Your business probably started with one computer years ago. Others were added one or maybe two at a time. Whatever was called for at the time. Some PCs, then a maybe few Macs were added. Now you find yourself with full hard drives, the network bogging down, your employees grumbling and you have a cache of unknown of parts sitting in a desk drawer at the back of the office. Perhaps you have added another location? Do you have a small network that you have outgrown? Does the person you have on staff who knows a “bit about computers" suddenly not know enough? You need someone to fix and upgrade existing machines, update software and bring your operation to the next level. But how would you find someone like that? How would you know that they were qualified for the task at hand?
Like most computer-related things, there are myriad acronyms to describe technicians: A+, CNA, CNE, MCSE and MCP-certified, to name just a few. Each has its own certification exams, usually with a number of training hours behind it. But that is not a guarantee that the certified technician knows how to work with your system. Sometimes the technician only has "book learning." with no actual field experience There are two ways to find what you need. Your can hire a technician to work for you, setting up a computer department, or you can bring in technical services (outsourcing). Many of the questions you will ask during the interview will be the same.
Be sure the technician listens to your vision of present and future IT plans for your company.
Ask about response times
What kind of service will you get? If you are considering outsourcing for hardware, software or network service, will someone be able to come whenever you need them, even if that is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is the response time four hours, eight hours, a day or two days? Can your business survive a four-hour response? Do you get phone support? If so, is there a charge? If you are hiring a tech (or techs) to work in-house, what happens if they are sick or on vacation. Consider sending other members of your current staff for training as a backup.
Future planning with your new team member
Now a look at planning. If you are going to upgrade, expect disruptions. Make sure your technician knows which operations are critical and can show you how those will be able to continue, if and when changes are made. Training people on new equipment or software takes time. Discuss ideas for inventory. Keep in mind the rapid changes in the computer industry. Be sure your tech is able to acquire an ample supply of spare parts that will fit your operation (things break, like mice and monitors). However, you don't want to be stuck with shelves full of outdated parts that are not needed. Ask what would be kept in stock and why. Let someone else hold your inventory by making use of overnight delivery.
Ask about safeguards. Listen for the words "backup" and "redundancy." A good tech will stress backing up often. Expect them to institute a plan for backing up all machines on a regular basis. Ask about contingency planning, what happens if...?
IKAIKA can provide you with this kind of one on one service.today. Whether you require one call or a part-time technician, IKAIKA will help you every step of the way. Leaving you to run the business, not manage the computers and network.
