Why should you get an IT Partner? It’s because you’re likely a business decision maker if you’re reading this, and you want to make decisions that matter.
Every company is either a software company or one that uses software for one of its essential functions. Often, small or medium-sized businesses don’t realize how badly they have neglected their computer systems until it’s time to molt and grow. Think of all the shops that didn’t accept Apple Pay until it was a little too late. Or of all the office spaces that still run Zoom or Microsoft Teams on company laptops that date back to the Triassic period. These poorly thought-out decisions made by managers and owners inevitably lead to pain points for their employees and customers.
Partnering with your local IT guy is one of the best long-term business investments you can make. A typical IT partnership takes the form of either a vendor-client or a managed service provider relationship.
IT Vendor-Client Partnership
Ensuring that you have at least one IT partner on your vendor list ensures that you always know where to get your business tech upgrades when the need arises. Having IT Partner Vendors ensures that you don’t lose out on valuable time and opportunity costs trying to surf the web to find a new supplier whenever new equipment is needed. Additionally, IT Vendors typically bundle their hardware and software with installation services, which will save your interns some headaches. Lastly, the longer you maintain a relationship with an IT vendor, the more likely they’re willing to negotiate special discounts with you. That right there is something that your guy at Best Buy can’t do for you.
IT Managed Service Provider Partnership
On the other hand, having a managed service provider ensures that you will never have to deal with business-threatening technical difficulties on your own. A managed service provider (MSP) typically works for a predictable monthly fee. Your IT Partner can help you to budget your software and hardware expansions whenever a technological disruption happens on your side of the market. When those expansions do happen, the MSPs remotely manage these systems and provide cybersecurity protections for them. If a system does go down, the MSP is able to retrieve the data that could’ve been lost by accessing backup data through the cloud.
Your Call to Action
Having both an IT Vendor and a Managed Service Provider as IT Partners is ideal. Having at least one is good when your business is first scaling up. If you don’t do either, you are missing out. 82% of business owners are planning to expand their vendor lists, with IT vendors being on the short list. Be like the other businesses and be proactive, not reactive, with your tech strategy and tactics.
If you’re in San Antonio, Texas, we can be your favorite local IT guy. If you’re not in San Antonio, we still can be your favorite IT guy.
