Technology has permeated our modern society, transforming our daily lives via the IoT.

Accordingly, it’s transformed the way businesses run and the possibilities to optimize their processes. In short, a business wanting to seriously push its success forward must pay close attention to its IT components. However, unless your staff are full-time IT professionals, it may be difficult for them to truly keep up with the latest technology has to offer. Furthermore, they may not be as informed as they should be on how to protect the business from outside cyber threats, particularly with increasingly greater technological exposure.

For these reasons and others, modern businesses can put themselves at a great advantage by hiring an outsourced IT provider within their local area, like EC-MSP, an IT consultancy in London. Such companies not only specialise in cybersecurity, but also consult with many different businesses, meaning they have the necessary experience to best guide you in the right direction.

But how do you figure out which IT service provider is best for you?

Here are the top 6 qualities to consider when choosing an IT support team for your business.

Experienced

You’re outsourcing your IT services so true experts can handle your IT needs appropriately. Therefore, you should ensure their staff is well-qualified. For example, they may have certain certifications, such as the Project Management Professional (PMP) or Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) qualifications. Additionally, it’s a good idea to get references from other businesses they’ve worked with. A good sign is if those referenced companies operate businesses similar to your own.

Up to Date

Not only should your IT provider have wisdom from their past professional IT experience, they should continually educate themselves with new knowledge. A great team of IT experts will regularly attend seminars to learn the latest in various fields of technology. They’ll also stay connected to other industry professionals, and consult with them for their opinions or advice.

It’s ideal if your IT staff purchase the latest equipment and software to trial them, as well; then, they can give you advice on which is best to implement for your business. Most importantly, they must stay well-informed when it comes to cybersecurity, as thieves are always discovering new ways of infiltration and hacking.

Prevention-Focussed

A great IT company won’t just wait for problems to arise to solve them. They’ll do their best to set up your software and hardware to stop them from ever happening in the first place. In fact, they can automate certain processes to ensure all your processes go as smoothly as possible. They’ll take security very seriously and will most certainly avert any security breach which may damage your company and its name. These kinds of issues are easier to solve and have fewer consequences when addressed ahead of time than when they linger too long and fester. Your IT provider will also have automated alerts in place for your security and system operations, so they’ll be informed of any causes for concern in real-time.

Excellent Communicators

To create your ideal set-up, your IT provider must be able to fully understand and cater to your needs. To do so, they’ll need to be able to properly communicate with you and your team. They should pay close attention to what concerns you express and respond accordingly. It’s essential that they also discuss what your future goals are, so their IT advice will consider your business’ future growth.

Plus, they should be easy to contact and talk to when things go wrong. A solid team will be available 24/7 for direct on-call support. Regardless of whether you’re in the midst of a technology crisis or experiencing a minor tech issue, it can be rather frustrating. The last thing you need is to have trouble with those you’ve hired to help you. Furthermore, your IT team should be able to liaise between your staff and third parties like your internet or cloud providers. They should eliminate the stress of being unable to understand these third parties, but rather explain things in a way you can relate to, while also informing third parties of your situation.

Expert Consultants

Your IT service provider is more than just a repair service or help desk. Rather, it acts as a bridge between your business and its objectives, and the world of technology. It should not only appreciate your needs, but know how to use technology to best meet them. Your provider should offer a comprehensive set of knowledge and services.

For example, they must have some awareness of litigation, especially when it comes to security and data exposure. They should be able to consider your budget and determine what kinds of software and hardware will be the best match for your situation.

Respectful Teachers

While your provider will be on-call to help you as needed, they should also offer ongoing training, so you don’t need to call them every time a minor tech issue happens. By not doing so, this will ultimately waste more of your time in the long run. Instead, if your team knows how to operate software and has some basic troubleshooting abilities, they can resolve issues faster on their own. Additionally, it’s important your staff is as informed as possible when it comes to cybersecurity best practices. Most prevention occurs at this basic level. At the same time, the provider should exhibit patience and appreciate your difficulties as they arise.

Make the Effort to Select the Best IT Provider

Putting in the effort to carefully choose the right provider will pay off later by streamlining your workflow and practices. Without a reliable IT team to set up your tech in just the right way or to call on when issues arise, serious setbacks are likely to occur and disrupt your business. These disruptions may cost you sales, revenue, and even your company’s integrity.

Sometimes small businesses believe IT providers are strictly intended to service large companies, but this simply isn’t the case. On the contrary, using a provider gives small businesses access to the support, security, and technology that large businesses have the capital to attain on their own. With the right company at your side, you can be sure you’re at an advantage, and mitigate the disadvantages of not having highly technical staff to make tech-savvy or cybersecurity decisions.