Is Your IT Company Truly Proactive?

With so much going on these days and threat landscapes constantly evolving, many companies choose to outsource IT or pay an IT service provider. It’s no surprise really, but more often than not the biggest factor in a company’s decision-making process is the cost. Heard of the saying, “you pay peanuts, you get monkeys”? 

Just like anything else in life, you get what you pay for. Often when companies take the cheap route, they get an IT department that is only reactive instead of proactive. And not to mention, lower costs upfront almost always come with higher costs later due to unresponsive support, downtime, unreliable/old infrastructure, and nagging issues that never seem to get fixed. This is why in the IT world, it’s important to be proactive instead of reactive.

Proactive vs. Reactive IT

Within the managed services industry, reactive vs. proactive IT has become a major point of emphasis for IT providers. But what’s the difference between reactive and proactive IT?

Well, a reactive IT provider fixes issues as they arise. As soon as something is noticed, they swoop in to try and fix it. Sounds nice, right? Well, it is, but unfortunately, once an attack happens — especially for small and mid-size businesses — it’s often already too late. Plus, it’s also quite common for companies to claim they are “proactive” just because they use monitoring tools when in reality these companies should be considered far from it.

So what is proactive IT?

Proactive IT providers use tools and processes to help maintain healthy systems and anticipate issues before they arise. By being proactive and continuously scanning a client’s system, a proactive IT provider can catch malicious activity and fix any problems before they get the chance to cause severe damage. Proactive IT providers also solve the most complex issues first, ensuring the business can continue to operate smoothly and with minimal downtime.

Now you’re probably trying to figure out if your IT provider would fall under the category of reactive or proactive. To determine whether your provider is truly a proactive provider, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do they develop and maintain full, real-time documentation of all your IT infrastructure?
• Do they have a dedicated Network Administrator dedicated to implementing and regularly maintaining technical best practices across your IT infrastructure?
• Can the Network Administrator demonstrate his/her work upon request?
• Do they help you create a forward-looking business IT plan and budget that matches your organization’s needs?
• Do they have a dedicated Virtual Chief Information Officer who regularly (e.g., quarterly, monthly, etc.) meets with you to discuss your plan’s progress and make suggestions for improvement?
• Do they regularly test data backups and report on their work?
• Do they have the tools to monitor all your systems in real time and be alerted if any issues come up?
• Are they proactively keeping your systems up to date (patched) and offering multiple layers of security beyond just anti-virus/malware?

If the answers to all, most, or really any of these questions is no, then maybe it’s time to go with a more proactive approach. At Envision we’ve developed a multi-level proactive security process where we spend time upfront to document a client’s infrastructure, implement and maintain security best practices, and create a business-level IT plan. Because of our truly proactive approach to IT and security, we can deliver a reliable client IT infrastructure and minimize downtime/time fixing issues. Isn’t it time for your IT department to be proactive instead of reactive?

If your organization is ready and eager to work with a Proactive IT provider, to make your technology work like a well-oiled machine, all you need to do is schedule a call with a member of our team