How To Audit Your Managed IT Service Provider

Do you currently outsource your IT services? Auditing your service provider is a critical step to ensure the reliability, security, and efficiency of your organization’s technology infrastructure. As businesses increasingly rely on MSPs to handle their IT operations, the need to monitor and assess their performance becomes paramount. Here are compelling reasons why you should conduct regular audits of your managed IT service provider.

Response Times

When partnering with an outsourced IT company, evaluating response times are important. For any business, Downtime can cost a ton of money. One of the main reasons for hiring a managed IT services provider is to reduce your downtime when any issue may occur. It is recommended to analyze and record the response times you are receiving. Ask employees to keep a log of how long it takes for your provider to contact them and resolve the issue. Evaluate if your provider is quick and efficient when resolving issues that happen.

Proactive Approach

Does your current managed IT provider prevent issues before they ever happen? One of the main reasons you hire an outsourced IT provider is to proactively check and update office devices, keep up to date with antivirus and malware protection, monitor cloud-based backup systems, and review any error logs or reports that may arise.

System Security

Conduct a network report or IT audit to make sure the organization’s information technology infrastructure is working properly, securely, and is being updated as needed. A network report will show any potential risks or gaps in protection that would need to be addressed by your current IT provider or internally. A good audit can help an organization create any new standards or procedures that are needed that prevent business continuity.

Performance Monitoring

An IT audit helps evaluate the performance of your IT systems. Identify if your current IT provider 24/7 monitoring your network and also monitoring the performance of your infrastructure. Are there any bottlenecks? Can we create any measures to improve system performance?

Reporting Dashboards

Does your current provider have a reporting dashboard? Evaluate if the managed IT services provider is properly maintaining records of activities, configurations, and incidents. Documenting this information creates transparency between both parties and helps create a better dialogue for future decisions regarding business growth and IT.

Compliance and Regulations

Determine if your current IT provider can work within your organization’s requirements when it comes to security. This is important if you work within specific regulations such as HIPPA. Your current provider will need to maintain compliance by implementing audit reports, monitoring, and accurate reporting.

Experience and Certifications

Working with an outsourced IT provider is a big commitment. They are an extension of your business and can make or break customer and employee relationships if something were to go wrong. Determine what kind of experience and knowledge your managed IT provider has. Ask for client testimonials, certifications of the staff, and partnerships with vendors they use.

Contract Terms and Service Level Agreement

Review what terms and conditions your IT provider has presented to you. Understand what is included in your contract and what is out of scope. If out of scope, find out why and how much the cost would be. Also, review if your contract is long-term or a month-to-month contract. If it is long-term, what termination clauses does your current provider have if they cannot perform certain services and resolve issues promptly? Clear agreements should show what level of service and support to expect.

In conclusion, determine the real value of the service being provided by your managed IT provider. Does the service being provided align with the fee you are paying and the level of support being received?

Identify whether they are proactively addressing mission-critical problems, and if they are continuing to assist the company in business growth goals. If you would like to learn more about a managed IT program, please fill out the form below:

Let’s talk Managed IT.

We emphasize accountability and the importance of taking proactive steps to enhance cybersecurity workplace and at home. Altek can analyze your current infrastructure, network security, and office technology to create a plan that aligns with your company’s needs while staying within a monthly budget.