The 2025 IT Services Buyer’s Guide

The 5 big technology revolutions affecting businesses like yours

Revolution 1: AI

Go back a few years to November 2022 and to most people, AI was a science fiction concept… something that would happen “in the future”. Then ChatGPT was released to the public, and the AI explosion started. AI tools have been in development for many years, but it’s only been recently that most people have become aware of them – and have been able to directly access them through their browsers.

You’ve experimented with Microsoft’s Copilot, ChatGPT, or Google’s Gemini, right?

Even if you haven’t, your business is already benefitting from AI built into the tools you use every day. It’s been an exciting start to this revolution… and who knows what developments are on the way for us.

Revolution 2: Hybrid working

The first lockdown back in 2020 accelerated something that was already gaining huge traction: People want the option to work from home or the office. Or Starbucks.

Technology makes it so easy to work from anywhere.

You just need to be very aware of the security implications, and make sure your people can communicate well and be productive wherever they choose to work. The tools for this are developing at an astonishing rate. So it’s always worth reviewing how your business communicates and collaborates.

Revolution 3: Cloud computing

The idea of being able to work anywhere, any time, on any device, is so easy because of the cloud. Can you remember the bad old days when you couldn’t access data unless you were in the office? Unthinkable now.

But as the data has been freed, so we must take greater care of it. The cloud liberates us and puts us at a dramatically increased risk of crime. More on that later.

Revolution 4: Internet of Things

The day your fridge was allowed to go online was surely the day you realised eventually EVERYTHING will be online.

Experts predict there’ll be 30 billion devices online by 2030. Great for helping us check how many eggs we have left while we’re at the shops, but there are huge security implications too, which affect any business that allows devices to be connected to its network.

Revolution 5: The greatest security risk ever known

This is the revolution that weaves through all the other revolutions… because any time there is change, it creates an opportunity for cyber criminals. And change is constant right now. I’ve never seen as many threats to normal businesses like yours as I see today. It’s increasing year after year.

If you saw everything I saw, you’d be excused for not sleeping well at night. I’m not exaggerating.

Cyber criminals are getting smarter and smarter. They’re using automated tools to target all businesses, all the time. It really does only take one person to click one bad link in a fake email, and you’ve unwittingly let them in to your entire business. You won’t even know they’re there until they strike, often weeks later.

There is very clear and solid security ‘best practice’ that you should make sure everyone in your team sticks to, and I’m constantly assessing new cyber security tools to keep my clients safe. I’d be happy to talk these through with you.

Things are changing at such a pace, it’s too easy to feel you are falling behind. Even as technology experts, my team and I must work hard to stay on top of everything that’s happening.

Let me make it easy for you with a simple technology strategy I believe you should focus on: Defend and Invest. Defend is about protecting your business from cyber criminals. Invest is about making sure technology is powering your business forward, not holding it back.

I suspect that you’re reading this guide because you’re not 100% happy with your current IT support company and are thinking of changing. Of course, I’d like you to switch to us! I’ve written this guide to help you understand how a trusted IT support partner behaves, and what great IT support looks like.

Download your copy today

Why business owners & managers switch IT partners

I hear from a lot of businesses who are unhappy with their current IT support provider. These are the top 10 reasons people want to make the switch to a new and improved IT support partner:

Reason to switch 1: You’re not seeing business results

Return on investment is everything. Especially right now. You need to be able to see immediately exactly how hard your IT partner is working for you, and what benefit that work is bringing to your business.

An IT support partner should not only provide a detailed IT strategy for the long and short term, they should also give you a set of metrics which you can measure results by. And these metrics should be relevant and important to your business. Not a standard set issued by the IT support partner, not made difficult with jargon.

I’ve heard too many stories of IT companies providing very vague metrics that are impossible to decipher. Avoid!

Reason to switch 2: Poor communication

This can cover a whole range of issues… from taking too long for them to acknowledge problems… to them not telling you when updates are taking place… or not getting back to you when they say they will…

If we were talking about any other kind of supplier, these gripes might seem a little petty. But as we know, without working technology, your business can’t run as it’s supposed to, and these little gripes become huge issues. Again, this is another way for you to distinguish an IT support provider from an IT support partner.

