Modernisation has wrought many changes in the way we work. Technological advances would by and far be the biggest factor in bringing about a number of these changes. It is now possible for teams from different cities, countries and continents to work together to deliver the best possible service that they can to their customers. Technology is thus the enabler which makes this possible and the robustness of the technology in the organisation determines the seamlessness of the collaboration across geographies. It is also key to the prevention of downtime that can result in a loss to the business.

Now that we understand the importance of keeping our IT systems functioning well, we need to decide on how we can do that. This will be a big decision that we will have to make and we will need to carefully consider all aspects of our requirements prior to taking a decision and settling upon the right mix that fits the IT department's specific requirements based on the strategy for the future. We could either choose to handle the entire operation in-house or partner with one of the wide variety of IT Support Companies that are present and vying for attention.

Many companies who do not have a core focus of technology find that they are better off working with a partner who has expertise. It also allows them to focus on their core services and offerings without having to spend a lot of time and effort in attempting to manage a team or department when they do not have the requisite knowledge to do so. However, they may find that partnering with a supplier who is not "right" and does not have the appropriate mix of skill sets can lead to more issues than it solves. Thus it is vital that the choice is made after weighing all the pros and cons of the supplier. Additionally, one has to ensure that the capabilities of the partner of choice match the needs of the business. A global company will generally require the following from the supplier:

1. Global presence - delivering a single point of contact for all IT issues, eliminating the need to work with multiple vendors.
2. Access to a pool of highly qualified IT support professionals, who can resolve issues that arise quickly, with their extensive experience across industries, different IT environments and familiarity with the complexities involved.
3. Language skills - multi-lingual IT professionals would ensure that language barriers are overcome.
4. Flexibility – the company can rest assured that they will receive support from a specialist at their point of need on a full time, part time or ad hoc basis.
5. Knowledge and expertise in employment regulations to ensure adherence to the stringent employment laws. Businesses operating in the UK will have to adhere to European employment regulations like IR35 and TUPE. Partnering with the right IT services company in the UK, will enable a seamless transition and the transfer of resources if necessary.
6. Capability to monitor IT systems 24x7x365 – this will ensure that glitches are fixed immediately, eliminate downtime and thereby improve operational efficiencies.
7. Presence of both reactive and proactive support.
8. Expertise to advise on an appropriate business model that will help save costs whilst implementing best practices.