handshaking in officeGrowing and scaling an operation requires intentionality. Vendor relationships can either align with an upward trajectory or be detrimental to the cause. Take for example, managed services, which allow you to get more from your existing IT staff and infrastructure. When you partner with a dedicated IT firm, you can be assured that your network, servers, computers, and all your technology needs are taken care of.

However, not all providers are created equally. Here’s what you need to look for when evaluating a potential partner:

Availability
Your computer network never sleeps. As such, it’s critical that a provider is available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. No exceptions.

Efficiency
Response time is another important variable. Make sure that your IT provider doesn’t forward calls to a call center, but actually responds in a timely manner. Look for guaranteed response time.

Disaster Recovery Planning
If your business is hit by an unseen event or incident, are you prepared? A good managed services provider will devise a plan so that downtime and data loss are at a minimum.

Third-party Vendor Partnerships
One perk of working with a managed services provider is that they can handle multiple technology vendors for you. This means you won’t have to manage requests for service and support. When evaluating a provider, ask about their vendor relationships so you can benefit from the legwork and connections they’ve already made.

Daily Backups and Cloud Services
Relying on a managed services provider offers peace of mind in that your data remains safe and secure. Make sure your vendor partner offers automatic and consistent backups, backed up on a remote server as another layer of protection.

Employee Support
If your employees are grappling with technology infrastructure, they can’t get their jobs done. Make sure your IT managed services provider is available to address questions and concerns as they arise.

Cost Savings
A managed services provider can bring great value to your business and improve your bottom line because your staff can focus more on revenue-producing tasks. Finding a true partner can mean the difference between being stagnant and achieving the next level of success.

Your search for a managed services partner ends here. With services in more than 150 countries, we are able to supply augmented workforce personnel on site wherever it is needed. We have eliminated the many, many layers of vendors to ensure the most direct line to quality employees. Our reach is scalable, global and can support both a short-term project and a long-term placement on budget and with unparalleled speed. Visit our website to learn more about how we can help your business: