IT Support Elk Grove

Modern businesses, especially SMBs, are increasingly focusing on access, rather than ownership. This principle is being applied to all areas of business, especially ones that are necessary rather than value-add, such as basic IT infrastructure. As a result, there has been massive growth in the IT services sector, particularly managed IT services and IT support. This means that SMBs have a lot of choice, which is good, but can also be confusing. With that in mind, here’s some guidance on choosing an IT support partner in Elk Grove.

Start by taking a long, hard look at your current situation 

In principle, IT support providers offer short-term ad hoc support for short-term, specific needs. In practice, this means that they spend most of their time doing project work and the rest of their time doing break/fix work. At least it should, if IT infrastructure is being run properly. If it’s not running properly, then you need to get a clear understanding of the underlying problem(s).

If you’re looking at issues relating to the actual design and implementation of your IT infrastructure, then the chances are that you’re going to need to run ad hoc projects to fix them and this would come within the scope of IT support. If, however, the problems are being caused by the fact that nobody has the time to do proper care and maintenance, then you will need IT support to deal with the initial fix and then managed IT services to make sure that the maintenance starts being done properly so that the problem stops happening.

Consider your overall business plans for at least the next five years 

Even though IT support partners provide short-term support, it can be very helpful to have the same IT support partner work with you over the long term. That way they get to know both your business and your infrastructure. In fact, they can become valuable stakeholders in your company and provide useful guidance as you navigate your way through technological developments. The more clearly you can plan ahead, the more likely you are to be able to choose the IT support partner in Elk Grove who is best able to meet your needs going forward.

As a bonus, the more accurately you can plan out your project work, the more accurately you’ll be able to budget. You could also be in a better position to negotiate volume discounts without worrying about overspending on credits/hours you’ll end up not using.

Make sure you’re clear about all relevant factual points

In simple terms, make sure you are clear about what is marketing and what is actually legally-binding. For example, if you do an internet search on “IT support in Elk Grove”, then you’re probably going to come across some results from companies that offer IT support services in Elk Grove, but which are actually based elsewhere. This means you need to double-check where a company has its legal and operational bases (they may be different).

The legal base will usually determine what law is applied to any contract for services and which courts have jurisdiction over any legal disputes. Obviously, if you do your due diligence on any potential IT support vendor, you can substantially reduce the chances that you will end up in a legal dispute with them, but nothing is guaranteed and as the old saying goes “hope is not a strategy”.

The operational base will determine how easy (or difficult) it will be for an IT support vendor to provide on-site support. This may seem like a minor detail given that so much IT support can now be delivered remotely. It may, however, take on a whole new degree of importance if you have an emergency and need someone on-site quickly.

For similar reasons, you need to check both the process for raising and scheduling projects and the process for raising support tickets. Given that the latter are potentially going to be urgent (or at least high-priority), you need to be absolutely sure that you understand the whole process from first contact to resolution, including any variations, for example the in-hours process versus the out-of-hours process. Again, you need to look beyond the marketing and be clear about what is actually going to be guaranteed.

Check the pricing models and payment terms thoroughly

This is really an extension of the previous point, but it’s important enough to highlight on its own. You need to be absolutely clear not just about what you will be expected to pay but how long you will have to pay it.

If you’d like to speak to a reputable and experienced IT support vendor in Elk Grove, please click here now to contact Salient IT.