21 Questions to consider before choosing an IT Partner
- How long has the company been in business?
- Is the company financially stable, profitable and debt-free?
- Does your IT partner really understand your business?
- How many employees do they have and what is their average length of service?
- Does your IT partner make recommendations with your business goals in mind?
- Do they have superb customer references spanning a number of years and are their customers willing to talk to you about the projects they have undertaken?
- Do you feel as though your IT Partner ‘sells’ you things, rather than providing relevant solutions?
- Have they won any relevant business awards and what was the judging process?
- Does your IT partner try to get the most out of your existing infrastructure before recommending a purchase?
- Does your IT partner strive for the longer term strategic view rather than ‘tactical’ short term solutions?
- Are they a jack of all trades or do they have a portfolio of quality partners they work closely with?
- Has your IT Supplier ever made your company money?
- What is their relationship with Microsoft and other key vendors?
- What levels of accreditation do they have and what commitment is involved with maintaining them?
- Are they compliant with current legislation?
- Have they ever had a contract cancelled due to non performance?
- What facilities do they own and run & are they happy to let you audit their processes?
- Does your IT Partner provide ongoing and appropriate technical support whilst constantly reviewing the suitability of the service via quarterly service and commercial reviews?
- Would your IT Partner have the breadth of knowledge to be able to join your different business initiatives together with the appropriate application of technology to save money and increase productivity?
- Does your IT Partner really understand the technologies deep enough to ensure smooth specification, delivery and support?
- Is your IT Partner truly transparent and straight with you?