IT managed service providers have become a lifeline for many SMBs. For many of their clients, switching to IT managed services is one of the rare instances in life, when convenience may come at a discount rather than a price premium as good IT managed service providers can often run services more efficiently than their clients.
The keyword in that sentence, however, is “good”. As the IT managed services industry has expanded, the quality of managed IT service providers has become more varied. You want to work with one of the top IT managed service providers in Sacramento, so here are six tips as to how to go about finding one.
This may seem a strange comment to make given the opening paragraph, but IT-managed services are not necessarily the right approach for everyone. If you have your own in-house IT team and just need a bit of extra help now and then, perhaps with particularly challenging issues, then you might be better with a technical support service. If you’re concerned specifically about cybersecurity, then you might be better with a managed IT security service.
If you’re not sure what you need, then you need to go back to the drawing board and possibly bring in an external consultant to guide you through the process of mapping out your needs and wants and thinking about what would be the best approach to having they fulfilled.
1. Secondly, make a list of IT managed service providers in Sacramento
The key point to note here is that search results are quite likely to include IT managed service providers which sell services in Sacramento but are not actually in Sacramento. You might be willing to stretch a point if there are near Sacramento (however you define near), but they could quite easily be on another side of the country (or overseas) just offering remote support. That may be fine if you’re just looking for remote support, but it can be very inconvenient (not to mention very expensive) if you later decide that you do need on-site assistance.
2. Thirdly, take a good look at their websites
A good business website should give you enough information about a company to make an informed decision on whether or not you want to go any further. When it comes to managed IT services in Sacramento, there are three factors that are likely to play a strong role in your decision.
Firstly, their range of services. Right now, you may only need managed IT services, but you might find it useful to partner with an IT managed service provider who can offer additional services which you might need (or just want in the future). Secondly, their accreditations, and thirdly the length of time they’ve been in business. Companies that have managed to last over years and decades tend to be ones that know how to manage their finances and how to keep their customers happy, both of which are definite pluses for a potential IT managed services partner.
It’s also a good idea to see if they can demonstrate any experience with SMBs in general and with your industry in particular. If an IT managed service provider mentions on its website that it is active in the SMB market, then it’s a good sign that they see SMBs in a positive light rather than just as a way to generate income while they hustle for corporate clients.
3. Fourthly, get some more detailed information about the companies
By this point, your initial list of internet search results should have been reduced to a much smaller number of serious contenders. Now you want to get more detailed information about their pricing structure and what each pricing option includes. You also want to find out about their general approach towards service, for example, would you be assigned an account manager, what are their customer-support procedures, their SLAs, and how they are measured?
4. Fifthly, send in a request for a proposal to the companies which give the best response
By this point, your list should only contain a handful of potential IT-managed service providers in Sacramento, which looks like they could be an excellent fit for your company. Now you want to start digging into the details of what they can offer to see which one looks like it could be the absolute top match.
5. Last but not least, have an interview with the best candidate(s)
You do want to speak to your potential, IT managed service provider(s) in person before you seal the deal. This is about more than just fine-tuning the details, it’s about making sure that you feel comfortable with their company culture.
If you’d like to speak to one of the top IT managed service providers in Sacramento, please click here now to contact Aperio.IT.
Sign up today for free & stay current with local IT news.
X