What was that? You think we are crazy? We promise we aren't, but you'll have to hear us out. IT Service Providers are everywhere, all over the globe. They come in all sizes from the really big to the really small. You can shop for providers with specific specialties based on vendor, consumption model, workload, you name it. So with all these different types of providers available to your organization, why wouldn't you want to utilize their services?

In a nut shell: because you don't need an IT Services Provider, you need a partner. Specifically you need a partner that can help you achieve your desired business outcomes by first understanding your business and then providing you with a solution that will support your business in getting from where you are, to where you want to be. 

Sounds easy enough, right? Unfortunately, not always. With so many options it is easy to get analysis-paralysis. How do you select the right partner? How do you measure, compare or even decipher what each provider is telling you so you can make a decision you feel confident in? It's not an easy task, but we can help.  

Our biggest piece of advice? Look at each provider holistically, determine what is important to your business and then use it as a defined set of criteria (technology, credibility, experience, culture, TCO, etc.) to look at each provider you are evaluating, even if the option is the abilities and scale of your own internal IT team. With this process you will be able to make a more comprehensive decision. 

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: In our list of types of criteria we listed TCO, not simply price. We know that everyone, including AMTRA, is always looking for ways to cut costs and save money, but this is not a time to be bargain shopping! The provider you select may have the lowest bid and that is great, but make sure you are looking at the full cost, including soft costs that might not be included in the SOW (things like switching costs or the time and effort your team will need to provide for onboarding or support). And beware of things that aren't included in the budget that may be added after the fact, sometimes these line items can add up quickly and make that initial low bid not so low cost anymore.

Aha! See, we told you we weren't crazy! While at the end of the day you will be evaluating different IT Services Providers, to win your business make sure they are more than that: hire an IT Services Partner.

To help you, we have created a Partner Selection Template that you can customize and use to evaluate IT Service Providers who want to be your partner. To give you some thought starters we have provided criteria samples that you may want to use if you were evaluating options for the ongoing management of Windows as a Service. While you can use this process for anything, examples are helpful!

If you have any questions, or if you would like to talk to us about how we can support your business with modern technology solutions, give us a call.