These days, it doesn't matter what type of business you're actually running - every organization is essentially a "tech company" to a certain extent.
Take healthcare and financial services, for example.
Business IT solutions help guarantee the smooth and secure management of patient data, appointment scheduling, billing, and communications in a healthcare environment, for example.
Similarly, financial services organizations like community banks rely heavily on IT services to keep their operations running smoothly.
Just like healthcare providers, banks need secure systems to manage sensitive financial data, ensure compliance with regulations, and offer reliable customer service.
But of course, all this comes with a cost - both in terms of dollars and time.
Even if you already have your own in-house IT infrastructure, you need to pay to hire the best employees you can and pay to procure, setup, and maintain all hardware and software. If something breaks, it's your responsibility to fix it.
The list goes on and on.
That's a large part of the reason why so many organizations are experimenting with the idea of solutions like co-managed IT services and others.
This all requires finding the right IT partnership to begin with, which can seem daunting when your possibilities appear limitless - at least at the outset.
Thankfully, choosing IT partner organizations isn't necessarily as difficult as you might think - but it is a precise process that requires you to keep a number of essential things in mind.
But before you can even consider choosing the right IT partner, you must first think about your current IT needs.
You may think you know in a general sense what you're looking for, but this isn't enough.
If you don't drill down into more specifics—meaning if you don't identify exactly what it is you need to be able to do that you can't right now—choosing a partner will be frustrating because you're not totally sure what you're partnering on to begin with.
What is the condition (not to mention the age) of your current IT assets?
Are you running into any recurring technical issues, or do you have other pain points that commonly rear their ugly heads?
How well is your current IT system performing in terms of things like speed, efficiency, and reliability?
If you're operating in an area like financial services or healthcare, are you able to keep up with all the security risks and potential vulnerabilities that need immediate attention in these fields?
Are you having a difficult time making sure that your IT infrastructure conforms to any regulations that you have to follow?
These are the types of questions that only you can answer, and you must answer them definitively before venturing out to look for an IT partner.
Armed with that knowledge, you can then identify the specific IT services that would most benefit your organization.
Some healthcare or personal finance organizations in particular could benefit from co-managed IT services, for example.
Here, you'd be outsourcing certain functions of your IT support and infrastructure management to that third party so that you can focus all your attention on actually running your business.
Others might just need something more along the lines of cloud services.
Cloud services give you easy access to cloud storage, computing, and collaboration tools, making it easier for your team to work together no matter where they are.
Or, you might want to explore cybersecurity solutions to keep your systems and data safe from any potential threats, or possibly network management to make sure everything from internal communications to external connections runs smoothly.
Heavily regulated industries like healthcare and finance could absolutely benefit from a lot of the compliance solutions that a new IT partner might have to offer.
Compliance assistance helps ensure your business meets all necessary regulations, avoiding any costly penalties.
Again - once you understand what your needs are, you can quickly whittle down your list of potential partners to just those who check as many of your proverbial boxes as possible.
As you identify your needs, it’s also essential to prioritize them based on their importance to your business’s operations.
Some areas may require immediate attention, including but not limited to security, compliance, and scalability.
Are your systems secure?
Is there a need for enhanced cybersecurity measures, especially if you handle sensitive data?
Are you meeting industry regulations like HIPAA?
Never let yourself forget that non-compliance, even accidental, could result in the types of major financial penalties you just don't want to deal with.
As your business grows, will your IT infrastructure be able to scale?
You want a partner that can support your business’s future growth.
Depending on how you answer these questions, it will tell you a lot about where your current priorities actually are.
These priorities will play a major role in guiding your decision-making process when selecting an IT partner.
When meeting potential IT partners, it's important to understand not just what they can do, but what they can do for YOU.
You're going into this conversation armed with the knowledge of exactly what you need and why it's so important.
You need to make sure that you're talking to an organization who not only understands the task at hand, but who is capable of keeping up with your needs.
