An invaluable list that will help you to choose your next IT Support Company.

If you are currently in the process of looking for a Professional IT Support service for your business, then the following list will prove to be an invaluable tool during the consideration process.

A checklist published by an IT Support Company, surely this is just a marketing exercise?

We’ll admit, this IT Support Checklist could be considered a little cheeky, but if ANY other Services provider can BETTER our service then they deserve your business.  Regardless, we’re positive that you’ll find this list to be a useful resource whether you choose to work with us, or another IT Services Provider.

We recommend asking the following questions listed below:

Your IT Support Checklist.

(Click on the download link at the top of this page to download this list in PDF format).

1. Day-to-day Technical Support.

• Do you provide INSTANT Telephone and Remote desktop support as a standard response time?
• Will you give us access to an online helpdesk so we can track any open IT Support tickets and read regular updates from the helpdesk team?
• Is there a clearly defined escalation procedure in place that leads to the Managing Director in the unlikely event that an IT issue isn’t resolved within the applicable SLA?
• Will a fully qualified Field Support Engineer attend site within the SLA if our IT problem cannot be resolved remotely?
• Are all of your Field Support Engineers based locally, so you can provide FAST onsite support if required?
• Will you provide ongoing support for our mobile devices including smartphones, laptops and tablet devices?
• Do you provide support for ALL 3^rd party applications at no additional cost?
• Can we drop our mobile devices to your office if we have a hardware problem?
• Do you have a UK-based helpdesk that provides 24/7/365 IT Support Services?
• Will you contact our Internet Service Provider (ISP) on our behalf when we have a problem with our Internet Connectivity?
• Do you provide support for both Mac and Windows users?

2. Business Critical Support.

• Will you provide INSTANT Technical Support if we have a Business Critical IT Emergency?
• Will you send an engineer to site WITHIN THE HOUR if the IT Emergency cannot be fixed remotely?

3. Infrastructure.

• Will you FULLY optimise and PROPERLY configure our IT Infrastructure from DAY ONE as part of our Fully Managed IT Support Service in order to minimise downtime and reduce the number of IT problems we experience?
• Is 24/7 Network Monitoring included with your Fully Managed IT Support Service?
• Do you have a dedicated team that will pro activity monitor our network, so they can fix any detected issues immediately before they affect our productivity?
• Is FULL infrastructure support and scheduled updates and patching included with your Fully Managed IT Support Service?
• Will you send us a monthly IT Systems Performance report?
• Do you provide an IT procurement service and ongoing guidance to help us purchase the correct equipment for our business requirements?

4. Strategy.

• Will you provide us with a 5-year IT Strategy Roadmap that defines specifically how technology will support our business strategy and drive our growth over the next five years?
• Will we have a monthly IT Strategy meeting with a Customer Success Manager?
• Will you conduct a FULL root and branch Audit of our current IT Infrastructure and provide us with a report that highlights any potential/existing IT issues that could affect our business productivity?
• Will any existing IT issues highlighted in the IT audit be resolved IMMEDIATELY?
• Will we be able to contact my Customer Success Manager at ANY TIME for ongoing advice and strategic guidance?

5. Cost.

• Can we choose the length of our IT Services contract and will we receive a discount if we decide to sign up for a longer-term IT Services Agreement?

6. Security.

• Have you taken steps to ensure your compliance with the GDPR and can you provide us with valid forms of proof of your compliance?
• Are all of the Cloud Services and Technology Solutions you provide fully GDPR Compliant and will not compromise the security of our data?
• Will you take full responsibility of our Network Security and ensure that all of our Network Security products, Services and technologies are optimised at all times?

7. Quality of Service.

• Can you provide us with a minimum of 3 testimonials from existing Clients?
• Do over 75% of your staff have more than 5 years experience in the IT Services Industry?
• Can we cancel our IT Services contract IMMEDIATELY during our trial period if we are unhappy with your service levels, or if we feel that your service isn’t adding value to our business?
• Are you an ISO9001 Accredited Organisation and can you provide a valid form of certification to prove this?
• Are you a Microsoft Certified Partner?
• Can you provide us with a comprehensive range of Cloud Services and Technology solutions that are directly under your control?

REMEMBER – Your IT Services Provider will become an extension of your Business Operations.

If you’ve taken the time to read the above checklist then it’s highly likely that IT is at the core of your Business Operations. If this is the case, then it’s critically important to choose an IT partner that will make an invaluable contribution to your business success by providing the knowledge, skills and experience that is needed to continuously improve and maintain your IT Systems to the highest standards.

Cyber Security is also an important consideration.

With the introduction of the GDPR, it’s important to remember that your IT partner will be entrusted to safeguard your business critical and personally identifiable information. Because of this, you need to ensure that your next IT Company is GDPR Compliant and they have taken steps to ensure that your data remains safe and secure at all times.

In addition, you need to check that any Cloud Services and Technology Solutions they provide will conform to the GDPR and will not compromise the security your data or your Business Continuity.