It might take only six days to open a small business in the U.S. However, that doesn’t mean that this time period would include the critical step of setting up IT staff in-house.

However, as a small business, you’re already operating on a bootstrap budget, so where are you going to get the funds for setting up an IT arm for your firm? Well, welcome to the world of managed IT services.

If you’re unfamiliar with the very first steps of setting up an IT plan, no worries. We’ve got you covered. Keep on reading to learn all about picking the right managed IT service provider, and the top five essential factors you need to keep in mind for the perfect selection.

1. IT Plan 101: The Provider’s Availability

In the simplest of terms, while you can’t be expected to stay glued to your computer screen 24/7, you need your computer network to be available all day, every day.

Therefore, when you’re shopping for the right managed IT service provider, make sure to pick one that’s available to you and your employees 24/7. You can’t run a successful business without this condition.

2. Quick and Fast: Response Time Data

Being available 24/7 is the basic need, but you’ll also require that your service provider has a quick response time to your problems.

This isn’t the field where being forwarded to a call center would work for your business productivity in the long-run. Thus, you’ll want to pick a managed IT service, like bestructured.com, where you can get a guaranteed response time.

3. Backups and Proactive Maintenance

It’s not enough to fix your platform when it stops working properly. You’ll want to choose a managed IT service provider that conducts proactive maintenance as frequently as possible.

Furthermore, a critical part of keeping your data safe and secure is performing automatic and frequent backups, especially by adding a data backup to a remote server. In this case, if you’ve fallen victim to a blunt-force attack, you don’t get to lose all your business data.

4. Vendor and Third-Party Partnerships

Trying to hunt down the right technology vendors can be a full-time job.

A great advantage of using a managed IT service provider is that they can take over this task for you, which will save you a lot of money and time.

This is why you’ll want to check your potential managed IT provider’s partnerships before you make your final choice.

5. Monitoring and Recovery Planning

There’s no escaping the claws of cyber criminals these days. That’s why you’ll want to pick a service provider that offers regular security testing, real-time monitoring for attacks, as well as disaster recovery planning.

In the case of a cyberattack, or even a weather disaster, or other causes of outages, you’ll want to have a disaster recovery plan in the wings to save your business.

IT Managed Services for the Future of Your Business

We know that taking the first look into managed IT services and setting up an IT plan can make anyone nervous.

Hopefully, our little guide has shed some light on the process and gave you key five tips on how to pick the right service provider for your business needs.

Just remember to always start with identifying your business needs, as well as conducting your own research.