I’ve had the same IT Guy for 10 years – Are they still right for my business?

We talk to hundreds of businesses in Arizona every week and have found a pattern of small companies that tell us, “we’ve had the same IT Guy for 10+ years”. This article will help you discover if this still makes sense for your business.

Our definition of “IT Guy” is an outside IT person providing a business with IT services. IT Guys are a common and necessary resource if you’re a small team or run your business with minimalistic technology requirements. 

The checklist below goes through a few questions you should ask if your IT Guy is serving your business to its fullest potential:

1. Is your IT Guy continually learning and adapting their offerings as technology advances?
2. Are you getting weekly or monthly confirmations that your backups are working and can restore successfully?
3. Is your business’s technology comparable to your competitors’ technology (e.g., digital records, remote access, Office 365)?
4. If your IT Guy gets hit by a bus or is otherwise disabled, do you have all your passwords and a backup IT resource to provide critical support?
5. Is your IT closet clean and tidy with little to no outmoded IT equipment collecting dust?
6. Is your business using a business-grade email solution (not yahoo, gmail, etc.)?
7. Are you using business class malware protection software that gets regularly updated?
8. When you need help is your request tracked and are tools or reports available so that you know the status of all your requests?
9. Does your hardware and software get regularly monitored and will you get notified of possible future failures before they happen?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, please reconsider if an IT Guy is still the right choice for your business. While this isn’t enough information to fully understand your IT Maturity level, we’ll make an educated guess that it’s on the lower end of the scale. If you’re open to having a conversation about this and are in Arizona, contactus here or reach out to any reputable IT Company in Phoenix on Google. We recommend sharing information about your IT environment and ask the prospective IT Company how they’ll get you up to speed and what it will cost upfront and over time. 

If you answered “no” and think along the lines of — It’s fine, it’s cheap, and it works for us, please consider:

• If you’re planning on selling your business or attracting a future buyer, a company running with low technology maturity may cost you more in the long run. Buyers want a turn-key business with a reliable infrastructure already set up. If you’re not trying to keep things modern, you’ll likely see a reduction in your selling price when they factor in bringing in their own IT Company to modernize the business. 
• A single cybersecurity event can put you out of business. If your backups, anti-virus, and general security measures are anything less than rock-solid, this is a real threat every business with an internet connection faces. Is your IT Guy staying up to speed on cybersecurity? We’re going to say it’s highly unlikely, as it’s a full-time job to stay up to date. With one person, it’s simply too much work. With an IT Company like PK Tech, it is our mission to understand IT issues, solutions, AND stay up to date on cybersecurity trends for companies like yours.

If you would like a conversation about IT services for your business, please don’t hesitate to reach out to PK Tech here.