You deserve a responsive IT support partner who:

• Acknowledges issues in good time
• Keeps you in the loop of everything you need to know
• Does what they say they’ll do, when they say they’ll do it.

Just as your success is their success, your failure is their failure. So, the faster an issue can be resolved, the better it is for both parties.

Reason to switch 3: They don’t take data security seriously

Yes, you read that correctly. There are some IT support providers – whose job is to keep your data safe and secure – that don’t do the same thing within their own business. They don’t make it a priority to keep themselves educated on the latest scams and threats. They can’t keep you fully protected.

And they won’t go out of their way to ensure every part of your data is as safe as it can be. Or that your software is 100% up to date all the time. I know… this scares me too… Is this really a company you’d want to be responsible for keeping your business safe from the growing number of attacks and data breaches?

Reason to switch 4: They won’t go outside of their contract

“Sorry, we don’t cover that.”

Ever heard that from your IT support provider? Lots of businesses have. But so long as the request relates to your technology, it should be a red flag.

“We don’t cover that” suggests a real lack of concern for your business, and that’s not how a partner behaves. A partner actively spends time looking at new ways to improve your network, your data security and your infrastructure. They won’t be working rigidly to a one-size fits all contract.

And that’s the point.

One size doesn’t fit all, because every business is unique. Even two businesses in the same street, selling the same product or service will have a different way of working. They’ll use different software and devices, have different people working with them and, importantly, have different goals.

You deserve an IT support partner who will take your goals as their own and do as much as they can to help you reach them.

Reason to switch 5: Things take too long to fix

Some problems can’t always be fixed immediately. Now and then issues take a while to get to the bottom of. Other problems are rare and may take a little more diagnostic work. But in these situations, good communication is key. It might take you a while to see a resolution, but if your IT support partner is keeping you updated at each step, you’re confident it’s in hand.

Whereas if your support request is still waiting for a response three days later… you’ve got a problem.

And would you believe that some issues never get fixed at all? Or that one thing gets fixed only to break something else? This is technology we’re talking about. It goes wrong. It doesn’t always work the way we want it to.

But you absolutely should not be facing issue after issue, waiting days to have problems resolved. You should not face silence when you need help. All that waiting means downtime for your business. Where’s the value for money in that?

Reason to switch 6: They never accept responsibility

When you take on an IT support partner, it’s vital that both businesses take responsibility for their side of the agreement. Failing to do so causes a huge lack of trust. And means the relationship is going nowhere. I’ve heard from business owners who have reported an issue to their IT support provider, only to be told that it’s their fault that the issue arose! (despite them following advice and instruction from that company).

I’ve also heard from business owners who have reported issues to their IT support provider, only to be told that they need to contact someone else (such as a software supplier) about the problem.

The idea of an IT support partner is that you trust them to deal with their area of expertise, while you get on with yours. If they’re passing the buck when you face a problem, you’re not getting the benefit of a support partner at all.

Reason to switch 7: They confuse you with tech talk

If technology wasn’t complicated, everyone would be able to take care of their own business infrastructure without a problem. However, the truth is quite the opposite. It’s full of strange words and concepts, and everything changes every 7 minutes! (it seems that way anyway).

It’s a minefield if you don’t know what you’re doing. The hallmark of a good IT support partner is that they take this complication and make it look easy. Better still, they make it sound easy.

They explain things to you without sounding like they’re speaking a foreign language. Again, it all comes down to your connection as partners. If you can’t communicate properly with each other, how fruitful is this relationship really going to be? The likelihood is that it’ll leave both sides frustrated, and your business won’t be able to make the most of the technology it has.

Reason to switch 8: You’re not learning

We’re not expecting your IT support partner to teach you their job. You don’t need to be an expert in IT – that’s what you’re paying someone else for.

However, there should be a certain element of learning when you partner with an IT company. For example, you need to learn about cyber security, how to avoid scams, and how to protect your data.

