Six Questions To Ask Your Outsourced IT Partner

The task of choosing the right technology solutions gets more complex as your business grows larger. When you find that your business’s technology needs have outgrown the skillset of your in-house power user, and the one-man shop that’s been fixing your broken PCs isn’t able to take your business to the next level, it may be time to consider a service agreement with a Managed Services Provider (MSP). This long-term agreement ensures your IT partner has a stake in the growth of your business and the quality of the relationship. Here are six questions you should ask of prospective MSPs:

1) Do they offer Service Agreements with a defined list of services?

A clearly defined and documented service agreement removes the gray from the relationship you have with an MSP and helps give you peace of mind. Make sure your IT partner can tell you exactly what services are included in the agreement, and which services you can expect to be billed for.

2) Do they offer significant discounts to their Service Agreement clients?

If you have an ongoing relationship, you should be treated like the valued client you are. Discounted services or hourly rates should accompany a long-term agreement.

3) Do they reward loyalty?

Many outsourced IT vendors pay lip service to the value they place on their client relationships. Is this MSP ready to back up their relationships with rewards and value-added services?

4) Can they tell you in real-time what computers you have and what software you are running?

Unless they employ sophisticated real-time monitoring tools, your MSP’s knowledge of your network is only as good as the last time they were logged on to your servers or workstations. Look for an MSP that has a demonstrable process for maintaining up-to-date information about your company's technology assets. They won’t be able to be truly proactive (see Question 5 below) unless they know your network cold.

5) Do they wait for you to tell them there is a problem, or are they aware of impending problems before you are?

Proactive has become an overused buzzword. Every IT vendor automatically says they are "proactive." But what does this really mean? If they are sitting around waiting for you to call them, they are reactive. If they are heading off threats and business disruptions before they happen, that's proactive!

6) Do they report to you about the proactive work they are doing on your network so you know that you are getting your money's worth?

While it's essential to have a relationship built on trust, your MSP should be able to back that trust up with hard data. The most advanced MSPs will provide online access to your service history, but every MSP should at least be able to provide a regular report on the work they have done to manage your technology.

With these six questions in hand, you should be better equipped to select the best MSP to help take your business to the next level.