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Choosing the Right IT Engineering Services in New York City
Every growing New York City business needs the right IT engineering services, and companies can either cultivate their own in-house team of IT engineers or use managed IT service providers. Your servers, network infrastructure, storage, security, and unified communications are the brains behind your business. Since updating and maintaining your IT infrastructure can drain resources and hinder your ability to focus on growing your business, it’s always best to get third-party IT engineering services for your business.
Managed IT service providers (MSPs) have the tools and specialized skill sets to provide assistance with a myriad of IT engineering services. However, the obstacle is choosing the right managed services provider with the right resources to support all your business systems adequately. The tips below will save you time and money when choosing a provider.
1: Create Comprehensive “Needs” Report
What you need from an IT engineer will vary based on your business. Before engaging the services of a managed service provider, you must identify and document your needs. Trying to adopt a “one size fits all” solution will only result in wasted capital, inefficiencies, and a weaker IT system.
A comprehensive “needs” report outlines your company’s requirements, pain points, and issues you want to be addressed. For example, you could be looking for a communication solution or network monitoring services. You must establish the fundamentals and craft an action plan from the onset. You can use various methods to gather this information, such as discussing weak areas with your departmental heads or conducting surveys.
Once you’ve established your need, ensure that all relevant teams are brought on board to ensure there are no future hang-ups or disagreements about what your company needs.
2: Choose Someone Who Knows Your Business
Always work with a service provider that’s knowledgeable in your industry. Ideally, they begin the evaluation process by asking probing questions to deeply understand your products, services, industry, technology, and so on. Although you can’t expect them to know the finer details about your company, they must fully comprehend your area of operations.
Additionally, ensure there is a match between your requirements and the managed service provider offering. A good MSP should perform technology auditing to help you assess your current situation, identify gaps and improvement areas, and lay down the foundation for the future.
3: Factor in Mobile Accessibility
The widespread use of mobile devices in the workplace is a critical component of every IT service delivery model. Statistics indicate that over 4 billion people use smartphones and other mobile devices in work-related activities.
Whatever IT services you’re considering, you need to have mobile compatibility. Other than supporting your BYOD (bring your own device) policy, mobile devices play an essential role in workplace agility. When your employees are able to access essential workplace projects and communications from anywhere, their productivity is highly boosted.
4: Market Portfolio and Presence
It’s important to understand the portfolio, experience, and market presence of your selected MSP. This helps you evaluate their capabilities, abilities, and case studies in line with industry standards and testimonials. By understanding these factors, you can have enough confidence in hiring a specific partner.
You should also verify the MSP’s technical (application) expertise, qualifications, and partnerships that showcase their abilities. Understanding the technical side along with strengths and weaknesses gives you the confidence that the MSP will deliver on its promise.
5: Support and Assistance
Excellent support is the foremost aspect that defines a company’s successful journey with a managed service provider. You can’t predict when a security threat, network error, or unexpected downtime can interrupt your business operations. So, you’ll need an MSP that provides immediate support to keep your company running and provide uninterrupted customer service.
The support factor also helps you a lot in enhancing customer satisfaction. Also, ask the MSP the approach they take when offering support and their pricing model.
6: Develop Realistic Expectations
Setting unrealistic expectations can result in client/provider relationships going sour. The bottom line is to set realistic expectations and support the IT service provider to help meet them. Remember, it’s a partnership, and your outsourced IT service provider is an integral part of the corporate team.
7: Consider Service Provider Specializations
New York City IT Engineering companies often specialize in a few key areas. Therefore, when searching for the right provider, consider the appropriate skillsets or capabilities they specialize in. For instance, if you’re looking for cybersecurity solutions, find someone with a solid background in serving clients and businesses in your industry. They have the expertise to provide unique solutions and insights to support mission-critical issues. If your business has specific needs, go for a service provider with the specific staff and skillsets.
8: Choose Capability Over Cost
In the IT field, pricing and ROI are critical. However, you shouldn’t choose a service provider just because it’s the cheapest. Always choose a proven provider with the capabilities and experience to get the job done first.
To weed out jokers, ask questions such as:
- Do you provide customizable support with a 24x7x365 help desk?
- Do you have experience working with companies our size?
- Do you offer global support in multiple languages?
- Do you offer customized plans for system upgrades?
Do your research first, and then choose a provider based on capability and the value they add to your business, not cost.
WPG Engineering: IT Engineering Services In New York City
Finding the right IT engineering services can be a challenge but a necessity. It is worth doing your homework to ensure that your chosen IT service provider will enhance your staff functions, save costs, and accelerate business growth. These steps are crucial for selecting the ideal service provider and should reduce some of the headaches associated with the hunt.
At WPG Consulting, we provide exceptional IT engineering services to businesses throughout New York City and the tri-state area. Our experienced IT consultants offer professional guidance and technical support for every area of your IT system. We specialize in IT Infrastructure Management, Software Development, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, and VOIP Services. Contact us today to schedule a consultation with one of our certified IT engineers.