Looking or a new IT partner? What’s it all about IT?…

You may not be thinking of the film industry when you are thinking of a new IT partner but there’s a famous line from the movie Alfie:

“I don’t have peace of mind. And if you don’t have that, you’ve got nothing. So… so, what’s the answer? That’s what I keep asking myself. What’s it all about? You know what I mean?”

That is a mantra for life, but it equally applies to making sure you’ve got the right IT Support partner.

So what is it I’m looking for- advice on Cyber Security? IT consultancy? Help with Office 365 support? Workplace Recovery? Disaster Recovery?

Actually, I want all of the above and I want someone I can talk to about my business needs, without too much jargon and tech talk. Someone I can trust who are recognised as IT support experts.

How do I know who’s an expert? I google that phrase and I’m overwhelmed by the choice. How do I sort the wheat from the chaff and not end up having some faceless social media bot harassing me daily with inappropriate mis targeted SPAM because I naively clicked on a link?

Well, here’s 5 things we think you should consider when looking for a new IT partner:

1. Credibility

How long has the business traded? Have you heard of them? Do you recognise the brand? Much of this basic information can be sourced for free from a search on Companies House online. The last thing you want is to put your trust into a recently established business, only to have the rug pulled when times get tough. Pedigree is the key.

2. References

What identifiable references of pleased customers are there? Forget the ‘Mrs G from Ipswich was very happy that we resolved her email issues’ or ‘Top service as always – Mr K’ these tell you nothing and certainly you’d be hard pressed to contact Mrs G & Mr K to verify their reviews. A real IT Support company will put detailed and recent testimonials on their website, after all, they should be proud of a satisfied customer base and want to showcase success.   

3. Kitemarks and Awards

Everyone loves a gong, but how do you assess the relevance of the award as an indicator to your requirements? Tricky this one as some awards are self-nominated and just an advertising revenue for the organisers. However, there are industry bodies who award certification to identify those businesses that meet strict standards and who are regularly assessed against them. It is these certifications that are an indicator of quality and should reassure you that this business has been kitemarked as such. ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials are two such accreditations that will highlight whether a business takes seriously its obligations to protect the cyber security of its customers and whether they are IT experts.

4. Clear and concise offer

You are an expert in your field, and you want an IT Support company that is an expert in what they offer. But you also want a partner that understands your business and how important dedicated IT Support is to keep the wheels on. You want a partner that is genuinely interested in how your business functions, what your aspirations for growth and development are, and how to develop IT roadmaps to support that growth.  An IT Support partner must be able to communicate with you in a language that is suitable to your business sector, whilst making suggestions on how you might leverage benefit from an IT audit, IT Consultancy, and IT Automation. The offer from an IT partner should be clear and concise on their website, you shouldn’t need a degree in Astro Science to figure out what IT Support and Services are available and how they might fit your requirements.

5. Engaged happy people

This one sounds a bit fluffy, but it’s important. Have a look at the website, do the people look real or is it stock images? Are there any employee profiles? Do they seem to be an engaged employer who look after their staff? Think about it, if you engage with this business, it is their engineers that will be engaging with your employees, and nobody wants to be told by a grumpy techie ‘Have you tried turning it off and back on again?’

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If you would like any further information on IT Support, IT Consulting Services or even business technology roadmaps check out our website www.corbel.co.uk, or give us a call with any IT support and services questions you have to 01473 241515.