| Per Matt Dickerson, Managing Director and Senior | | | | the internet, the reality is that many businesses and |
| Network Consultant of AXXIS Technology, and cited | | | | consumers use the internet as the first step in |
| as one of the Top 15 Worldwide SMB consultants, | | | | getting info on your business. Your I.T. services |
| "The typical small business or firm spends 30% of | | | | provider should have the tools available to work with |
| the I.T. budget on hardware purchases and 70% on | | | | you on developing and managing a website that can |
| I.T. maintenance." What are those numbers for your | | | | serve as "the front porch to your business". While |
| business? What do you use to measure those | | | | having a great website will not necessarily be used to |
| expenses? | | | | rule you in as the business to call, having a |
| The purpose of this article is to give you a potential | | | | substandard or non-existent website can be used to |
| option the next time you, or the boss asks, "What | | | | cross you off the list. |
| can we do to improve the business, while reducing | | | | Discount Product Purchasing |
| the cost of doing business?" Grab your favorite | | | | I.T. equipment is often an expensive investment. |
| beverage and let's take a quick look at I.T. Managed | | | | Regardless of the amount you purchase, you should |
| Services. | | | | never pay more than absolutely necessary. Your I.T. |
| What is Managed IT Services? | | | | services provider should have agreements in place to |
| A mix of products, services and other I.T. partner | | | | ensure you get the best, most competitively priced |
| offerings used to deliver a full range of on-site and | | | | complete systems, peripherals, parts, or upgrades. |
| remote I.T. services to primarily the small to medium | | | | What are the benefits? |
| sized business. The service provider serves as the | | | | You now know what the typical managed services |
| complete virtual I.T. department for the business. | | | | company provides or should be offering, but what do |
| This can include, but not limited to, initial I.T. planning | | | | you really get out of this partnership? After all, |
| and implementation, to ongoing technical support and | | | | change is difficult and everyone is comfortable with |
| administration, to budgeting to ensure that the | | | | the way we've always done things, regardless of the |
| information technology backbone stays in step with | | | | costs, the impact on the business, or how we might |
| the businesses current and future needs. | | | | be getting short changed on services. |
| What are the services? | | | | Focus on Business |
| All providers have differing services and solutions that | | | | You and your people are experts and great at what |
| they provide and, this is important, how they provide | | | | you do. I've spoken with business leaders who give |
| them. Below are examples of the basic services. If | | | | examples of staff members trying to fit I.T. guru into |
| you are researching a I.T. Managed Services partner | | | | their responsibilities. I've heard, "One of our staff |
| and they do not provide these, continue your search! | | | | lawyers, Joe, does our I.T.", "Pat, in Accounting, does |
| 7/24/365 Network Monitoring, Maintenance, & | | | | the I.T. stuff that she knows.", "My HR Director, |
| Support | | | | Tom, studied programming in college and does our |
| This is at the core of what each and every I.T. | | | | I.T." I never doubt that these people give their best |
| services company provides the business. Your | | | | efforts, but question if that's the best use of these |
| information and the needs and expectations of your | | | | valuable resources and I am skeptical if everything is |
| customers are too important to call somebody and | | | | getting done. |
| wait 24 to 72 hours or more for an I.T. issue to be | | | | Single Source for I.T. |
| resolved. How do you effectively plan and budget for | | | | You have one point of contact for all of your |
| these out of the blue situations anyway? Your IT | | | | Information Technology needs. Rather than a laundry |
| services provider should be constantly monitoring | | | | list of contacts and phone numbers, you have one |
| your systems, providing maintenance, such as | | | | source for your I.T. Note: Check on this! Most |
| spyware and virus protection, disk drive analysis, | | | | premier IT services providers will have a single point |
| application usage, and security patch management. A | | | | of contact who will know you, your business, your |
| big one for most businesses: have off-site and | | | | goals, and your I.T. infrastructure. If you don't know |
| on-site support available around the clock. No | | | | who has your account, you are always speaking with |
| guessing game or "around this much" - there should | | | | a different person on the phone, a different |
| be a fixed fee for the services. | | | | technician comes out to your business to do service, |
| I.T. Systems Planning and Analysis | | | | well, it is time for you to ask probing questions or |
| Many business owners make I.T.-related decisions as | | | | search for a new provider. |
| a reaction to their immediate needs rather than part | | | | Budgeting |
