If your company has ongoing IT-based business objectives that it outsources to a provider of managed IT services, there may never come a time when you don’t need a provider’s services, but there may come a time when need to choose a different provider. To help you identify that time when it arrives — if indeed it does — we list four common signs that it is time to search out a new provider of IT managed services that best supports your company’s business goals.
1. Unreasonable Price Increases
Many providers increase the price of their services by a small percentage each year — usually between about 2 percent and 4 percent — to offset the cost of inflation. Increases that are significantly higher than this are typically implemented to pay for something besides inflation, such as a dramatic increase in overhead. If you need to use a provider’s services long-term, finding a new provider is generally the most economical option when this situation occurs.
2. Inflexible Contract Options
Using the services of a third party often entails signing a business contract that specifies a period of time in which the services will be rendered. However, even though you sign up for a certain set of services when you enter the contract, the provider should allow you to switch services during the contract period if your IT needs justify the changeover. Otherwise, you may have to use the services of yet another provider while the initial provider’s contract is still active.
3. No 24/7 System Monitoring
The performance status of major components in your company’s IT system — from the business telephone network to the desktop environment — should be monitored around the clock to address problems that occur after hours. If your current provider does not offer 24/7 monitoring, there may come a time when a component in your IT system malfunctions after business hours and remains unaddressed until the start of the next work day, leading to hours of system downtime.
4. Services Have Been Outgrown
Many IT managed services providers specialize in serving particular customer segments in terms of business size. For example, some providers specialize primarily in assisting small and midsize businesses, while others specialize in serving large enterprises. As your business grows, there may come a time when you need services for big businesses that the provider doesn’t offer. When this happens, switching providers can be a key to maintaining productivity.
Contact Stratosphere Networks
Do you need a new provider of managed IT services? If your company is experiencing any of the situations above, the answer is yes. Instead of sticking with a provider that doesn’t really meet your needs, contact Stratosphere Networks to see how we can improve your situation.
We strive to offer excellent prices, flexible contract options, IT service models for businesses of various sizes, and we perform proactive IT system monitoring 24/7/365. Call us today at (877) 599-3999, or fill out the contact form on our website. We look forward to assisting you!
