IT Support Company Near Me: How to Choose the Right One
Almost 300,000 businesses experience cyberattacks every day. All it takes is for one employee to click on a phishing email to send a company into chaos. That’s why every business should be Googling “IT support company near me.”
Not only can they put security measures in place to prevent hackers from getting in, but they can also fill in system holes to cut off cybercriminals at the source. They’ll also teach your employees how to use your technology, so they’re less likely to slip up and leave your company vulnerable.
The question is, how do you find the best IT support company for your needs? Check out this guide for a few tips that will help you in your search.
Why Hire an IT Company?
Before we get into choosing an IT business, it’s important to know why you need their services in the first place. Can’t you just bring on a team of employees for that?
You could, but it’s going to be more expensive. Not only is outsourcing cheaper, but it also gives you an outside perspective. Hiring an IT service will also lower your company’s risk by a large margin.
Lower Your Business Costs
Your in-house IT department can help with a lot of things, but they might not have the specific knowledge that will keep you compliant with state laws. This could cause you to have to pay out a lot in penalty fees.
When it comes time to replace your business software or hardware, your outsourced IT company can do the entire setup process for you. Trained professionals will also know how to better protect your systems, so you don’t have to worry about losing money due to a breach.
Reduce Risk
Most companies have all their data stored on their computer systems instead of clogging up a filing cabinet. If you follow suit and experience a data breach, you’ll lose everything.
Professional IT companies are armed with all the latest technology needed to keep your computers safe. They’ll also keep your data backed up, so if a virus does manage to get in, you can start over where you last left once your systems recover.
Gain a Second Pair of Eyes
Your in-house IT department are only human. They could miss a crucial hole in your system.
While your outsourced IT company can make a similar mistake, it’s always nice to have a second pair of eyes looking things over. Besides, if they do make a mistake, they’ll know how to fix it right away.
Going Local
When you’re attacked by a cybercriminal or experiencing an error with your system, time is of the essence. The faster you get the problem fixed, the faster you can get back to business.
If your IT team can’t get to you for a few hours, a tiny problem with your system could turn into a large one.
That’s why, when choosing an IT support company, it’s important to go local. They’ll be able to come to your building to replace your firewall or debug your computers in minutes.
Interactive Channel
When you make an IT inquiry or put in a request with your team, you want to be able to stay on top of it. Many tech companies have a portal that will allow you to do just that.
Not only will it be possible to make inquiries in minutes, but you’ll also be able to provide your team with helpful feedback that will help them improve.
Experience in Your Industry
If you run a medical clinic, you’re going to have different IT needs than a retail business. You need an outsourced IT support company that knows how to tackle the unique problems that come with your clinic.
While a general IT company might be able to help you, they can’t handle your issues as fast as one that specializes in medical systems.
Quick Response Times
Again, when it comes to fixing your business systems, time is of the essence. Every second your IT company takes to get to you, a hacker can get one of your customer’s confidential information. Nothing will hurt your reputation more.
If you’re like most companies, security isn’t the only tech-related thing that’s time sensitive. Your employees can’t keep working if all of your computers are down.
Keep your business going like a well-oiled machine by talking to a company about their typical response time before you hire them. You can ask them outright or check out comments from previous customers.
They Know Your Software
When someone goes to school for IT, they learn a lot about computers and software. That doesn’t mean they have experience with the types of software your company uses, however.
Many companies use industry-specific programs. Hiring a company that knows how yours works is a plus.
The chances of stumbling across a company like that are pretty low, though. If you can’t find a company that fits the bill, don’t count them out yet.
Most IT professionals have enough computer knowledge to figure the software out if they play around with it enough. Look for a company that’s willing to learn the ins and outs of how your systems work.
Diverse Agreement Options
Depending on how your company works, you might not need to have a dedicated IT team to stay on top of your systems all year round. If you’re a small startup, you may prefer to only reach out to your IT company as you need them to save money.
If your IT company doesn’t offer that kind of contract, you’ll have no choice but to spend money you don’t have. To avoid that, look for a team that has a variety of agreement options.
