Selecting the right IT partner

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With technology changing so quickly, businesses often choose to work with a specialist rather than take the risk and handle the complexity of employing IT staff. So how should businesses go about selecting a partner?

By Mark Hope, managing director, StoneHouse Logic.

Modern business systems are typically built on Microsoft platforms so Microsoft provides a well-respected certification program that covers desktop computing, network infrastructure and cloud computing.

Microsoft Gold Certified Partners must have staff that have passed exams and Microsoft checks ongoing that these accreditations are maintained. You can check the certification level of a company by going to the Microsoft Pinpoint website.

When it comes to choosing a finance, stock control, manufacturing or CRM business system the picture is much more complex. You may have chosen the package you want to use but then need to choose which specialist to work with, be wary of choosing a solution that only one company can support. Sage and other business software packages should have recognised partner accreditations – ask the vendor what to look out for.

In both cases it’s one thing for the provider to have the skills and accreditations – but does the specialist provider have a sufficiently large team and the vital experience of working in your industry? Visit their local office, ask for case studies and consider taking references.

As the saying goes, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” so it’s helpful to find out how the provider has in practice handled issues that have come up – which is a great thing to ask when talking to the customer references provided. Lastly, with cyber security concerns and attacks becoming a much more dangerous threat – how does the provider safeguard your technology, information and manage passwords? Look for the minimum government standard of Cyber Essentials of course, but look at their policies and procedures in this area.