IT SERVICES
PLANNING
CHEAT SHEET
C H O O S I N G T H E B E S T P A R T N E R
F O R Y O U R B U S I N E S S
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Are you on the hunt for an IT services provider and don’t know where to begin? Or maybe you have a provider already but you’re not happy with their service for some reason (like maybe they never call you back).
Before you book an appointment with another potential IT company, answer these 12 questions. Your answers will give potential IT companies a clear picture of your needs and lead you to the best provider for your organization. You have taken the first step in downloading this cheat sheet. The next step is critical: Answering the questions so you can share them with IT providers
you’re considering. If you’re thinking, “I’ll just fill this out later,” consider this: IT reaches into and deeply impacts every part of your organization. It can boost efficiency, productivity, profitability and morale.
If those sound like things that would benefit your business, take 30 minutes now and jump in.
TOP QUESTIONS EVERY BUSINESS LEADER OR
IT MANAGER SHOULD ANSWER BEFORE SELECTING
AN IT SERVICES PARTNER
YOUR GOALS
No need to go into too much detail. Just provide high-level answers like
“doubling our staff in the next year,” “opening two new locations each quarter” or “raising our margin by 2 percent.” The right IT partner should be proactive: a true partner that offers ideas for helping you reach those goals.
OUR COMPANIES GROWTH GOALS THIS YEAR ARE:
OUR THREE-YEAR GROWTH GOALS ARE:
OUR LONG-TERM OR FIVE-YEAR GROWTH GOALS ARE:
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WHAT'S YOUR ORGANIZATION’S GROWTH PLAN?
1.
YOUR STATS
HOW MANY USERS DOES
YOUR ORGANIZATION HAVE? HOW MANY WORKSTATIONS?
The answers to these basic questions will help each potential IT provider assess your needs.
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2. WHAT IS YOUR COMPANY'S SIZE?
HOW MANY USERS DOES
YOUR ORGANIZATION HAVE?
HOW MANY PHYSICAL
STATIONS? HOW MANY VIRTUALSERVERS?
3. DOES YOUR COMPANY HAVE COMPLIANCE NEEDS
OR DO YOU HANDLE ANY CONTROLLED OR
PROTECTED INFORMATION, OR PROVIDE SERVICES TO
COMPANIES THAT DO?
You don’t have to be large or publicly traded to be subject to regulations. If you handle personally identifiable information (PII), personal health
information (PHI), controlled classified information (CUI) or other types of protected data, you most likely have some compliance obligations.
Failure to understand or meet these requirements could expose your company to extreme risk. Not to alarm you, but several states have passed their own types of data privacy laws that you may need to be aware of.
JOT DOWN THE TYPES OF CONTROLLED INFORMATION YOUR COMPANY DEALS WITH:
ARE YOU SUBJECT TO ANY COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS LIKE HIPPA, PCI, CMMC,ETC.?
3. COMPLIANCE (CONTINUED)
4. IS YOUR DATA BACKED UP?
Are you sure? As a business owner or manager, you should discuss recovery point objective (RPO) and recovery time objective (RTO) with your IT provider. These objectives clarify expectations around how data is restored and how failed systems can be brought back online. If you don’t have knowledge of or alignment around these objectives, your business may not be as protected as you think. It’s OK if your answer to these questions is “I’m not sure.”
WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT RTO (MEANING HOW LONG CAN YOU AFFORD TO BE DOWN)?
WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT RPO (THE AMOUNT OF DATA YOU ARE WILLING TO LOSE BETWEEN BACK-UPS)?
HOW IS YOUR DATA BACKED UP TODAY?
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YOUR CYBER SECURITY
If you rely on your backup system, has a recovery test been performed? And remember, an effective plan goes far beyond just data. On the heels of a national shutdown that turned many employees into remote workers, we all have a new appreciation for disaster preparedness.
WHAT ARE YOUR BUSINESS CONTINUITY AND
DISASTER RECOVERY PLANS TODAY?