| of a long-term growth plan. Your provider should | | | | The guesswork is gone. As you formulate your |
| assess your current and future I.T. needs and make | | | | budgets, you will know exactly what your I.T. |
| recommendations to help your business grow. The | | | | expenditures will be for any period of time. You work |
| idea is for every component of your business to be | | | | with your I.T. services provider to formulate and |
| geared in some way towards growing your business. | | | | define your plan, needs, and expectations. The dollar |
| This should include I.T., right? | | | | figure is assigned and you work on producing results |
| Disaster Protection/Offsite Data Backup | | | | in your industry. |
| There are plenty of recent examples to confirm for | | | | Breadth of Knowledge: We all know the growth rate |
| us that you have to plan for the unexpected. Your | | | | in the I.T. industry has been phenomenal and new |
| customers depend on you to serve them without | | | | technologies and gadgets are constantly being added |
| interruption. Your I.T. services provider should provide | | | | to the inventory. While most businesses have team |
| secure offsite data backup solutions that provide a | | | | members who specialize in a particular facet of the |
| backup of your data automatically. You have a | | | | company, I.T. Managed Services companies also have |
| business to run. Your I.T. services provider should | | | | staffs that have expertise throughout the I.T. |
| partner with you to develop and implement a disaster | | | | spectrum. |
| recovery plan that you or your staff won't have the | | | | It is near impossible, and not very cost effective, for |
| hassle of managing. | | | | SMBs to employ an in house I.T. staff with the same |
| I.T. Vendor Management | | | | cumulative breadth of I.T. knowledge. This leaves the |
| Should you or your staff spend endless hours on the | | | | questions for the business with the in house I.T.: |
| phone with I.T. vendors, or rather, dedicate time and | | | | What are we incapable of doing? What is getting |
| effort to growing the business? Your IT services | | | | missed? For businesses without I.T., it makes sense |
| provider should be there to help you manage your | | | | to avail themselves in having an entire I.T. |
| relationships with your ISP, hardware vendor, web | | | | department at their disposal without the costs or |
| developer, ASP, etc... | | | | impracticality of an in house I.T. department. |
| Network Services | | | | Anybody there? |
| I have yet to meet or work with a business, large or | | | | Getting back to the level of support topic, having an |
| small, that doesn't go through some kind of periodic | | | | I.T. services provider ensures that you maintain a |
| "environment changes". This can range from staff | | | | predictable, consistent level of support, regardless of |
| changing desks, switching offices, or moving the | | | | vacations, sick time, resignations, terminations, etc., |
| entire business to a new location. Make sure your I.T. | | | | associated with in house I.T. Apart from this, most |
| services provider takes care of the I.T. aspects of | | | | I.T. services providers have a form of supplemental |
| these changes. If you are moving or setting up a | | | | support where they will work with you during times |
| new network, task your I.T. services provider with | | | | when in house I.T. is absent or there is an increased |
| designing, installing and certifying your data network. | | | | workload. |
| Make sure they are capable of taking care of the | | | | If 30 minutes would help my bottom line...: Every |
| telecom, cabling, and I.T. equipment installation. | | | | successful business leader, whom I've worked or |
| Regulations and Compliance | | | | spoken with, is looking for ways to improve and |
| At the beginning of this century, we in the healthcare | | | | keep their business ahead of the competition. Some |
| industry went through a "regulations crisis". The | | | | businesses have an in house I.T. department or retain |
| Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act | | | | their current support and services provider, because, |
| (HIPAA) came down and the mad scramble and | | | | well, that's the way things have always been done. |
| focus was on how to secure the system-housed | | | | Some businesses prefer the "Las Vegas approach" of |
| information and ensure we were all in compliance. As | | | | no I.T. support at all. They cross their fingers, roll the |
| HIPAA is to healthcare, other businesses have rules | | | | dice daily, and hand over the money as they go |
| and regulations on how to use and secure | | | | along. |
| information. Your I.T. services provider must have the | | | | I encourage you to do some due diligence, even if it |
| knowledge, experience, and resources to aid you in | | | | takes 30 minutes. Research, discuss internally, and |
| remaining compliant with these directives. | | | | engage an I.T. Managed Services professional to see |
| Website design and hosting | | | | if I.T. Managed Services would possibly benefit you, |
| Whatever your position on the degree of benefit to | | | | your staff, and your valued customers. |