the previous three steps, you are ready to begin the decision-making process.
Questions To Ask:
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- What is our budget?
- How complex is our infrastructure?
- What is our cybersecurity risk?
- How many users and devices do we have?
- What is our tolerance for downtime?
- How flexible do our technology solutions need to be? (i.e. do we need scalability?)
- What supplemental IT skills do we need?
Step 5 – Evaluate Providers
Questions To Ask:
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- What services do you provide?
- What are the hidden costs we should plan for?
- Do you provide 24/7 support?
- What is your onboarding timeline?
- What response and resolution times are spelled out in your service level agreement?
- Can you provide references that are in a similar industry?
Related article: 10 Best Questions To Ask Any IT Provider
What’s The Bottom Line?
In this article, we’ve discussed a five-step process that you can use to select the best IT support solution for your organization.
We’ve talked about the importance of evaluating your current IT infrastructure, understanding what technology can help your organization achieve, researching your support options, deciding which option is best for your organization, and evaluating providers.
We’ve also covered the pertinent questions to ask at each step in the process.
When you need IT support, you have options. Each option has pros and cons and each option has merit. Following the process outlined in this article will help ensure that you make the best choice for your organization.
When you begin exploring your options, we encourage you to consider several providers. You want to make sure that the provider you select understands your business, your priorities, your industry, and your users. The provider will be an extension of your organization and you want a partner that treats your business as if it was their own.
If you are considering managed IT support services and we can answer any questions, click the button below and we’ll reach out to schedule a 15-minute telephone chat to learn about your current IT situation, your goals, and your technology pain points to see if we might be a good fit to work together.
Like many business leaders, you may be concerned about cybersecurity. If you are wondering if you have all of the tools you need to ward off the latest cyber threats, click the button below for a checklist you can use to:
✔️Understand where your organization's cybersecurity policy needs improving
✔️Learn actions you can take to keep your organization's data secure
✔️Help ensure your organization follows the latest cybersecurity best practices
