If You Think You Don’t Need IT, Think Again

People only have a vague idea what IT is all about. Sure, when a password doesn’t work or a monitor display won’t come on, employees know that it’s going to be their IT team that sets it right. But beyond that, it’s a mystery - voodoo spells cast by geeks uttering technobabble.

A few weeks ago, an ITFirm.com client told us, “We hardly ever put in a ticket (request for service), so I’m wondering why we even need you.” Their IT liaison employee had left, and they were trying to figure out what was going on with their IT what it does and why they need it.

The flip side of that coin is the company that tells their bad IT, “Every day, things break down! Do you even know what you’re doing?”

Good IT suffers from the same perception as really bad IT (of which there is plenty): The “Why do we even pay you IT guys?” sentiment.

Why the same question for 2 different results?

Bad IT

Information Technology is an unregulated industry. IT is different than the professions and trades - anyone can hang out a sign that says they’re an IT company. Unlike your doctor, lawyer or accountant, you don’t need a degree, proof of training, and licensing. Even the company that puts up a new fence around your yard or remodels your kitchen has to be licensed.

This inferior group within the of IT Services community consists mostly of companies or solo practitioners who use the outdated Time & Materials model, based upon a simple hourly rate – which the industry refers to as ‘Break/Fix’: something breaks and they come out to fix it. They make money on billable hours so they have no reason to fix things quickly or effect lasting solutions (providing ‘band-aid’ fixes instead) – more visits = more money.

The amount of network or workstation downtime is severe, so eventually the client will get tired of waiting for the tech to show up and take too much time fixing the problem.

Good IT

While there are certainly experienced, reputable Break/Fix people out there, good IT is generally found within the realm of Managed IT Services providers. Although quality varies there as well, at least there is a minimum standard of service.

CEOs or firm administrators who wonder what they’re paying a Managed Services Provider (MSP) for do so because they typically DON’T see a lot of visits or a flurry of action. Things tend to run smoothly, but this is not because of luck. The trick is, since clients pay a monthly retainer or subscription, an MSP makes more money the LESS time they spend on a client’s account.

An MSP does the heavy lifting up front, setting up the network focusing on monitoring, remote repair, and proactive preventive maintenance. Using automation and AI (Artificial Intelligence) among other tools, a great MSP already knows when most problems occur – they predict potential issues beforehand and make necessary network adjustments. The lion’s share of the work is being done behind the scenes to provide as close to a permanent ‘YES’ response from the network as possible.

When the situation arises where the owner or management does not quite understand what IT does (and therefore is not seeing the value), an educational dialog needs to take place. Stay away from ‘Geek Speak’ and follow the ‘KISS’ rule (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Use plain English and simple explanations. Albert Einstein once said, "If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it yourself."

What Makes an MSP ‘The BEST’?

For the Best MSPs, there is no such thing as going ‘above and beyond’ – it is all part of being your technology partner.

The Best MSPs will concentrate on you. When interviewing MSPs, look for those who ask questions designed to craft a Service Level Agreement (SLA) based on your requirements, not on some prepackaged ‘Plan’ they offer. You get everything you need, with no extraneous services that you don’t need.

If an IT candidate is pushing a prepackaged Plan, call them A, B or C, on you, based only on the number of users, they are more than likely hacks. Any MSP that treats your needs as fitting into one of their programs does not have your best interests in mind. Many IT providers call themselves MSPs but are not, in the true sense of the term.