Managing and Obtaining Quotes from IT Support Vendors

Finding the right IT support and solutions vendor can be a daunting task, especially if you do not understand the basics of IT and its pricing structure. We at Computer Resources of America or CRA, have been in the business of delivering top-notch IT enabled services for over 20 years now; and as a responsible name among leading Blue Chip companies, it is our duty to help companies find the right balance between IT services and their corresponding price structures.

How to distinguish between apples to apples quotes in IT?

The basic tenet of distinguishing between apples to apples quotes is to understand where your company stands regarding its business objectives, its IT requirements and how that varies from another company in the same business. It’s exactly how you determine the quality of two apples, and which one to pick according to the market price.

Let us assume yours is a financial institution and you require a reliable IT database, backup and recovery network. You should try to understand a) the technologies required to establish such a network b) whether the IT solutions vendor is equipped to deliver such services, c) what are the price parameters that IT vendors are offering for these core offerings or are there additional charges on value-added services like 24×7 monitoring and maintenance as well, d) what are the questions and requirements other financial institutions are putting forward on their IT requirements.

Understanding your company’s unique selling proposition with its core offerings and aligning that with stable IT support solutions, will help you to significantly ramp up your business performance.

What are the key parameters to judging IT services and their corresponding costs?

Given the widespread and dynamic landscape of IT solutions, it is not easy to zero in on a vendor who will do justice to your business. If you’re a new entrant trying to understand the “apples to apples” vendor solutions, there are some key areas you should focus on. These are –

• Know if you’re being charged extra for components like storage, backup or any other software upgrades
• Learn how you will access your data. Is your service provider using VPN, terminal services or Citrix- or can you access it from home, too?
• Will you be charged extra on servers or for web services?
• Who will upgrade the network or is in charge of installing the ISV solutions? Similarly, how will the CPU or RAM be managed?
• Is your IT host equipped to deliver the compelling advantages of cloud computing?
• Finally, do not determine the quality of services solely by the lowest price available in the market.

CRA Solutions are Value for Money

At CRA we have developed an array of cutting-edge technologies and we keep redefining our offerings according to the emerging needs of clients. Be it our solutions for cloud computing, or ISP issues, or our matchless Dell AppAssure assistance which provides unified backup solutions for IT infrastructures, we are here to solve every problem or issue you have with your network. Depending on your critical need, we will supply you with a host of IT support solutions and maintenance services that help your business/enterprise achieve more at competitive prices.

It’s no wonder CRA is today ranked among the top 100 managed service providers and IT solutions companies in North America.