There are countless companies specializing in IT services, and they are often perceived as more or less the same. So what actually sets them apart? What makes one a better choice than the other? Here are four essential things to consider when choosing an IT partner for your company. 

1. What can you expect from a proactive IT partner?

IT is constantly evolving, and for many, keeping up with the developments can be a job in itself. By emphasizing proactivity when choosing your next IT partner, you can ensure an actor who anticipates potential problems before they arise and the crisis occurs. A proactive IT partner regularly optimizes your company's IT environment and functions as an advisory party throughout the customer relationship. Here are some points you can expect from a proactive IT partner:

• Stays updated on new trends, threats, and software, to then advise you further

• Regularly goes through the IT environment for your company, analyzes it, and guides you towards the most appropriate solution for your company

• Proposes software update suggestions, sets up new security solutions, or moves to the cloud

• Encourages regular meetings to discuss the IT environment in the company to plan and advise for the way forward

2. Does the IT partner have a strong focus on security?

We are living increasingly digitally, where data attacks are happening more frequently than ever. And perhaps it is only now that many are realizing that this can also affect themselves. There is no doubt that the focus on security in the IT industry has increased significantly in recent times, and most IT partners claim to be meticulous about security, but what does that really entail?

It is not uncommon to hear from IT users that the Microsoft license provides good security, and that additional security is unnecessary. This is a truth with modifications, where it is primarily important that these services are configured and set up correctly. Having the license alone is not enough. Ensure that your next IT partner takes security seriously – you want someone who handles your company's security without cutting corners.

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Thorough preparation to avoid security issues is important, but it is also valuable to have someone who takes action when the alarms turn red. Imagine a home alarm with and without a security guard response – the best option is to have someone who can respond 24 hours a day. Ensure that your IT partner is one who reacts as soon as the warnings appear, and not a day later.

For example, a SOC (security department) can provide the security the company needs. This should be a dedicated security department that can enter your IT environment within minutes and take action if an attack were to occur. Such a department should receive the alerts and immediately know what to do. The efficiency of this process can be crucial, as the consequences of not “throwing out the intruders” quickly enough, or letting them “enjoy themselves in the home” for several days, can be brutal.

Make sure to clarify with your IT partner who will respond if something abnormal were to occur, for example, on a Sunday morning. 

3. Do you receive personal service and dedicated customer teams?

The importance of efficient, personal, and dedicated support is often overlooked in the choice of IT partner, which can lead to you as a customer being deprioritized when you need support. Therefore, an essential element to consider in the choice is how support is handled by the IT partner. It is easy to write on paper that the support is good, but what does the IT partner actually mean by good service? Here are some things to evaluate:

• Will you get a dedicated support resource, or will you meet a new person every time you contact? If you meet a new person for each inquiry, this means that you may also have to spend a lot of time explaining the situation and IT environment countless times. This can also affect trust and cooperation with your IT partner

• Is the partner willing to enter as an extended arm of the company? This is essential for mutual understanding and optimal cooperation

• How quickly does your IT partner guarantee to resolve an issue? Critical issues cannot wait several days to be resolved due to slow support. This will result in loss of both time and money

• Who are the intended resources to function as employees in your company? These are usually someone other than those you first meet with the supplier. Evaluate whether these are people you want to work with on a daily basis in the near future

Also read: 5 good reasons to outsource parts of your IT operations

4. Ensure to evaluate price, references, and the experience of the IT vendor

Finally, there are some general points that are not necessarily unique to the choice of IT partner, but are still important to take into account. 

Price is always something you should consider, and the scale is wide. If you find an IT partner that appears cheap, make sure that all necessary functions are included and that they do not come as additional costs along the way. On the other hand, there are many who charge very well. In this case, ensure that your company needs everything included in this price, so that you do not pay for unnecessary IT services.

A place where you can always get honest feedback on whether the IT partner is a good choice for you is with the partner's references. Most suppliers and partners have a list of customers they want to promote on their websites. You can easily contact these and ask for an unfiltered and honest experience.

Finally, you have to trust your own gut feeling in dialogue with the IT partner. If you feel that those you are talking to are rude, unreliable, or unfriendly, this often reflects the culture of the company.

Good luck!