How to choose an external IT leadership partner

As you grow, the complexities and integration of IT systems to meet your business needs go beyond basic email and similar platforms. You want to meet the demand of your growing business and increase efficiency. You have probably already identified this, and have started looking to work with an IT partner that can provide senior level leadership.  Before you commit to a partner, you should research IT partners that can help implement technology efficiently and cost effectively. Finding an IT partner, who can guide, deliver, and train your team on the new platform and integrations is crucial for making the leap. 

While looking for an IT partner, there are 10 key things to be looking for:

1. Strategic leadership: Your partner must have the business acumen to align the technology strategy with the long-term business goals as a true strategic partner to the organization.

2. Expertise in the industry: What’s right for one business may not be right for another. Each industry has its own nuances and requirements (compliance standards, commonly used applications, etc.). Choose a provider with proven expertise in your industry.

3. IT Skills: It may appear obvious, but in this case, it is worth stating the obvious. Yes, you want a strategic partner with a strong business sense, but not at the expense of in-depth knowledge of modern technology.

4. Agility: If we’ve learned anything over the last several years, it’s the importance of being able to adapt to change. Your partner should be able to make decisions quickly and adapt to the constantly evolving landscape.

5. Interpersonal skills: Before bringing in a partner, make sure the individual(s) meshes with your company culture. Collaboration, personality and people skills are an absolute must in a position of this caliber. It’s not just about the technology; it’s about partnering with others across the organization to ensure the IT strategy supports business growth.

6. Are they transparent? A successful collaboration is built on clear communication and complete transparency. Inquire about how potential partners prefer to communicate and how often you can expect to meet to discuss expectations and goals. Finally, a technology partner's interactions should be tailored to your needs while remaining completely transparent throughout the process.

7. Will they be able to grow alongside you? As a business owner, you must always keep your company's growth in mind. When choosing a technological partner, keep the future in mind. Are they able to grow alongside you and quickly adapt to your changes? You may have some concerns that are unique to your company. It might be a good idea to create a list of questions to ask each company you're thinking about partnering with and compare their responses. Throughout your relationship with the partner, you should ask, is this still a good fit?

8. Take a test drive: Do a limited engagement with a potential partner. If they are pushy about longer term contracts or how you will save more with buying a certain package, then this may not be a good fit. A long term IT partner will understand doing a short trial period to see if it is a good fit.

9. Choose your selection team: You may be inclined to make this choice in a vacuum, but it is important to bring in stakeholders from several departments in your organization to evaluate future partners. They will likely be the ones working the closest or directly impacted by the technology implemented.

10. Know what problem you are trying to solve: This can be the most challenging part of finding an IT partner. You know how to make your business successful, but it can be challenging to distill symptoms down to the root cause. Many IT vendors provide solutions, but are they solving your real problem? Your first conversations should be doing a discovery session with a partner that provides vCIO or fractional CIO services to determine if you can have a collaborative conversation where they really understand the underlying needs of your business.