The Number 1 Thing Your IT Provider Should Be Talking to You About

We often talk about the importance of your IT provider not just solving technology issues, but helping you understand how to leverage your technology to create better business outcomes. We hear it more times than not, that you want your IT provider to help you 1. Have fewer issues and have fast resolutions to issues. And 2. To protect you from cyber threats. Both of those things are components of creating better business outcomes. But the component that is missing and that your IT provider needs to be talking to you about regularly, is how to leverage your technology to make you as efficient as possible- to ultimately create more success. 

What are some warning signs that your IT provider isn't talking to you about the right things?

1. They spit out technical data when talking to you and they frequently report about the number of tickets they open and close for you every month. Tickets and creating tickets is more of a hassle and disruption to you than it is your IT provider. Your IT provider should be focused on having less ticket and the focus should not be on how many they closed. The number of closed tickets is irrelevant, what is relevant is how your IT provider plans to keep reducing the number of tickets open. The goal should never be to parade around how many tickets they closed for you, but rather how many less tickets you had to create. 
   
2. They talk to you about antivirus software. Traditional antivirus software is reactive and it has nothing to do with modern cyber security. Your IT provider should be talking to you about defense measures, the proper ways to respond to incidents and how to make you a hard target. 
   
3. They say the words proactive, but don't do anything to actually be proactive. If your IT provider is telling you they're proactive, but they aren't actually helping you understand how to use your technology effectively and how to utilize it for stronger business outcomes, it's just reactive. 

All of these things fall back to one core concept- your IT provider needs to be talking to you about how to leverage your technology and how they are helping you do so. 

We are passionate about your issues be solved, having your issues solved in a quick response, helping protect you protect yourself against cyber threats. And it order to do those things, your IT provider needs to be proactive, not reactive and help you use your technology in a way that takes your business further. If your IT provider isn't talking to you about leveraging your technology- find a provider that does.