Most of us will look at price first when choosing an ICT provider; however, it shouldn't be the deciding factor. Jumping on the cheapest offer you see isn't necessarily the best idea, especially if you rely on ICT for your day-to-day business activity. It is important to think about what would work best for your company now and in the future. Most ICT providers can give you a rough estimate of how long the job will take and the pricing. Consider this when thinking about price:

• Do they set pre-paid monthly pricing?
• Charge hourly for onsite support?
• What is the minimum cost for onsite support or remote support?
• Is there a call-out fee?
• What time increments do they bill in?

IT Companies all have different pricing models, so it is extremely important to identify if it is a good fit for your business. Pricing should be transparent and honest. If a business is unable to provide you with a confident or solid pricing structure, it might be a sign that something isn't right.

As with any business, customer satisfaction is a pivotal part of a business. How do you know if the ICT provider you are thinking of hiring is highly rated from current and previous customers? When looking for a place to have dinner, most people will Google or Facebook a restaurant to see what others have to say. This is not just limited to restaurants, but any business – including ICT providers. You can find reviews and recommendations from real people and see the experience that customers have had.

From reviews you want to look for these answers:

• Are they easy to contact for support?
• Were they prompt and professional?
• What's the average time it takes to respond?
• Do they have a good track record with their customers?
• Did they resolve the issue?
• Do they have credible referral sources?
• Do they work with reputable vendors?

All of this information from an unbiased source is integral when evaluating the credibility of an ICT provider.

An ICT provider is not always the "it" company. Subsequent to price, it is important to investigate a company's specialty or area of expertise. Choose a company that specialises in your system and can confidently support the areas of interest for you. You would never look for a plumber to install an electrical point, so don't look for a Windows-centric ICT provider to support your Apple Mac environment. Pay that little bit extra (if you need to) to get a professional!

• Does the IT Company only focus on large enterprise, small to medium businesses or home users?
• What is their area of expertise?
• Do they actually specialise in both, Windows and Mac computers or just one?
• What other services do they provide?

When your technology goes down due to a technical fault, you want to ensure that your ICT provider can act swiftly to get you back up and running. When your company relies on technology, any downtime can mean loss of income.

Before choosing an ICT provider, ask which communication and assistance methods they offer. This can be done in the way of remote support, onsite support, phone support or email support.

• Can you speak to someone about the issue or do you need to log a ticket first?
• Do they offer out of business hours support and how quickly can they come out to your location to fix the issue?

You'll find that, like in price and technical specialisations, all ICT providers are not equal and offer different types of support and availability.

This area of consideration comes down to the following question – What makes this ICT provider special? What extra incentive do they provide to make their services more attractive? Do they keep all client information and passwords safe and can they provide it to you when needed? Do they purchase services or software in your business name so you have full control over the application or system?

How did you find about the ICT provider? If it was a referral, is it a reputable source? Do they have all the necessary certification and experience with large vendors like Cisco, HPE and Apple? Are they partners with companies such as Google, Microsoft and Dropbox? Most ICT providers will have their partners and affiliates linked on their website and you can be confident in their abilities with these types of systems.

As more and more companies are moving to an Apple ecosystem, Apple provides a great tool to find verified Apple consultants that you can find here: https://consultants.apple.com.

If you have chosen to use Apple products for business, using the Apple Consultants Network will provide you with a large list of Apple consultants in your area that are specialists in your task at hand.

It is important to know if the IT Company requires you to sign up to a lock in contract. If this is the case, you need to confirm details such as:

• What is the contract period?
• What is exactly covered?
• Will there be extra charges?
• Would they provide you with all the password information if you decide to change your ICT provider or is there an extra fee?
• Are they bundling all of your services together and restricting you from easily changing providers?

Some ICT companies might have hidden fees that can cause more drama than good. What about a password information sheet with all your IT information? If you move to another ICT provider, is there a charge to release information to your business? Believe it or not, but there are many ICT companies that do - it shocks us! This is extremely important to confirm before locking into a contract.

Communication and record-keeping is another important aspect of selecting an ICT provider. It is important to be able to communicate easily with your IT specialist. You should be kept in the loop when they are resolving an issue or finding a solution to your problem. Does the ICT provider keep communication records in a database? Everything should be recorded in case it is needed down the track and each IT specialist in the team can communicate effectively about your system. This seems like basic business practice, but you would be surprised how neglected it is in the industry!

Nothing is worse than spending a large amount of money on equipment and it breaks due to the ICT provider's wrong-doing. It is extremely important to confirm that the ICT provider has the relevant liability and professional indemnity insurances in the event of the worst happening.

Are the provider's staff sufficiently skilled to be responsible for your data and confidential information? Do they tailor technical solutions to your business or do they offer you a template? Do they adjust to your skill level and speak to you in a language that is easy to understand? Are they a locally-based company or are the headquarters overseas?

Take your time and choose wisely when it comes to finding the right ICT provider. Technology needs to work for you and your business, so the first step is to understand what you are getting and if it meets your needs. Secondly, the provider must be focused on exceeding your business goals. As an ICT provider, it is our job to simplify your system – not overcomplicate it! Downtime can be crucial to the business, so make sure that you can get support when you need it most.