If you’re planning to outsource your IT service provider, it is crucial that you find a managed services provider (MSP) you can rely on—someone who has the expertise, experience and skills to manage your entire IT network. Whether you’re changing to a new service provider or contracting one for the first time, it’s important that you know what factors to consider when choosing an MSP. The following are the eight essential qualities that your Singapore IT services provider should possess.
1. Experience and Reputation
Choosing an MSP with a good track record is crucial when it comes to outsourcing IT service providers. This gives you an insight about the service provider’s past achievements and enables you to predict what results the vendor might produce. Some of the important things to consider when choosing a managed IT services provider is the number of years they have been operating in the industry, as well as the certifications and licenses that they have.
Aside from that, you should also check whether they offer scalable IT services. A good service provider will be able to show you a portfolio of their services that not only covers your current IT system requirements, but also your system development plans in the future.
2. Staff Expertise
One of the most important factors in choosing a IT services firm in Singapore worth considering is the knowledge and expertise of the IT staff of your service provider. Make sure that they are capable of performing operations other than basic system maintenance and management. Aside from that, they should also have enough experience in handling and operating delivery models like cloud and IT strategic outsourcing. Ensuring this enables you to achieve multi-environment support that will aid in meeting your company’s individual needs.
3. Skillset
One of the benefits of hiring a managed services provider is you get to work with IT experts and specialists, which is why it’s crucial that you also factor in the skills that your prospective MSP has. You will rely on your service provider for advices, so you would want to ensure that they stay updated with the newest software, hardware and cloud solutions available in the market. Choose an IT professional that constantly updates their knowledge and skills to stay relevant and useful in the industry. Be sure to ask your prospective MSP some probing questions so as to evaluate their qualifications.
4. Service Offerings
Some business owners in Singapore wrongly believe that hiring an MSP requires signing a huge contract to get a comprehensive package of services. Sure, there may be service providers who practise this, but there are also those who would willingly evaluate your system and listen to your specific needs. This is why it’s important that you have an open and honest discussion with your MSP so that both sides hear each other’s ideas and decide on the best IT solution package for the business.
5. Reliability
Hire a managed IT services provider who can minimize system disruptions in your business by creating and complying a service level-agreement (SLA). Your service provider should also be able to resolve problems and requests upon first contact. Moreover, your vendor’s disaster recovery and business continuity option should give an assurance that your IT infrastructure will run smoothly even after a local disaster occurs.
6. Adaptability
As the IT needs of your business change, your relationship with your MSP will change as well. Being able to evolve, expand or scale down your IT needs as needed whenever you need it will help you in avoiding costly system interruptions and redundancies. Remember that offering solutions that can adapt to technological updates is the job of your prospective vendor. Before choosing a particular IT company in Singapore, make sure to inquire about the levels of support they will be able to provider, as well as the cost of making such changes.
7. Round-the-Clock Assistance
Technical problems may occur at any given time, which is why it’s important that you hire a vendor who can provide you round-the-clock support. Therefore, make sure that your prospective service provider features a remote support desk that you can reach any time you need them. It would also be a good idea to know if they will be able to provide professional support at the frequency that your business needs, and if they offer support services that are in line with your company.
8. Culture and Attitude
Other than their skills and the services they are offering, it’s also crucial to factor in a service provider’s attitude towards servicing their clients. Consider the vendor’s knowledge, their response time to your questions, their zeal to discuss and cater to your needs, as well as the time they took to provide you with a good proposal. How they worked with you at the start will give you an idea of the things to come, so be sure to choose a service provider that showcases efficiency right from the get-go.
Looking for the right managed IT services provider for your company will not be difficult if you just know what factors to consider. Just keep in mind though that not all service providers are the same, and that you will need to evaluate each carefully to know who has the skills to cater to your IT needs.