IT support in West Sacramento

A good managed IT services partner in West Sacramento can do a lot to keep your IT infrastructure running smoothly. Sometimes, however, you’re going to need help with break/fix work or with projects. A good IT support partner in West Sacramento can be an invaluable asset. Here’s what you need to know to find one.

Be clear about the difference between managed IT services versus IT support

In the old days, the term IT support services was effectively a catch-all for anything to do with keeping infrastructure up and running. These days, however, there is a clear split between routine care-and-maintenance work, which falls under the remit of managed IT services and short-term support for specific needs (usually break/fix work and projects), which falls under the remit of IT support.

Under a standard managed IT services contract, all projects (including upgrades) and break/fix work are the responsibility of the client or their chosen IT support vendor. It is very common for managed IT services partners to have IT support teams, which can assist with these issues, but their help will be billed as a separate cost.

For the sake of completeness, many IT support partners also offer some level of managed IT services. These may not be as complete as you might get from a proper Managed IT services company (although they may be), but they could still be worth investigating as an all-in-one solution.

Make sure you know where a potential IT support partner is actually based

If you’re planning on using the internet to help you to find an IT support partner in West Sacramento, then you should double-check the results to ensure that you filter out any companies which offer IT support services in West Sacramento but are actually based elsewhere. You may be prepared to stretch a point to include companies that are based in areas surrounding West Sacramento, but you might want to think carefully about including companies that are based much further away.

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First of all, the further away a company is based, the harder it will be for them to provide on-site support if you need it. Admittedly, the vast majority of IT support is delivered remotely so this could be just a minor issue. On the other hand, given that there are high-quality IT support providers in West Sacramento (or at least near West Sacramento) who can provide on-site support if you need it (including in an emergency), why would you take the risk of working with a company which was so far away it couldn’t get someone out to you quickly if you needed them?

Secondly, if you work with a local IT support partner, then you will be working under the same set of local laws and any disputes between you will be settled by your local courts. If you work with a provider based elsewhere, you can take it as read that their service contract will state that their local laws apply and that any disputes between you will be settled by their local courts. This can make your life a lot more difficult if there are any issues between you.

Check all the details of their support process, pricing models and payment terms

Even in the 21st century, when so much is, or can be, done online, you might want to be wary of using an IT support provider which insists that all support requests are raised via an online ticketing process. These systems may work perfectly well most of the time, but it can still be helpful to know that you can call a phone number if you need to and not have to worry about the charges you’ll be incurring while doing so.

You’ll also want to know what contractual service-level agreements are in place for all steps up to and including resolution, especially first response and resolution and what happens if these guarantees are not met. This includes situations that are outside the IT support partner’s control.

Last but definitely by no means least, you’ll need to be clear on their pricing models and payment terms. You can expect there to be an ad hoc pricing system. This will typically be the most expensive way of paying for service, but you’ll probably want to know what it is, plus the relevant payment terms, just in case you need to use it.

For most companies, however, the more interesting point will be what sort of prices are available to customers who book credits/hours in advance and whether there are different prices on offer for scheduled and unscheduled work. Buying in advance can be a good way to secure discounts but be aware that there is usually an expiry date applied to any advance purchases.

If you’d like to talk to a reputable and experienced IT support partner in West Sacramento, please click here now to contact Salient.IT.

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