Blog_How_to_avoid_these_deadly_sins_selecting_IT_company_it_services_perth_it_support_perth_cyber_security_services_perthFinding an honest and capable computer consultant is a lot like finding an honest mechanic; they both operate in fields where the technician can easily rip-off a client because they play on their client or customer’s lack of technical knowledge. The problem is that you won’t know you’ve hired the wrong consultant, IT “guy” or IT company until you are halfway into your project and have already invested a considerable amount of time and money.

Sometimes it’s not even that obvious. An IT company or consultant may look like they are doing a good job, but unless you are technically savvy yourself, you simply have no way of knowing if they have over-billed you or underbilled you.

Underbilling happens by them recommending services or technology that will end up costing you much more than what seems to be, more expensive, yet a more reliable service or technology. This causes a higher total cost of ownership of the service or technology.

That is why I have decided to write this blog.

As a small business owner and consultant myself, I want to arm other professional services firm equity principals, partners, directors and practice managers with a few good pointers to help them avoid getting the short end of the stick when outsourcing any IT project or support.

Here are 3 deadly sins you maybe making when selecting a new outsourced IT company or consultant to support you and your firm.

  1. You Aren’t Offered Fixed Pricing And Are Charged Hourly
    This is one area where I see a lot of firms getting burned. When most consulting companies quote a project, they give you an estimated cost for completion with an hourly rate added in for “unexpected events” that may arise during the project. This is often called “time and materials.” Be very careful about signing these proposals or contracts.A good consultant should be experienced enough to have thoroughly investigated your situation and thought through problems and issues that may arise before issuing a proposal. Adding on a clause where they can charge you for extra hours is a safety net for them.
  2. You Select An IT Company That Doesn’t Respond Quickly To Your Problems
    Most IT firms offer a 60-minute or 30-minute response time to your call during normal business hours. Be very wary of someone who doesn’t have a guaranteed response time IN WRITING – that’s a sign they are too disorganised, understaffed or overwhelmed to handle your request.
  1. You Select An IT Company That Doesn’t Have An Established Track Record Of Protecting Your Biggest Income Producing Asset
    One big mistake we see a lot of professional services firm equity principals, partners, directors or practice managers make is hiring an IT consulting firm with little experience in risk mitigation, cyber security and protecting your biggest income producing asset. By doing this you falsely think they are saving you a lot of money because these IT company’s typically charge less.The challenge comes when they can’t offer you the advice you need and implement the right systems to protect or enhance your biggest income producing asset. This could cost you millions and millions of dollars and cause you all sorts of reputation damage, stress, anxiety and time loss which you can’t afford.

You’ve all heard the stats – small businesses are the #1 target for cyber criminals because they’re easy targets, with a recent article in Security Magazine reporting that nearly two-thirds (63%) of small businesses have experienced a cyber-attack and 58% an actual breach.

But what many still don’t understand, or simply don’t appreciate, is how much a cyber-attack can cost you and not just in dollars. As one CEO found out recently, which you can read more about here.

Unfortunately, times have changed. If your IT company is not being proactive, talking with you about these risks and implementing fixes it could lead to you having to close the doors to your firm for good, as the statistics show.

Obviously, and it goes without saying, this would have a drastic negative impact on your ability to provide for your family. It would also harm your reputation in the marketplace for all the clients or customers you caused harm to.

If you have ANY concerns over this and want to know more, plus 4 other warning signs you need to watch out for, then click here to download a copy of our FREE report titled “The 7 Deadly Sins And Expensive Mistakes Made When Selecting An IT Company”. This is available free for a limited time, so don’t delay.

Naturally, if you would like us to conduct a FREE IT and cyber security risk assessment to show just how secure and prepared you are for ransomware or a cyber-attack, we can discuss that too! Just click here to schedule a phone consultation.

My Info Tech Partner is a trusted IT Services and IT Support provider in Perth that specialises in helping the equity principals, partners, directors, and practice managers of legal, accounting and financial services firms from making big expensive mistakes with technology and ultimately, protect their livelihood.

Naturally, we are the only one that offers you enhanced peace of mind with our “Never Pay The Ransom” $10,000 Money Back Guarantee.