Choosing the right IT supplier: 8 questions to ask up front
Your IT partner has access to your whole business. These eight questions help you choose a reliable, fitting supplier, and spot hot air.
By Limburg Cyber Group
Your IT supplier may well be the party with the most access to your business: your systems, your data, your continuity. Yet the choice is often made on gut feeling or price alone. These eight questions help you choose a partner that fits, and to tell smooth talk from real quality.
The 8 questions
- Do they understand my business? A good partner digs into what you do and speaks your language, not just technology.
- How is their availability? What happens when something goes wrong, how fast do they respond, and do you reach a human or a ticketing system?
- How do they handle security? Ask concretely about MFA, backups, and update policy. Vague answers are a red flag.
- Will I be locked in? Who owns your data and accounts, and how easily can you leave if you are dissatisfied? Avoid unnecessary dependence.
- What is and is not in the contract? Be sharp on what “management” exactly includes, and what counts as extra work.
- Can they grow with me? Will the supplier still fit in two years, once you have grown or changed?
- What do other clients say? Ask for references, preferably businesses of your size and sector.
- Do they think along or sell? A good partner sometimes advises not to do something. One who only upsells mainly serves themselves.
Watch the line between advice and sales
A pitfall: the party advising you what you need is sometimes the same one selling it. That need not be a problem, but be aware of that interest. Independent advice, separate from who supplies it, helps you make sharp choices.
Outsourcing does not remove your responsibility
Even if you outsource IT, you (and under NIS2 your board) remain ultimately responsible. So make sure you understand enough to ask the right questions and weigh the answers. That is exactly where independent advice adds value.
Want a second opinion?
We help you, independently, to ask the right questions and assess the answers, whether you are looking for a new supplier or reviewing your current one. See our consultancy & advice service or book a conversation.
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