Finding an IT company to manage your network can be a daunting task if you are unfamiliar with technology. It can be hard to say no to a tech company if you don’t know what services they are trying to get you to take up. In the end most people will just put their trust in an IT company and hope for the best. Here are a few warning signs that may indicate your IT company doesn’t have your best interests at heart.

1. They don’t give you the keys to your castle. If your IT company does not give you administrative credentials to your own server that’s a red flag. An IT company should never be able to hold your data hostage or keep you out or away from your own computers. If an IT company tries to tell you that you don’t need to access your server because they’re managing it, pack up and move on those guys aren’t for you.

2. They use the ‘Mother May I’ approach to allowing others to provide service for your machines. You should be able to allow support technicians of your software to be able to connect to your devices without an IT person insisting on overseeing the whole process. Although having IT available for support is great, most RB maintenance and repair does not need IT assistance. In most cases of IT companies that do this it is unnecessary and used to bill the client for additional time. In the end it only delays fixing the problem.

3. They insist you have fries with that. If an IT company is telling you to buy a lot of equipment or equipment that’s expensive it could be a sign your IT people might not be looking out for you. However, this is hard to tell if it’s an actual red flag. If your network is severally outdated you may need to actually buy new computers. If you get an initial quote and you feel it’s over kill then shop around, it’s okay to walk away.

4. They try to scare you into buying top tier network security products. Some IT companies will try to sell you more equipment saying that you need it to protect against hackers or get into PCI compliancy. This is a situation where you may need to do a little research. We’ve been seeing more and more Sonicwalls go up around networks. Although it will protect you against almost everything, it’s a little like putting up a 20 foot wall, with barbed wire at the top and armed guards posted at every corner around your yard. You’ll be perfectly safe from everything, but it’s a little overkill and its going to need a lot of management to allow traffic through your door even if that traffic is friendly. Find the security that’s right for your network and fits with your business needs.

Every network is unique so research and education will be your biggest assets when choosing or evaluating an IT company. There are many resources on the internet to help you.