If you’re told “let us worry about that”, it should ring alarm bells. You can’t expect to keep your organisation safe from a data breach or data theft if you don’t know what you’re trying to protect yourself from.

It’s also important that your IT support partner explains what they’re doing. You really do want to have a basic understanding of how your infrastructure works or is set up for you. This will help you to help yourself when a minor issue occurs.

Reason to switch 9: They’re always pushing new hardware

Some of our clients complain that their previous IT support providers spent more time pushing new equipment than they did on the fundamentals. It’s nice to have the very latest technology in your business, but it’s certainly not vital.

There are lots of other things to consider before upgrading equipment and devices. Especially today when value for money and return on investment are critical. Of course, your business will need a certain level of equipment for you to operate the way you need to, but you probably already have most of the technology you need.

I find that for most businesses, it’s far more important to get the infrastructure right before we consider your hardware.

Additional devices, for example, are sometimes nice to have rather than crucial. A good IT support partner will help you create an IT roadmap, which should detail when in the years ahead you need to budget for upgrades or additional devices.

Reason to switch 10: You’ve outgrown them

Now, this last one isn’t necessarily a bad reason to switch IT support partners. Sometimes, your business simply grows too big for a smaller IT company to deal with.

That’s great news for you.

The difficult part can be knowing when to make the switch. Especially when you’re working with a company that you like. It’s worth keeping in mind that if: Your support requests aren’t being responded to as quickly as you need them to be, Or the recommendations on how best to use technology to grow your business have stopped, Or you need a higher level of support, … it’s in your best interest to find a new IT support partner.

If you’ve noticed you need more support, your IT support partner has probably noticed too.

In fact, if they’re good partners, they may even discuss this with you first. Trust me when I say there will be no hard feelings; no company wants to be out of its depth with clients.

If you’ve ever felt any of these gripes, maybe now is the right time for you to make the switch too? When you place your technology at the heart of your business growth strategy, you see why it’s important to have a partner you can trust.

No business is perfect.

Inevitably we get some things wrong for our clients some of the time, because we’re human too. But because my team and I have partnerships with our clients, we’re able to have adult conversations and change course quickly. We don’t have to spend unnecessary time repairing relationships. Instead, we can set the correct expectations and resolve issues quickly.

Why you should be highly sceptical of all IT support companies

You probably don’t know what you don’t know about IT. Does that make sense? I think that’s a fair assumption for me to make. And why should you concern yourself with the latest tech news, software, and support updates? You’re too busy doing what you do best.

You probably read your industry magazines, blogs, visit trade shows, go to conferences, and attend training… you’re an expert in your field. That’s what experts do. You certainly don’t have the time to do all of that for your IT as well.

Would you expect your clients to know as much about your area of expertise as you do? Of course not. That’s why they hire you, isn’t it? The same goes for us. We totally absorb ourselves in the highly technical, high speed, rapidly changing world of technology. We genuinely love it and pride ourselves on having a level of expertise that most people don’t.

You’d be shocked how many people consider themselves IT experts, simply because they know their way around computers. However, great IT support partners operate on a completely different level – with better knowledge, tools, and systems.

The biggest problem with IT support is that it’s an unregulated industry. There’s no governing body that people must pass through to be allowed to call themselves an IT support company. No industry standard that must be met. No guidelines on how the business must operate.

Just about anybody …literally anybody… can set themselves up and say they’re an IT support company. This is why I say you should be highly sceptical of all IT support companies. Without asking the right questions, you don’t know if you’re putting your trust – and the security of your business data – in the hands of a reputable, honest company… or someone working alone out of a bedroom in their parents’ house. A bedroom warrior as I like to call those guys.

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with bedroom warriors. Everyone must start somewhere, and if you’re a one-man band with minimal IT requirements, that could be the most cost-effective solution for you. However, if you own or manage an established, growing business, with staff and more than one computer, you’ll need more than one person working from their bedroom can provide.

So how do you avoid choosing the wrong IT support company?

Firstly, look for solidity. You need to check they have the right qualifications, accreditation, and experience. Remember, it’s an unregulated industry, so you really need to do the legwork if you want to end up with the best IT partner.

