Rashaad Bajwa is the CEO of Integris, a premium, IT-managed service provider serving small and mid-sized companies nationwide.
Technology companies have a well-earned reputation for automation. Bring them into your systems, and you can automate away your grunt work and streamline your processes. What if I told you that you can have better luck with your tech vendor partnerships by bringing them into the higher-level functions of your tech strategy and operations?
When you let your IT partners ask the hard questions and tackle your most significant problems, they’re not taking over your job. In my opinion, they’re freeing you to lead and create real value for your organization. It’s something I’ve seen play out repeatedly, and it’s the key to getting the most bang for your IT consulting buck. Here are some ways to ask your IT partners for more.
Unlock New Markets
What markets could you access if only you had the proper cybersecurity procedures and system capacity? The answers might surprise you. For instance, many potential clients will only work with companies with a SOC2-compliant operations center. Yet others have more stringent demands—like Department of Defense clients who require CMMC certifications for manufacturers or clients in the health industry with HIPAA regulations they must maintain.
If you’d like to bid for these clients but don’t know how to be eligible and compliant, outside IT vendors can help bring the expertise to find your security gaps, implement needed changes and help you through your application process.
For IT vendors who’d like to help their clients earn these certifications, preparation is required. Specifically, they’ll need a CISSP-certified cybersecurity expert on staff who also has earned his or her personal HIPAA, CMMC or others. This requires you to invest in professional development for your staff, so they can sit for the exams that matter to your clients. While it takes time and money, it’s an expense that pays dividends for everyone involved.
Set Your Compliance Policy And Procedure
Do you have an extensive cybersecurity review coming up? Are vendors, clients or cybersecurity insurers looking under the hood of your operations? Nearly every review will require you to produce proof of your cybersecurity tools and your safe operations practices around patching, monitoring and disaster recovery. Most companies need dozens of written policies around their IT—and even more if you’re seeking new certifications. An IT vendor often has templates that can help the policy writing go much faster.
However, if you’re an IT vendor looking to get into this area, I’d recommend going beyond the templates. Policy reviews are a great opportunity for strategic thinking and finding pockets of budget waste, inefficient processes and more.
Build Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Around Your Tech
How are you presenting your deliverables and system health to your executive staff? If you’re hitting the high spots, you’re losing an opportunity to position IT as central to your company’s overall performance.
KPI discussions are the perfect time to strengthen relationships between IT partners and clients. You can strategize about tacking your IT ROI to the company’s overall business goals. For instance, how will your IT investments support the company with its expansion into new offices or new markets? How will it improve user experience or data safety? How will your disaster recovery program help the company repel cyberattacks and keep its transactions safe in an emergency?
Save the complicated, tactical IT dashboard reports for your IT staff. Talk to your IT partners about how to build your infrastructure around the KPIs that count.
Reassure Your Vendors And Clients
Your downstream compliance can be one of the most essential parts of your cybersecurity operation. Potential new clients will need proof of your safe systems and procedures, as will many of the key vendors you need for your business. Their comprehensive requirements include reading your cybersecurity and operations policies, patching and monitoring reports, cybersecurity awareness training grades, tool licenses, cyber risk insurance coverage, incident reports and so much more.
IT vendors who want to move into the “trusted advisor” status with their clients can step in, providing shortcuts and the reports your stakeholders need. They’re set up to handle big spikes in demand for documentation, and they can produce all the necessary paperwork, fast.
Improve Your User Experience
How easy is it for your employees to safely access your systems when they’re working remotely or from their phones? If your customers interface with your website, how easily can they finish transactions or access their customer dashboards? Are your systems fast and safe enough to handle your company’s growth spurts?
When you’re in the thick of keeping your systems going, it can be hard to have the time to do the kind of testing you need to analyze your system readiness. Then, of course, there’s the hard work that comes with examining industry best practices, creating a gap analysis, writing an infrastructure development plan, vetting vendors, budgeting and—of course—executing.
The IT break/fix model may have been the bread and butter for many local MSPs in years gone by. Now, savvy MSPs are starting to realize that there’s value in being a systems consultant and helping clients answer these big questions.
Push Your Partners And Let Them Push You
Choose wisely, and your IT service partner can catalyze your growth. Be transparent about your goals and pain points, and you’ll be able to craft a plan for your success—together.
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