Growing businesses need IT support even more than established companies – after all, setting the right IT in place during a period of growth will help support growth and ensures that your business does not end up held back by creaky tech infrastructure.

But not all IT support companies are equally good at providing tech support to growth-hungry companies. In this article, we outline a few key points growing businesses should look out for when choosing an IT support partner.

Look for a partner that understands growth

Rapid growth brings unique IT challenges, particularly the need for responsive technology solutions that can quickly adapt to changing business requirements. After all, growth often implies change. In your search for IT support services, you need to look for a service provider that has a proven track record of helping to deliver flexible solutions that can adapt to a growing business.

Indeed, the right technology can also support and drive growth. Fluent, omnichannel communications solutions can make it much easier to gain customers and to deliver a great customer experience. Or take modern-day analytics, which can help your business find opportunities for growth. The right IT partner will help you identify the technology that will help your business grow faster.

Find a partner with a pro-active approach

As a business-hungry enterprise you will know how important it is to keep an eye on the horizon – and to act proactively. By doing so you can steer clear of potential problems, while engaging with emerging opportunities.

When looking for IT support London based companies need to ensure that they find a support partner that will scan the technology horizon, pro-actively looking for technology opportunities that can help their business drive growth.

At the same time, your IT support partner needs to continuously watch out for potential risks, acting pro-actively to make sure that nothing about your technology provisioning ever comes in the way of the growth your business seeks.

Don’t fixate on costs alone

There is a time for cost-cutting, but the growth stage of your business is not that time. Skimping on IT services can easily mean that your business ends up with a technology solution and a level of technical support that hampers rather than supports growth.

Yes, costs matter, and you should never overpay for IT support but do place at least equal focus on the capabilities and the track record of the IT support company you hire to support your growing business.

Seek industry experience

Though many components of technology solutions are similar from business to business, it’s also true that every business has unique technology requirements. An accountancy practice would need a specific focus on regulatory compliance for example, while a restaurant group requires reliable point of sale technology.

In choosing IT support London-based companies should try to find a support partner that has existing experience in their field. If your IT partner has deep, expert insights into your specific business environment including best practice, competitors and future outlook then you stand a much better chance of putting in place technology solutions that fit your business like a glove.

Never overlook cybersecurity

Companies that grow quickly should remain focused on growth – but not at the cost of neglecting cybersecurity. Dropping the cybersecurity ball can easily lead to cybercriminals gaining a foothold – leading to costly breach that can hamper growth – or even close your business.

That said, it’s the responsibility of your IT support company to ensure that your business remains cyber secure no matter how quickly it is growing. So, ensure your technology partner has the security know-how and focus to deliver security technology solutions day in, day out. Certification helps – look out for an IT support company with the right credentials, including ISO 27001 for example.

Find an accountable partner

IT support is a complex environment, and also an environment where trust is key. While your growing business must insist on contractual obligations – including service level agreements (SLAs) and the like, it is equally essential that you partner with an IT company that is truly accountable.

Accountability is something you should be able to sense at the evaluation stage (or indeed, the absence of accountability). But there are mechanisms to ensure that accountability persists in the long run too. Clear, open communication is critical here. Once you’ve found the IT partner that you feel will be truly accountable you must put in place processes to ensure ongoing accountability – it is a partnership, after all.

Watch out for offshoring

Finally, when evaluating partners for IT support London companies should look for a partner with in-house, in-country expertise. While many IT functions can be performed offshore, growing businesses need a partner with their ear to the ground: a tech support company that truly understands the local environment.

That’s why your company should double-check to ensure that a potential IT partner uses staff and expertise that is located in the United Kingdom – ideally with London-based technicians that can rapidly respond to any problems, never creating delays that put your business at risk.

Struggling to find an IT support partner that checks all the boxes for a growing business? Why not get in touch with HTL. We’ve helped countless companies in London with IT support and advice that drives and supports growth.