7 Reasons to Look for a Different Business IT Solution

if you are looking for alternatives to your current IT support option right now, it's safe to say that the situation that you are in with IT is probably causing you some concern. Concern can stem from having to deal with the stress of ongoing IT issues, or it can come from a curiosity to know what you don’t know about how your company is using technology. On the other hand, some executives have stopped looking at IT alternatives because they have resigned themselves to an IT support solution that is less than stellar. They think that what they’re getting is as good as it can get, but at the same time they feel stress because being complacent about their situation is against their nature. Have a look at these seven reasons to look for a different business IT solution, and ask yourself – is this happening at your company?

1. IT Issues Aren’t Getting Solved

There are several reasons why IT issues go on and on. Your IT support company or internal staff may not ever get around to addressing the root cause of recurring problems because they are so busy trying to remedy the symptoms. They also might not have the expertise to diagnose and fix whatever is wrong. Whatever the case, ongoing IT problems are probably sabotaging your business success.

2. Planning for IT Costs Is Hit or Miss

Some IT providers offer a set of monthly deliverables or services for a fixed monthly fee but that doesn’t mean that you are going to have predictable costs. You can still get caught off-guard with a big bill when hardware fails or you need cleanup after a cyberattack. The only way that you can plan for IT costs is by having a proactive approach that responds to issues before they become big problems, and sets out an IT plan that details the improvements and timeline necessary to create a predictable IT framework.

3. IT Advice Doesn't Pan Out

Let’s say you just spent a load of money on updating your software and you don’t see any benefit. It could be that the update didn’t improve your situation because the “improvements” didn’t address your business needs. Maybe you brought in some new technology but it isn’t going so well because it didn’t get integrated into your existing systems as you were led to believe. The fact is that all businesses need ongoing expert IT consulting in order to choose and implement the technology solutions that are going to meet business needs.

4. Our Primary IT Person Leaving

This is a panic causing scenario for sure. There often seems to be just one person who knows the most about your company’s technology and they don’t have all of their knowledge documented. Whether it’s an IT professional or the person who has become the go-to, it’s probably hard for them to even be gone on vacation. When that person gives their notice many executives recognize that they could very well be in this situation again and again, if they don’t find a way to consistently and cost effectively resource an entire IT department.

5. Our Data and Networks Might Not Be Secure

You know that the business data in your possession is integral to how you run your company and how you maintain trusting relationships with your customers and employees. As a business leader, you also know you need to manage risk. That nagging feeling that your network and information aren’t as safe as you want it to be shouldn’t be ignored. If your current IT support company doesn’t give you confidence in their ability to thwart, detect and respond to cyberattacks then it’s a good thing you’re looking at other IT solutions.

6. IT Takes Too Much of Our Time

Who doesn’t want IT to just work? IT should be a light switch that you turn on and it just goes. Unfortunately, IT can hijack your time in blatant and covert ways. It’s easy to see productivity dipping when downtime disrupts daily processes. It’s harder to measure the time that is used for IT instead of core business activities when there is an employee overseeing IT in addition to other duties. What often happens is that the primary responsibilities that this person was hired for take a back seat to dealing with IT.  

7. IT Seems to be Going Okay

What does ‘okay” mean to you? If it means that you haven’t had any downtime lately; it’s been awhile since you had a ransomware attack; and IT seems to respond when you have issues – then maybe okay isn’t as good as it could be. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could compare the results that you’re getting with IT to what other companies experience? Chances are, even though IT is okay, it’s probably not doing all it could be doing to improve your company and meet your goals for growth.