All this is to say that when meeting potential IT partners, asking the right questions is crucial to understanding how they will support your business. Just a few of the ones you'll want to ask include but are not limited to:
Even something as seemingly simple as asking about previous businesses that an IT partner has worked with can make a big difference in your decision-making process.
If you're running a community bank or credit union, your IT needs are very different from a large national conglomerate.
You need an IT partner who understands this - who won't make assumptions and who is prepared to help handle the types of needs you're likely to have on a day-to-day basis.
The same is true when asking how they stay up to date on new technologies and security protocols.
If you're a healthcare organization using an IT partner that isn't secure, guess what - you're not secure either.
In terms of compliance, if they're not compliant with HIPAA, you're not either.
A successful partnership requires more than just a technical know-how.
You’ll want to evaluate the partner’s reputation and history based on their actual experience, the certifications they bring to the table, and any case studies or testimonials that they can show you.
A solid track record is a good indicator of an IT partner that can reliably meet your needs.
This also underlines the importance of Service Level Agreements, otherwise known as SLAs for short.
These are critical for setting expectations and ensuring that the IT partner delivers the services you need in a timely and consistent manner.
SLAs will serve as the foundation for your partnership and ensure there is mutual understanding of deliverables.
Remember that when it comes to finding an IT partner, you're in it for the long haul.
You need someone that is going to be able to meet your current needs today while preparing you for the types of challenges you might face tomorrow.
That is to say, clear communication is key to a successful, long-term partnership.
Both parties should have a mutual understanding of expectations, timelines, and deliverables from the outset.
Effective communication will strengthen the partnership and help you avoid misunderstandings down the road.
That's not to say that you need to just give 100% of your trust over to this partner.
Things often change, and you need to make sure your partnership is changing with them.
To guarantee that the IT partner continues to meet your business's needs, it’s essential to regularly assess their performance.
You should conduct regular reviews of system performance, uptime, and responsiveness, for example, and track key performance indicators (otherwise known as KPIs) like system uptime, ticket resolution times, and user satisfaction.
Regular assessments help keep the partnership on track and allow both sides to adjust and improve where necessary.
In the end, choosing IT partner organizations is never a decision that should be made lightly, because not all of them are created equally. You could take two IT providers that, on the surface, look almost identical to one another.
They objectively offer the same quality and their services seem more or less the same.
But only one might be the best fit for your business IT solutions needs because they might have insight or experience that the other doesn't.
Choosing the wrong IT partnership can have serious consequences, especially for organizations like a small community bank.
Poor IT support or unreliable systems could lead to frequent downtime, disrupting operations and damaging customer trust.
Security vulnerabilities could put sensitive financial data at risk, potentially exposing the bank to cyberattacks or compliance issues.
If the IT provider lacks the expertise to support regulatory requirements, the bank might face fines or legal repercussions.
Regardless of the industry you're working in, an IT partnership that doesn’t scale with your own growth could hinder your ability to adapt to new technologies, limit innovation, and ultimately impact the bank's competitiveness in the market.
These are absolutely situations that you do not want to find yourself in because they can be difficult, if not downright impossible, to recover from.
Assessing your current IT needs and understanding where improvements are required is always where you need to begin.
There's no point in looking for something if you're not sure what it is to begin with.
Next comes identifying and prioritizing critical areas such as security, compliance, and scalability.
The success of your business’s IT infrastructure depends largely on the IT partnership you choose.
Don’t rush the process - thoroughly evaluate your options to ensure you select a partner that aligns with your business goals, values, and needs.
At that point, you'll have everything you need to build a solid, long-term relationship based on clear expectations and regular performance assessments - which is an exciting position to be in, regardless of your industry.
If you'd like to find out more information about how to choose the right IT partnership, or if you have any additional questions about business IT solutions that you'd like to discuss with someone in a bit more detail, please don't hesitate to reach out to us today.