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5. DO YOU HAVE BUSINESS CONTINUITY AND
DISASTER RECOVERY (BCDR) PLANS TODAY?
6. HOW SECURE IS YOUR NETWORK?
Again, it’s OK to answer “I’m not sure.” Are you relying on the firewall that came with your internet service provider or do you have a state-of-the-art security appliance with intrusion prevention system/intrusion detection system (IPS/IDS), malware protection and content filtering? These systems monitor network traffic for attempts to exploit known vulnerabilities and block them before they reach targets inside your business.
WHAT NETWORK SECURITY DEVICES AND PRACTICES DO YOU HAVE IN PLACE TODAY?
Wireless networks are one of the easiest ways for outsiders to gain access to your data or infiltrate your network. Do you have a plan in place to protect your wifi? Do you have separate networks for company and guests? What about printers or other non-computer devices?
WHAT IS YOUR WIFI NETWORK
CONFIGURATION?
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7. ARE YOU PROTECTING YOUR WIRELESS NETWORK?
8. DO YOU HAVE ROBUST ENDPOINT SECURITY?
Traditional antivirus products are no longer sufficient. Today’s endpoint security products go beyond the abilities of “antivirus” software to identify threats. Instead, these products monitor the behavior of files on a system and trigger an alert when a virus starts to delete or encrypt files. Some products offer a ransomware protection guarantee of up to $1 million.WHAT ENDPOINT
SECURITY SYSTEMS DO YOU HAVE IN PLACE TODAY?
YOUR USER TRAINING
9. HAS YOUR TEAM RECEIVED END USER SECURITY
AWARENESS TRAINING?
You can’t protect a system if users are unknowingly giving away security information. Employees want and need training that will help them and their employers avoid security issues. Have you offered basic IT security awareness training lately? Do you have new hires who need to be brought up to speed?
DESCRIBE EMPLOYEE CYBER SECURITY TRAINING THAT HAS BEEN DONE IN THE
PAST AND FREQUENCY THAT IT IS REVIEWED:
DO YOU DO REGULAR EMAIL PHISH TESTING?
WHAT UPCOMING TRAINING SESSIONS DO YOU HAVE PLANNED?
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YOUR RESPONSE NEEDS
No one is happy when things don’t work like they should. Write down your expectations for IT support.
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10. HOW QUICKLY DO YOU NEED A RESPONSE TO IT
TICKETS?
11. WHERE IS DOWNTIME AN ISSUE FOR YOUR
ORGANIZATION?
Explain where tech outages have impacted you recently.
WE NEED A RESPONSE IN THIS TIME FRAME (HOURS AND MINUTES):
WE NEED A RESOLUTION IN THIS TIME FRAME (HOURS AND MINUTES):
WHAT IT SYSTEMS HELP YOUR BUSINESS OPERATE TODAY:
WHAT WAS A RECENT DOWNTIME ISSUE?
WHAT ORGANIZATIONS WERE IMPACTED BY THE DOWNTIME ISSUE?
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO RESOLVE?
YOUR PRODUCTIVITY
12. ARE THERE OTHER PRODUCTIVITY ISSUES OR
GOALS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?
You can’t protect a system if users are unknowingly giving away security information. Employees want and need training that will help them and their employers avoid security issues. Have you offered basic IT security awareness training lately? Do you have new hires who need to be brought up to speed?
IF YOU COULD WAVE A MAGIC WAND, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR IDEAL FUTURE STATE WHEN IT COMES TO TECHNOLOGY, SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES?
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WE ARE HERE TO ENABLE YOUR GROWTH GOALS.
You may be eager to take IT issues off your plate. We hear you. We also know IT is a critical part of all businesses and needs to be an area of focus and
ongoing communication. Finding the right technology partner is crucial to your business growth: You want a proactive, responsive provider that’s able to help protect your company and create a reliable working environment. We hope this worksheet helps you cut through the clutter and prioritize your needs.
