In too many cases, managed IT customers and service providers differ on their understanding of what “managed IT services” truly are. In the end, the only understanding that really matters is that the customer is getting all that they both need and expect from this critical partnership. If you’re not sure about the sufficiency of your managed IT services, this guide can help you understand how and why accessing better managed IT services in Northern NJ might be essential to your business’s success.
Misunderstandings Cause Problems
Not surprisingly, any miscommunication between you and your managed IT services provider can be the root of numerous challenges and losses. Customers frequently but mistakenly assume that the service provider will assume responsibility for all aspects of every service, from installation and monitoring to patching and security upgrades. Meanwhile, the service provider may assume that the customer already has the infrastructure and systems in place and they only have to manage them over time. Despite their best intentions, that’s how many companies that offer managed it services in Northern NJ operate; they don’t clarify what their client brings to the table before they set their contract terms. In the end, the customer often ends up paying for services they don’t receive, or for services that don’t meet their needs.
Scoping Your Roster of Managed IT Services
Depending on the nature of your enterprise, many companies offering managed IT services in Northern NJ can respond specifically to your demands, if you know what services you need. At the very least, canvas them for these fundamental services to ensure that they know what you want and offer services that your business needs.
Help Desk
The help desk is a critical element of your overall success. It is usually the initial contact between you and a disgruntled customer, and it acts as their conduit to responsiveness and satisfaction. Additionally, the service desk must also sort and prioritize incoming concerns so it can route them to the best, fastest response possible. If your customers are repeatedly complaining about any aspect of your organization, it may be that the help desk isn’t doing what you need it to do.
Cloud Storage
Fundamentally, when your corporate data resides on your managed IT provider’s servers, then reliable and secure access to it become your top priorities. Sometimes those systems might overload with the demands of other customers, making it difficult for your people to do their work. The providers may credit those accounts and call it good, but that doesn’t bode well for customers who need access over budget adjustments. If access isn’t an issue, be sure that your storage capacity matches your need. You should be able to scale your storage capacities as needed.
Systems management
While there are almost unlimited systems management permutations available from any IT services provider, you should be getting only those that facilitate the best functionality of your enterprise.
Avoiding Downtime
Most managed IT providers can do a better job maintaining your systems than you probably can do it in-house, but if downtimes and delays plague you processing capabilities, perhaps your provider isn’t providing you with their best effort.
Automation
Most companies benefit from automation of some of all of their routine tasks, and the capacity to add new automation over time adds value to the services.
Asset management
Too many companies still rely on outdated programming to track their physical assets. A lot of companies still use Excel spreadsheets, for example, even though most aren’t kept up to date. Outdated information can impact licensing, maintenance and other expenses.
Updating
Using old programming for any corporate purpose raises risks. Smaller companies in particular, that have fewer IT investment dollars can make those dollars go further by using managed it services in Northern NJ to stay up-to-date with all their technological need.
Data and systems security
As threats emerge across the digital universe, every company struggles to maintain secure perimeters. Your company may be growing into new markets, adding remote workers, or merging with new entities, each of which comes with new security requirements. Adding to the challenge is the explosion of mobile devices in use today, some of which are covered by your security programming, some of which are not. Your managed IT provider should be aware of and maintaining your heightened security needs as your business evolves.
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
If nothing else, your managed IT provider should be absolutely current on all disaster recovery programming for your enterprise. You should have gone through a business impact analysis to determine your risks and needs in the event of a crash or breach, and your provider should be monitoring your activities to ensure that their programming remains accurate for your corporate DR demands.
Additionally, business continuity services keep your business in business even after a failure so you cut your losses and can get back to full steam as quickly as possible. Ask the provider of your managed IT services in Northern NJ how it will manage your organization if it gets hit with an intrusion.
Whether you’ve just signed on for managed IT services in Northern NJ, or you’ve been using those resources for years, it’s always a good time to review the services you’re getting and compare them to what you need today.
