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Toronto is undoubtedly Canada’s economic engine. The largest city in the country accounts for 18 percent of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) and hosts each of the five top Canadian banks. All significant business sectors such as technology, retail, fashion, digital media, oil and energy, food, and construction are present in this hub of innovation and growth.
What this means is that there’s robust demand for managed IT services in Toronto, too.
For the uninitiated, managed IT services entail outsourcing your IT support functions, such as cybersecurity, cloud hosting, printing, device management, support desks, and more to an external vendor or third-party.
As businesses grow, many of them wish to outsource these support functions to free up their core IT staff, allowing them to concentrate on business-critical tasks.
In fact, according to Deloitte, 53% of all corporations say they currently outsource some or all of their IT support functions. PCM Canada Toronto managed IT services have built up a track record of excellence, serving businesses in Toronto and the GTA over several years.
If you’re looking to find managed IT services in Toronto, then it’s likely that your first recourse will be to search the internet. That’s not inherently a bad thing as a Google search will give you a list of all the services that are available nearby. This helps you narrow down your choices as you probably don’t want to rely on a service that’s only present in Vancouver, for example.
How to Decide on a Managed IT Service Provider in Toronto
An internet query on managed IT providers is a useful place to start, but don’t make the mistake of assuming that all services offer a comparable level of quality. To ensure that you settle on a provider that gives you effective ROI, you must ask them the following questions:
1. What kind of support do you provide?
Service providers have unique strengths and weaknesses. Some may be more adept at offering cybersecurity solutions while others specialize in support ticketing and help desks. And since your business needs are unique, you should start by identifying what areas of IT support you need the most help with and which companies are suited towards fulfilling those needs.
2. Will you develop a personalized plan?
IT support isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Your managed IT provider should be viewed through the lens of a trusted provider or vendor. This means they must not just copy paste processes they’ve developed for another client and apply to your business. It’s important for them to completely understand the ins and outs of your business and then put forward a plan that works for you.
3. What will be your core KPIs and will it be included in the SLA?
Don’t hold your IT provider accountable to vague, misleading targets. For example, if a vendor on your shortlist agrees to reduce the turnaround time for IT support tickets then you must also agree to a minimum threshold.
This could be something like “IT support ticket turnaround times reduced by 20%”. So if it previously took an hour to solve an IT support task, now it should, at maximum, take 48 minutes.
These terms should be included in the contract you sign with your managed IT provider. It will be helpful for when you do a performance review and allow you to understand whether the provider is actually assisting your process delivery or not.
The task of finding a managed IT services provider in Toronto isn’t terribly complicated but shouldn’t be made on a whim, either.