Easy to Work With
Your IT team will be working closely with your employees. This is especially true if they take the time to train them on new technology.
If your IT consultant uses a bunch of tech lingo that your workers don’t understand, they won’t have any idea what they’re doing when it counts. As you can imagine, that can through a wrench into your entire operation.
Look for a company that can take complex concepts and turn them into something that a middle schooler could understand.
You should also find an IT team that has patience. There will come a time when tech information won’t stick with your workers no matter how it’s explained to them. You don’t need a tech consultant that’s going to yell at your poor confused employees and make them feel dumb.
Qualifications
There are IT support companies out there that aren’t exactly as legit as they say they are. The last thing you want is to hire a company that doesn’t have the qualifications they say they have (not when they’re handling something as important as your data security, anyway).
Ask your potential IT security service about their accreditations, and run a background check to make sure they’re telling you the truth. The best way to do this is to look for partnerships with big-name companies. If they’ve worked with Microsoft in the past, chances are, they know what they’re doing.
On top of making sure the company itself is qualified to handle your business systems, you should also ask them about their employees. Do all of them have the proper certifications and training to get the job done?
Trained Staff
Technology changes every second of every day. You need an IT company with employees who can keep up.
Ask your potential IT service what they do to keep their team up to date. Companies that provide their workers with constant training will be able to always support your system and keep your technology compliant with local laws.
Company Size
Providing IT support for a startup is one thing. They don’t have a lot of employees or equipment to worry about. Supporting a global corporation is another story.
If your IT services don’t have enough engineers to handle the scale of your inquiry, they’ll have to refer you to a third-party company, which will waste tons of time.
While you might be a small startup now, there may come a day when you grow as large as Apple. If that happens, you’ll need more employees and computers to support the size of your new empire.
Look for an IT service that can grow with you as you expand across the entire globe.
Systems and Servers
Most companies use Windows OS to support their servers. You might not be like most businesses, however. Maybe you prefer to use the Mac OS or Linux.
Both options are valid, but not every IT service will know how to work with them. Be transparent about the OS you use from the start.
That will save you a lot of headaches later on when your IT team is telling you that you need to switch operating systems. That’s a lot easier said than done.
Reviews and Testimonials
To be able to accurately judge if a company is going to be right for you, it’s a good idea to check out reviews and testimonials. You can find these by Googling a business’s name.
It is important to take any reviews you read with a grain of salt. Most people who have a good experience with a company don’t take the time to comment. You may have to do some serious searching to find any reviews with substance.
If you don’t have time for that, ask the company for a list of references. After all, you’re interviewing them in a sense. Most employers ask for references during the application process.
If you know another business owner, you can ask them for IT recommendations as well.
Advanced Security
As soon as you hire an IT company, you should start to notice small changes around your office. Suddenly, your system will ask you to reset your passwords to something more secure.
Your employees will be required to set up two-step verification for every program that they sign into during the day. Workers will need a manager’s login information to access certain confidential files. That’s only the tip of the iceberg.
If you don’t start noticing these changes, that’s a good indicator that you didn’t hire the right company.
Repairs and Advising
Most IT companies provide both repairs and advising. You do run into the occasional business that only offers one or the other, though.
If you’re going to stay secure and keep your company moving, you’re going to need a service that offers both options. This way, you have someone on hand that you can trust to fix your computer systems when they crash and advise you, so the issue doesn’t occur again.
Availability
Technology can be fickle. You never know when your system is going to crash or slow to a screeching halt. For productivity’s sake, you can’t wait until the next day to get help.
You need someone to come fix things right away. To this end, find a company that’s available 24 hours a day.
Even if your business doesn’t operate that long, having someone monitoring your tech after hours will give you a little peace of mind.
Finding a Qualified IT Support Company Near Me
Your business computer system is too important to leave unguarded. All it takes is one hacker to get in to ruin your company’s reputation for good.
That’s why it’s important to find a qualified IT support company near me to keep things guarded. Look for a business that’s not only good for security but can also keep your systems going like a well-oiled machine and allow your employees to stay productive.
For more tips that will keep your company’s doors open, visit the Business section of our blog.
