Slide 1Tech Support Confidential: Insider Advice on

Selecting the Right IT Support

Tech Support ConfidentialInsider Advice on Selecting the Right IT Support#13NTCsuppt

Ber YangRoger HagedornKaren Graham

Slide 2Tech Support Confidential: Insider Advice on

Selecting the Right IT Support

What is your burning question about selecting the right IT

support?

Slide 3Tech Support Confidential: Insider Advice on

Selecting the Right IT Support

1. Questions to ask before you

start

2. Overview of major options for IT

support

3. Learning activity

4. Tips for choosing a provider

5. Questions and wrap-up

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Selecting the Right IT Support

Getting Ready

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Selecting the Right IT Support

Needs Assessment for IT Support Basic Items to Consider

SCOPE: How much help do you need, and what kind of help is it?• What are you looking for? Help desk, network administration, troubleshooting, web site…• Consider whether your IT needs be divided into different types of work that can be handled differently…(For example, maybe your website can be updated by a volunteer, and your database be handled by a staff member.)

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Selecting the Right IT Support

SKILL LEVEL: How technically challenging are your needs?• Ask yourself how complex your tech needs are.• Find out and document the technical knowledge and abilities of your staff

AVAILABILITY: What availability do you need from your IT support?• Expectation of availability to staff: do you need someone available during all office hours, after hours, or is a scheduled visit or on demand sufficient?• How frequent do your IT problems pop up?• How fast do you really need to have these problems solved? Ideally?

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Selecting the Right IT Support

BUDGET: How much help can you afford?• What can you budget for IT support? • Are you in a position to invest more now in order to potentially reduce costs later or improve productivity?

STRATEGY: What investments would go furthest in supporting your mission?• What elements of your technology are most mission-critical?• Where are the stakes highest?What’s the relative importance of…• Quick response time and resolution time• Reliability/availability• Depth of understanding of organization• Strategic approach• Cost

Slide 8Tech Support Confidential: Insider Advice on

Selecting the Right IT Support

Do your homework

• Who provides internet services for your organization?• Who supports your telecommunication services?• Who supports your network cables (voice & data)?• Who supports your telephone systems?• Who supports your copy machine?• Where is your Domain Name registered?• Who host your DNS?• Where is your web site hosted? • Who supports or maintains your web site?• Where is your email hosted? • Who supports your email?

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Selecting the Right IT Support

• Do you have SPAM filtering for your email?• What kind of databases do you have? (Donor, accounting,

client, etc.) Are these databases online or hosted on a server or workstation your network?

• Who does your social media?• How is help desk type support provided now?• Do you have a Technology Plan or Database Plan?• Do you have an IT Budget?• Do you have a backup system? If yes, where? Online or

locally on your server?• What knowledge and expertise do you have on staff or on

the board? Are there people who may have skills you could leverage?

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Selecting the Right IT Support

Options for IT Support

• Internal staff• Volunteers• On Demand• Managed IT

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Selecting the Right IT Support

Staff

Average annual salaries

Small <$1M Med $1-5M

System/network admin

$7,500 $48,200

Technician/IT support

$27,500 $33,000

IT staff to org staff ratio

Small <$1M Med $1-5M

1:24 1:54

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Selecting the Right IT Support

Volunteers

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Selecting the Right IT Support

On Demand

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Selecting the Right IT Support

Managed IT services

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Selecting the Right IT Support

  Pros Cons

Internal staff

Availability, knows your systems well, around to observe and make proactive recommendations, invested in the organization.

Less flexible to match workload fluctuation, most expensive cost of ownership, training is your responsibility/working in isolation

Volunteer

“Free”, potentially available, project work, engage people in meaningful way

Scheduling/response time, knowledge/skill level and need for supervision widely variable, can be flaky

On Demand

It’s on demand! There when you need it. Often higher level of technical expertise/resources.

Most expensive (hourly at least), unfamiliar w/your system. Focus on putting out fires. Variable budget item.

Managed IT

Regular maintenance, proactive. Knows your system. Potentially strategic. Predictable cost.

Not necessarily invested in organization. Some bundled services may not be necessary.

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Selecting the Right IT Support

• Questions to ask• Contract• Relationship tips

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Selecting the Right IT Support

Quiz

• What’s one question to ask before you choose an IT support option?

• Compare and contrast: managed IT vs help desk support

• Name two things that can help make your IT support relationship successful.

• Your questions?

Evaluate This Session!Each entry is a chance to win an NTEN engraved iPad! 

or Online using #13NTCsuppt at www.nten.org/ntc/eval

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