Next, ask them some difficult questions. You don’t want to see your potential new IT partner squirm, but you do want to make sure that they are going to deliver what you need. And asking difficult questions is the only way to be sure that you’re making the right choice.

I’ve written an article on the top questions to ask your IT provider.

Ask them: “How quickly will problems be fixed?”

Obviously, this one will depend on the scale of the problem, but you need to know time frames based on severity.

• How long will it take your proposed IT support partner to acknowledge your issue in the first place?
• How long do they expect it’ll take to get someone working on the problem?

Look at different scenarios.

• If you can’t access your software, how long should it take to get you logged in?
• How long could it take to get your business up and running if you suffer a ransomware attack?

You also need to understand the approach your potential new partner will take.

• Do they have processes and procedures they stick to when issues arise, or are they winging it?
• Can they tell you about the worst problem they’ve encountered and how they dealt with it?

Remember, it’s not the problem that you’re judging them on, but how they responded to it. This can tell you a lot about their professionalism, knowledge, and ability to remain calm in a crisis.

Ask them: “What do you do proactively to ensure my team experiences fewer interruptions?”

Downtime can be a significant setback for any business. You’ve likely experienced it yourself, whether in your own business or one you worked for. When the internet goes down, for instance, and employees can’t access the software they need, the office can quickly descend into chaos. Even those not directly affected by the internet outage may find themselves distracted, with the coffee machine working overtime and productivity grinding to a halt.

Once the issue is resolved, it often takes time for everyone to refocus and get back to their tasks. What should have been a brief 15-minute interruption can easily turn into a 90-minute loss of productivity, even for minor problems.

So, what can your IT support partner do to minimise this downtime? Will they be working diligently in the background, performing necessary checks to prevent these small disruptions from occurring? Can they ensure that most updates and maintenance are carried out outside of working hours? Do they have other solutions to maintain your business’s productivity while essential work is being done?

Ask them: “Tell me about the specific people who’ll be looking after us.”

This is an important question that many businesses overlook when choosing a partner. It’s crucial to know about the actual people you’ll be working with – the faces behind the business.

• How does your proposed IT support partner assign your account manager?
• Do account managers have sector-specific expertise?
• Are they matched to you based on how well your personalities align, or are they simply assigned based on who has the smallest current workload?
• Will you always be speaking to the same person?
• What happens if that person is on holiday or ill?
• Who will conduct your strategic IT reviews and build your technology roadmap?
• Who do you talk to if you’re not satisfied?

This last question helps you understand more about the company you’re considering and whether their people are the right fit for yours.

Ask them: “Can you explain something deeply technical to me?”

This question isn’t about learning the intricacies of building an IT infrastructure from scratch. Instead, it tests your potential IT support partner’s ability to explain complex technical processes in plain English. Can they break down a complicated technical concept in a way that you can understand? Do they get frustrated if you ask too many questions? Do they brush you off with, “You don’t need to know the technicalities of that”?

Clear communication is vital in a partnership. This question also demonstrates their ability to educate you, ensuring you understand the essentials without getting lost in technical jargon.

Ask them: “How will you keep on top of the constant changes in my business?”

Successful businesses are always evolving. From adding new staff members to tweaking the products or services you offer, change is a constant. Your business likely looks very different now compared to 12 months ago.

How would your proposed IT support partner handle these changes? How much do they need to know about these changes, and will it affect their work for you? It should. You’re looking for a partner, not just another supplier. Their role includes making recommendations based on how you’re working, suggesting better software, a smoother network, and more appropriate security measures.

If they can’t keep track of your team size or how you deliver your services, how can they suggest ways to grow, improve, and stay secure? Look for a partner who takes an active interest in the changes within your business, perhaps even arranging regular catch-up sessions to stay updated.

There are many other questions you should ask, but these five will give you the most insight into your potential partner.

What Every IT Support Company Wishes You Knew About IT

Before you skip this section, let me assure you: I won’t bore you with technical jargon or tech speak. No need to panic! Instead, I’ll share some essential insights that, if every client knew, would make our lives much easier.

