6 Reasons Why You Should Work With a Technology Partner

Understanding Technology Partnerships

There’s no industry-wide standardization when it comes to the services and solutions that third-party technology companies provide. When you’re looking for assistance in managing your organization’s technology, let your needs drive the conversation.

In this article, we’ll show you:

• The common types of technology and managed service partnerships.
• The benefits of working with a technology partner.
• Strategies for selecting a technology partner that aligns with your business’s vision and goals.

Through the lens of our experience as a technology partner and managed service provider, we aim to guide you toward making an informed decision that helps secure your technology’s future and, by extension, your business’s success.

Before you dig into specific technology partners and managed service providers, you need to evaluate the type of technology support your business needs. Identifying the right type of technology partnership for your business begins with a clear understanding of your business goals, challenges, and, most importantly, the level of support you require.

Full-Scale IT Support

Full-scale IT support fits the bill when you need a third-party technology services provider that functions as an internal IT team for your business. The provider will handle most of your business’s technology requirements, including hardware, software, cybersecurity, email, networking, communications, phones, video conferencing, remote system monitoring…pretty much anything IT-related you need to run your business.

However, the actual structure of a full-scale IT support partnership looks different from business to business. In some cases, a business may have an internal IT Director or Manager who works alongside the full-scale technology partner. In others, the partner may handle all technology needs from the CIO level to the help desk.

Full-scale technology partners can also assist in your business’s strategic technology and infrastructure plans. This type of provider is capable of handling your day-to-day technology needs alongside longer-term technology goals like managing your hardware lifecycle, adopting an enterprise-wide software platform, or building a technology budget.

What it comes down to is understanding what works best to meet your business’s tangible goals.

Supplemental IT Support

Maybe your business has an internal IT team that’s overworked and needs help. Maybe you need help with a one-time back-end networking project. Maybe you need help developing middleware between legacy software systems.

Maybe, just maybe, you need help with all these things, but not simultaneously?

Technology partners can assist, integrate with, or provide additional guidance to your existing IT support team.

With a vast range of knowledge and variable employee skills, technology partners can step in and assist your business in meeting its strategic IT goals. For example, your business may have no problem managing an internal help desk, but they don’t have the capacity to manage back-end networking and data center technology. A technology partner can help make things easier by lending an extra hand to your existing IT team.

Technology Consulting Services

Your business could be doing a great job handling its own technology services, but it needs some help in key strategic development areas, like boosting productivity or developing long-term hardware upgrade plans and network mapping. Maybe your business recently completed an acquisition, and you need guidance integrating the two technology systems. Many IT solutions companies can help guide you on how to manage your internal technology teams and goals.

Additionally, technology partners, depending on their expertise, can provide IT consulting services to help you discover the right type of software your business needs to operate more efficiently or determine factors like why your business’s website is slow.

Remember, your goal should be finding a technology partner that can help solve your unique technology challenges. Focus on these goals instead of window shopping for a miracle cure. A true technology partner with the right expertise will help you reach your goals.

Are you interested in learning more about the benefits of a technology partnership for your business? We’ve outlined the direct and indirect benefits a technology partnership offers over a vendor experience.

1. Increase Your Business’s Performance Through Increased Employee Performance

If you’ve piecemealed and bootstrapped your technology over time, chances are you’re missing important compatibility and workflow improvement opportunities. Technology is a tool that should help employees do their jobs better. Hardware, software, networks, websites, and phone systems can all work hand-in-hand when adequately integrated.

2. Reduce Risks

Technology failure and cyberattacks pose a considerable risk to your business. According to IBM, the average cost of a data breach in 2023 was $4.45 million.

A technology partner is an expert you can trust to help secure your business and recommend dependable solutions.

