Among the key issues mid-sized enterprise owners face today is choosing
the right Information Technology direction to take.
Companies today know that IT has moved from being “nice to have” to
being critically important.
We’ve grouped together some of the questions that have been asked by
businesses that have become managed services clients of Starport.
Read through them to help you decide if IT Managed Services is right
for you.
Planning, Architecting, Implementing and Supporting
- Are there cost effective and more technically robust alternatives to the
infrastructure we have in place, and the way we are supporting it? - Are we supporting our current infrastructure with casual technology
labour resources found through referral or word of mouth? If so, are they
trustworthy, available when needed….and insured? - Are our in-house IT resources thoroughly trained and current? Do we
trust their advice? - Are we confident that the advice we are receiving is based on industry
best practices and not simply on what our IT resources know?
Productivity and Focus
- Do users need to be able to access systems and data from home or while travelling?
- Are they working in a synchronized way, with files and calendars always updated, and critical data available where and when it’s needed?
- What type of email system should we be using: an in-house server and software or a hosted model, such as Microsoft’s Office 365? Which is more reliable, cost effective and accessible?
- Does staff receive the timely, relevant technical assistance they need to keep productive? When they need help, do they know who and how to ask for it?
- Is the management of information technology becoming a costly distraction? Are key employees focusing on IT instead of our business?
Security, Backup and Recovery
- Do we have reliable access to dedicated equipment and resources who really know our systems if we should have serious or time-critical IT issues? What would we do if our IT resources couldn’t be available?
- Are all critical files, applications and directories on scheduled off-site back-up? Are our disaster recovery plans well-documented and tested? Could we restore operations quickly and effectively after a disaster?
- How long could we operate if we permanently lost our systems and data through theft, natural disaster or sabotage?
- Are our systems secure? How can we be sure our firewalls are doing their job, and that outsiders are not accessing our data? What about former employees? Are they locked out?
- What virus detection is in place in the server room and for users? Are we using a leading product? Is it automatically updating itself on a daily basis? Are we using multiple products?
Financial
- Are the solutions proposed by our IT resources getting progressively more complex and expensive? Does this cycle of endless increases seem “out of control”?
- Is financial planning for IT becoming increasingly difficult because controls don’t exist and the monthly spending seems like an ever moving target?
- What is our strategy and approval cycle for servers, firewalls, support services, software, desktops, laptops, handhelds and mobile devices?
- Is all our software properly licenced, inventoried and up-to-date?
- Do we have an up-to-date inventory of server room equipment and warranties?
IT as a Strategic Tool
- What is the cloud and what action should our organization be taking with respect to it?
- What are our competitors doing with the cloud?
