There is no shortage of options for IT partners. The largest providers only have 6%, 5%, or less of the market share. But the abundance of choices is good news for customers, especially when it’s time to make a switch.
Like many relationships, your partnership with an IT provider may have to come to an end. Thankfully, there are better options. Here are four reasons you might want to separate from your IT provider.
1. They Are Behind the Times
Staying up to date with the latest and greatest developments in the IT ecosystem benefits both your production and cybersecurity. Your IT provider needs to have the latest knowledge regarding threats and system vulnerabilities that apply to your infrastructure. A knowledge gap can result in an opportunity for a bad actor looking to use ransomware, a virus, or other types of malware to exploit your system. If your provider doesn’t have the most recent threat intel, you should look elsewhere.
Also, as the business landscape is constantly shifting, whether it be due to new tools or evolving business models, your IT partner needs to be able to move with the latest developments, and quickly. Whether it’s remote working, edge computing, or emerging network architectures, they need to be adept with the latest tools, as well as knowing how they can benefit you.
2. They Fall Short of Their Service Level Agreement (SLA)
While it can go without saying that your outsourced IT provider needs to satisfy what’s in your SLA, this is often easier said than done. In some cases, it can cost them more than they can afford to support your business with time. This is especially true when your business is growing faster than anticipated. As your company grows, so does the list of resources it takes to support it. In an effort to remain solvent, your IT partner may cut some corners. If so, it’s time to go.
3. The Solution Hinders Employee Productivity
Your IT infrastructure has to be carefully designed to support the work of your employees. This may involve mobile solutions, VPNs, multi-factor authentication structures, customized SaaS, and more. Above all, your solution has to be flexible, especially as your workforce changes. If your IT partner’s solution becomes more of a problem, you should consider making a change.
4. They Can’t Diversify to Meet Your Particular Needs
Some of the larger providers have extensive portfolios of many companies. In an effort to streamline their own processes, they develop a few ready-made solutions. Each company they serve is offered a pre-designed SLA, and often these can only be tweaked so much.
This can create significant problems, especially when your business model requires different resources, infrastructures, or technologies than everyone else. Often, companies may be tempted to adjust how they operate to fit their IT partner’s tools. This is backward. Your tools should serve your infrastructure, not vice versa. If you find you’re adjusting how you operate to fit your IT partner’s resources, you should look for a company that can diversify its offering according to what you need.
If you’re ready to see how managed IT services and IT support can save you money, time, and effort, reach out to Robust Networks. Whether you need to enhance business continuity, cybersecurity, or devise a cloud migration strategy, Robust Networks can help.