9 Ways to Measure if Your IT Solution is Doing What it Should
Mar 28, 2022 by Josh Nelson
Accountability - Do you have a clear picture of what your technology manager is doing with their time and your money?
Having a system in place to keep track of how your technology management solution is spending time and funds is important for holding them accountable for the work they do.
Communication - Is your IT support communicating clearly and frequently with you?
A healthy & effective relationship with your technology manager requires a constant flow of communication. Managers & business owners should often be accurately informed on their technology’s stability and security, in non-tech terminology that’s easy to understand.
Education - Is your IT support solution keeping you educated on your technology?
Education on your technology is necessary to make good decisions about managing, changing, or updating your technology and to have at least a basic understanding how everything works.
Follower or Leader? - Is your IT support keeping you ahead of your competition when it comes to your technology without breaking the budget?
Many companies are focused on “keeping up” with the world of technology. It seems to be the only area where business owners are willing to accept mediocrity. Staying “ahead of the curve” doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does require technical knowledge, planning, and an understanding of your company’s needs.
Dependability Can you truly depend on your IT support?
Trust is a must in any relationship. Your IT support is no different. Business leaders must be sure that they have the support they need when they need it. Your support must work smarter, not harder and do whatever it takes to keep your systems operating and your employees at peak productivity.
Proactive Maintenance - Does your IT solution have you on an affordable plan with documented best practices to maintain your systems on a regular basis?
Proactive maintenance is what keeps your brand-new, shiny equipment from getting old FAST! We understand the value of proactive maintenance in other areas of our lives: oil changes, doctor check-ups, exercise, eating healthy, dental cleanings, etc. It is important to remember that network devices, computers, servers, printers, and other business systems require the same level of proactive maintenance to keep them running at peak performance and to increase longevity.
Disaster Recovery - Do you have a disaster recovery plan that has been reviewed by your staff and IT solution?
We can’t control everything in life. Understanding that bad things CAN happen to your business systems and having a plan to recover from these types of events can often be the difference between staying in business after a disaster or just falling apart. Hurricanes, fires, theft, sabotage, and accidents are things that can’t be predicted or avoided with any amount of planning. Businesses MUST have a detailed technology disaster recovery plan.
User Productivity - Are your employees able to remain productive using their technology?
Business systems and technologies are designed for one thing: PRODUCTIVITY.
Unfortunately, in the real world, we often see technology cause complete ceases in productivity. Downtime kills productivity and it happens every day. Whether the instances are 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or days at a time, they all add up to losses in productivity.
Bottom-Line Management - Does your IT support meet with you to discuss your bottom-line profits and their effect on them? Are they even concerned? They should be.
Businesses exist to make a profit. IT support departments and IT companies often lose sight of this. IT costs and benefits have a very large effect on bottom-line profits for most companies. For projects and planning to bring the most profit to a company, your IT support solution must understand how their clients’ businesses work and must be able to relate their service to a positive effect in their bottom-line.
Having a system in place to keep track of how your technology management solution is spending time and funds is important for holding them accountable for the work they do.
Communication - Is your IT support communicating clearly and frequently with you?
A healthy & effective relationship with your technology manager requires a constant flow of communication. Managers & business owners should often be accurately informed on their technology’s stability and security, in non-tech terminology that’s easy to understand.
Education - Is your IT support solution keeping you educated on your technology?
Education on your technology is necessary to make good decisions about managing, changing, or updating your technology and to have at least a basic understanding how everything works.
Follower or Leader? - Is your IT support keeping you ahead of your competition when it comes to your technology without breaking the budget?
Many companies are focused on “keeping up” with the world of technology. It seems to be the only area where business owners are willing to accept mediocrity. Staying “ahead of the curve” doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does require technical knowledge, planning, and an understanding of your company’s needs.
Dependability Can you truly depend on your IT support?
Trust is a must in any relationship. Your IT support is no different. Business leaders must be sure that they have the support they need when they need it. Your support must work smarter, not harder and do whatever it takes to keep your systems operating and your employees at peak productivity.
Proactive Maintenance - Does your IT solution have you on an affordable plan with documented best practices to maintain your systems on a regular basis?
Proactive maintenance is what keeps your brand-new, shiny equipment from getting old FAST! We understand the value of proactive maintenance in other areas of our lives: oil changes, doctor check-ups, exercise, eating healthy, dental cleanings, etc. It is important to remember that network devices, computers, servers, printers, and other business systems require the same level of proactive maintenance to keep them running at peak performance and to increase longevity.
Disaster Recovery - Do you have a disaster recovery plan that has been reviewed by your staff and IT solution?
We can’t control everything in life. Understanding that bad things CAN happen to your business systems and having a plan to recover from these types of events can often be the difference between staying in business after a disaster or just falling apart. Hurricanes, fires, theft, sabotage, and accidents are things that can’t be predicted or avoided with any amount of planning. Businesses MUST have a detailed technology disaster recovery plan.
User Productivity - Are your employees able to remain productive using their technology?
Business systems and technologies are designed for one thing: PRODUCTIVITY.
Unfortunately, in the real world, we often see technology cause complete ceases in productivity. Downtime kills productivity and it happens every day. Whether the instances are 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or days at a time, they all add up to losses in productivity.
Bottom-Line Management - Does your IT support meet with you to discuss your bottom-line profits and their effect on them? Are they even concerned? They should be.
Businesses exist to make a profit. IT support departments and IT companies often lose sight of this. IT costs and benefits have a very large effect on bottom-line profits for most companies. For projects and planning to bring the most profit to a company, your IT support solution must understand how their clients’ businesses work and must be able to relate their service to a positive effect in their bottom-line.