3. Purchase Equipment Honestly, More Efficiently, With Greater Insight

Anyone can drive to a technology retailer or big box store and pick up a laptop. Googling “best business laptop” will return millions of results in less than a second. Once you have a list, you can continue googling until the end of time, reading reviews and comparing pricing until you’ve convinced yourself that you’ve made the correct decision.

Or, you can save time and let the experts, who have experience purchasing and implementing equipment and networks for businesses, provide the recommendations to you.

Technology partners provide equipment as part of a consultative relationship. They want to provide the best equipment for your needs and budget. A technology partner won’t force you into an overpowered piece of equipment or network that you don’t need or try to sell you something underpowered that will ultimately fail your business.

4. Expand Your Technology Expertise

Not every company can afford to have CIO, CTO, Engineering, Developer, and Technical expert knowledge in-house. The right technology partner should complement and broaden your company’s existing technical knowledge.

Moreover, a technology partner should enjoy the opportunity to work with and learn from your internal IT team if you have one.

5. Greater Access to IT Support

Paying employees to support your business’s technology internally 24/7, 365 days per year, is expensive. Maybe it’s easier for you to rely on an outsourced IT support team, or maybe, your internal IT team needs help during a busy season. We’ve even experienced situations where the Director of IT or CIO is stuck answering run-of-the-mill help desk questions when they should be freed up to focus on larger, more relevant challenges.

With a technology partner, you’ll have greater access to experienced technical support when you need it. High Touch can offer U.S.–based support 24/7/365 as part of a technology partnership.

6. Discover New Technology Solutions

The technology landscape changes quickly. Do you have time to dedicate to your business and constantly research technology?

A technology provider can help keep your business’s technology relevant and help you uncover new technology solutions. More importantly, a technology provider can help you see through fads in technology and ensure that new purchases are relevant for your business for the long haul.

Research the Benefits Technology Partners Advertise

With your goals in mind, IT solutions providers can offer exciting advantages for your business.

Your technology partner can help you find the proper technology solutions or build a combination of solutions to solve your business’s challenges. What are you looking to gain through your relationship with a technology solutions provider?

• Productivity. Are you looking for software to boost your business’s efficiencies? Are you looking for a new accounting platform that helps you evaluate your business’s resources? Would new hardware or a faster network give your employees the tools they need to be more productive? Productivity can look very different from business to business.
• Partnership. You want all the benefits of having an on-site, trusted IT department but don’t have the resources or headcount to justify hiring one. A third-party technology solutions provider can help fill the need.
• Profitability. Do you need technology help but you don’t have the resources to hire an in-house team? Could your in-house team benefit from additional expertise? Do you need help with your long-term technology planning but don’t have the resources or need to hire a Chief Information Officer (CIO)? Businesses can achieve profitability via technology no matter the size of their internal technology resources.
• Peace of Mind. Technology partnerships don’t always mean buying new computers or building a new website. Sometimes, technology partnerships offer peace of mind through a cybersecurity audit or website security check.

Ask the Right Questions

Ask yourself, “Are you looking for a vendor or a technology partner?”

With a technology partnership, you’re looking for more than a retailer—you need an IT partner who can help your business reach its goals by using technology.

When researching technology providers, be sure to ask these questions along the way:

• What services do you include in your managed services packages?
• Is cybersecurity included in your technology solutions?
• What technology services do you offer?
• Where is your support team based?
• When is your support center open for calls?
• Can you support the technology problems I encounter on-site?
• Do you have experience providing technical support to businesses in my industry?
• Can you provide testimonials from existing customers?
• Do you have a service level agreement?
• What expectations will you have of my business and its employees?
• Do you think you would be a good technology partner for my business?

When researching technology partners, you must understand the type of technology support you need, the benefits you’re looking for, and the questions you need to ask potential partners.

As a comprehensive technology partner and managed service provider, High Touch provides complete and integrated technology, software, and communications solutions to help make things easier for businesses. Do you have any additional questions, or are you interested in learning more about building a technology partnership with High Touch for your business? Contact us to learn more.