Your Setup Needs Constant Monitoring and Maintenance

Your IT setup isn’t a one-off job. Computers and devices constantly prompt you for updates because things are always changing. The same goes for your network and infrastructure. Software evolves, operating systems get tweaked, and hardware deteriorates. It never ends!

In professional IT circles, it’s virtually unheard of for an IT setup not to be constantly monitored and maintained. If your IT contract doesn’t include 24/7 monitoring and maintenance, run a mile. Issues will arise before the ink on the contract is dry.

Most IT support companies handle everything in the background, so you never hear about it. A great IT support partner will spend a lot of time monitoring your system and fixing issues before you even know there’s a problem. You’ll never notice it’s happening, and that’s exactly what you want – monitoring and maintenance you don’t notice.

The Support Triangle is Like the Hardware Triangle

Here’s a fun concept for buying hardware. Picture a triangle with three equal sides: quality, speed, and price. If you make one side longer, all sides lengthen to keep the triangle together. For example, choosing a faster computer typically increases quality and price.

IT support has an identical triangle with the same three sides: quality, speed, and price. If you buy cheap IT support, it will be slow and lower quality. Ideally, you’ll spend at the top of your budget because you understand IT support is an investment in your business. Get your IT setup and strategy right, and achieving business goals becomes much easier.

Beware the Bedroom Warriors

Picture a guy sitting in his bedroom, providing your IT support service. He doesn’t have our overheads, so his service is cheaper. But remember the triangle – his speed will be slow, and he won’t have access to professional IT tools because they’re expensive. If you choose a bedroom warrior, it’s fine as long as you’re his only client. One person can handle IT support, maintenance, and monitoring for a business like yours.

But what happens when he gets more clients? The quality of service and speed of response will decline. He might stop doing proactive work because one person can’t service many clients properly. Yes, you pay more for a larger business with an office, team, and tools, but you also know they’re set up to keep service levels high, no matter how many clients they take on.

We Ask for a Long-Term Partnership to Protect You More Than Us

We don’t want short-term work or ad-hoc crisis management. We seek long-term partnerships. Why? It’s good for us to build our business around long-term clients. But the real benefit comes from the investment we can make in our clients, knowing you inside out. This means we can:

• Work closely with you
• Learn about your priorities and actively help you achieve your goals
• Customise your infrastructure and IT strategy based on where you’re heading
• Build an infrastructure that grows with your business
• Keep you better protected through a strategic and honest approach

A long-term partnership means we’ll be as invested as you are. We genuinely care about your business. If you do well, so do we.

Outsourced is Better Value for Money and Provides Better Expertise

As you review your IT support, you might consider hiring an in-house employee. But there’s a downside. An in-house person has to do several specialised jobs and support many people simultaneously. Finding someone who can do that without burning out is hard. They might cut corners just to get home on time.

When you outsource, you might pay a bit more than for an in-house person, but you gain access to multiple people with a broad range of skills and specialities. And they don’t go home until the work is done.

How to Help Your Internal IT People, If You Have Them

Some businesses have internal IT people and a senior staff member responsible for IT without an IT background. If that’s you, you should be concerned. Not because you lack the skillset, but because if something goes wrong—like a ransomware attack—the responsibility rests with you.

Luckily, there’s a solution: co-managed IT support. You retain your in-house IT people, and we help them with whatever support they need. Imagine a ring donut with your internal IT person in the middle. Our job is to complement your internal IT people, adding partnership and strategic overview. This maximises your internal resources and fully protects you.

Some IT managers see outsourced IT support partners as a threat. We are not a threat. Our job is to make you and your internal IT people look great and operate seamlessly. When you look great, so do we – everyone wins!

What to do next

I hope you’ve found this guide useful and that it has addressed many of your questions about choosing a new IT support partner. Perhaps it has made you reconsider your current IT support.

Good news – we’re currently taking on new clients. That’s why I wrote this guide. I’d love to talk to you about your business. If you’re serious about working with a new IT support partner to improve your business and contribute to long-term growth, book a call with my team below.