- There are a number of decisions that your organisation needs to make when moving to a managed services IT contract. Here are a few things to consider:
- Complete a total cost of IT to determine the real cost of IT for your organisation.
- Identify potential providers; request an audit of your current systems.
- Choose a managed services provider and complete the onboarding process with the provider.
Complete a total cost of IT to determine the real cost of IT for your organisation.
The first step in moving to managed services is to perform a total cost of IT analysis.
This is a calculation of what you are currently paying for IT support, combined with accounting for the cost of lost productivity and downtime that you may be experiencing.
A simple way to quantify this is to look at the total cost of your staff salaries within the organisation; then factor in how much your inefficiency is costing the organisation every day. It might be as simple as 20 minutes every day due to inefficient systems, but those minutes add up quickly.
You should also calculate downtime. Are you down for three hours every month? How much is that worth to your organisation in respect to your team’s hourly wage?
Identify potential companies; request an audit of your current systems
Once you’ve completed the total cost of IT analysis, it’s time to shortlist some managed IT service providers. This process is generally about finding a company with which you feel comfortable working, and which has a track record of success and is familiar with your industry and the requirements that go along with it.
You should request an IT audit. This is generally pretty intrusive and will involve an IT professional giving your entire IT infrastructure, software and systems a full review. It can usually be done on-site or remotely.
Choose a managed services provider and complete the on-boarding process.
When selecting a provider, make sure they meet your requirements. Often, if you are evaluating based purely on cost, you may not find the right partner. Remember that IT plays a significant role in your entire organisation now. It’s important to work with someone that has your best interests in mind and can provide a proactive service that delivers outcomes.
Will they be able to help you improve IT efficiency?
Will that increase productivity and minimise downtime?
These are the questions you need to be asking when evaluating providers.
The on-boarding process is the final step. This is about making security changes to ensure that the incumbent IT company no longer has access to your systems. There may be some remediation work that’s required to bring your site up to the best practice level. Then ultimately, it’s about collecting and consolidating documentation, checklists, network diagrams and whatnot to be able to effectively manage your IT environment.
This general process should take about 30 days in most instances, meaning your managed service contract would not take effect for at least 30 to 45 days from the time you sign.
