Whether you’re a small but mighty non-profit or a growing business, how you spend your budget with your IT support provider is important.

Not only do you want value for money, you also need to cover the bases when it comes to cyber security as well general and specialist IT support, including cloud services.

Ideally, you want an IT support provider that is looking ahead with you and has a plan as you move towards 2025.

Here are 10 important questions to ask your current provider:

1. Can they meet your needs now and going forward into 2025?

IT budgeting, of any kind, doesn’t work unless you have a road map and plan of what you want to achieve and how you’re going to get there.

While your organisation might have a clear idea of what it wants to accomplish as we move into 2025, it also needs to do this against a backdrop of IT that can deliver against key objectives, while reducing risks. You’re IT support provider should have an implicit understanding of your goals and have in place a strategy that tailors with your needs.

2. Is some of your technology holding you back?

Most organisations that have adequate technology in place will tend to hang onto it until the last possible moment. That’s largely because they have invested significant time in training their staff and spent money to implement the system in the first place.

There comes a moment, however, when that legacy system is going to start holding you back and may even contribute to a failure to reach future goals. Your IT support provider should have a clear understanding of what functions your systems perform and be able to offer solutions should you need to change or upgrade.

3. What tech will you need to replace or upgrade as you head into 2025?

This is a key IT budgeting theme for organisations that are looking to grow. They must look at the cost of moving to a new system as well as the impact of any delay in delivering their services while it beds in and the time and effort involved in training staff.

It means being sure you are making changes that are needed, and will be profitable, rather than jumping onto the latest tech trend or investing in systems purely to solve an operational pain without fully understanding the wider implications.

4. What new technology is on the horizon, and will it benefit your organisation?

There’s no doubt that the rate of development in IT services has grown considerably over the last few years, especially as a result of the Covid pandemic. Picking the right one for you is a major challenge.

These systems will need to be integrated to work across all areas of your organisation and that will take time and planning. Your IT support provider should have a handle on all the options available, what it takes to implement each, and the impact this has on your mission and success.

5. What is the cost of migrating to the cloud?

One of the biggest changes in recent years is the availability and power of cloud services. These have offered digital transformation on a grand scale for many organisations – employees can work on the move, collaborate remotely, and have instant access to information. Working from home with access to the right tools is not only essential, but desirable as overall productivity will improve.

But switching to the cloud and migrating all your services takes time and money to achieve. Your IT support provider should be able to prioritise this switch and recommend a range of options to ensure the best fit for your needs and budget.

6. Is your disaster recovery plan fit for purpose?

No organisation likes to think that their systems will be breached, or data might be lost. In our highly technological world, however, it remains a real risk. The disaster recovery solutions that your IT support provider has in place may not be required right now but they are an imperative part of your risk mitigation you just cannot afford to ignore.

You need to be confident, however, that you have all the right processes in place and you can get back up and running quickly if something happens. Your business continuity plan should be tested regularly, and your IT support provider should evidence this. Better still, they will host a tabletop exercise with key stakeholders to play out and test various scenarios.

7. What cyber security risks will we face in 2024?

That brings us to one of the incontrovertible challenges of our digital age. Any organisation that operates online faces numerous cyber security risks. It’s important your IT support provider has a solid finger on the pulse of cyber security and understands the threats you face as we go into 2025.

One common risk is ransomware, malware that can take over your IT systems, encrypt your data, and then be used to extort money. Your IT support provider should be able to work with you to make sure that you have the best cyber security policies, procedures and protection in place.

8. Can you ensure our cyber security protects the unique needs of our organisation?

Cyber security is not a one size fits all solution and many different sectors have their own particular challenges and regulatory needs. Your IT support provider should have the depth of knowledge and expertise to deliver real solutions that protect your organisation from all types of threats. This should be far more than a single solution security tool. If they do not, your systems and data may be at risk.

9. Are the team supporting your IT qualified and expert?

There is currently a tech talent shortage and finding the top performers that will support your organisation is challenging. It’s important to look at how your IT support provider sources its employees, what technical qualifications they possess, what training is provided, and what sort of staff turnover they have.

One way to do this is to explore their culture and how they treat their staff. It’s a general rule that when employees feel valued and are paid appropriately, have a decent work-life balance and opportunity to progress, they are more likely to stick around than go work for someone else. Ultimately you need confidence in the team supporting your IT, and if members of that team change frequently, this will have a detrimental impact on support.

10. What other technology will help drive your organisation forward in 2025?

Technology takes many forms, and you will need to integrate many types into your growth plan as time progresses.

Your IT support provider should fully understand your current needs, goals and objectives before they can suggest ways to help improve business processes or develop and integrate robust solutions when you need to adapt.

All these factors should help you determine how you will spend your IT budget in 2024/25 and what your priorities are going to be. Your IT support provider should be able to work with you to produce a road map and help you implement the changes that may be needed to achieve your goals. It’s important to ask the right questions though.

If you’re not 100% confident you’re partnered with the right IT support provider to take you in to 2025, it’s not too late to change. Contact the team at CYAN today for an informal chat about your needs.

Written by Team CYAN

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