IT support in Auburn

A good managed IT services company in Auburn can take care of all your routine needs. Sometimes, however, you’re going to need to implement projects (for example upgrades) and occasionally you’re going to need help with break/fix work. This means that you’re also going to need the help of a good IT support company in Auburn. Here are some points to keep in mind when you’re looking for one.

The clearer you can be about what you want, the easier it will be to get it

Project work can and really should be planned in advance. This will allow you to think about what sort of IT support you are likely to need and over how long a period. If you’re looking for a new IT support partner in Auburn, it generally makes a lot of sense to think about what projects you’re going to have coming up over at least the next year. Ideally, you want to be thinking five years ahead or even longer. This can help to save you the hassle of changing IT support partners.

On a similar note, while break/fix work is reactive, you can at least think about what sort of IT infrastructure you have (including any changes you are likely to make) and what issues may occur with it. Any problems you have had in the past might give you some guidance.

It can be helpful to make basic “hygiene checks” early on in the proceedings

The initial selection process (getting from a long-list to a short-list) is way too early to get into full due-diligence, however it is a good time to make basic “hygiene-checks” on your contenders and see if any red-flags come up. If they do, you can then decide whether to eliminate an IT support company from the process or whether to allow them to continue but to make a note to follow-up on the point if they make it to the later stages.

One point you should definitely double-check is whether an IT support company is in Auburn or whether it’s just offering services in Auburn. This may seem like a minor detail but it actually has a couple of fairly significant implications.

First of all, if an IT support company is actually located in Auburn (or at least the surrounding area), then they should be able to reach you fairly quickly in the event of an emergency. If you would like a bit more choice, then you could also look at IT support companies near Auburn, for example you could look at IT support companies in Sacramento.

Once you start going beyond that, however, then you may find that you can only receive remote support or, at the very least, that you have long wait for on-site support. Admittedly, most of the time this is going to be largely, if not totally, irrelevant. Occasionally, however, it could be very relevant indeed.

Secondly, contracts for services are generally written under the service provider’s local law and contain the provision that any disputes between you come under the jurisdiction of their local courts. If you work with an IT support partner in Auburn (or at least near Auburn) then this fact will be largely irrelevant. Your IT support partner’s local law and courts will be your local law and courts and vice versa. When dealing with an IT support partner from further afield, however, you may find yourself at a significant disadvantage in the event of a dispute.

You need to be clear about process and prices as well as headline services

One of the big differences between IT support services and managed IT services is that IT support partners tend to have a smaller range of services from which to choose. Essentially, they deal with projects and break/fix work and that’s basically it. For completeness, they may also offer a certain level of managed IT services, which can be convenient, but this will be a separate option and billed accordingly.

Project work is proactive and can be scheduled. That being so, you want to see what their process is for scheduling work and whether there are discounts for buying bundles of credits/hours in advance. You might also want to check if you can use your credits/hours on break/fix work if the need arises.

For break/fix work, you want to be clear about the entire process from first contact to resolution including any variations (e.g. for out of hours), plus guaranteed SLAs and the available pricing models.

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