Bulletproofing My Business / Peace of mind - I need help!

coachjc
With regards to your server issues, it sounds like you need a server management company. Sure I'm tooting my own horn here, but what you describe is what companies like mine do.

There are many companies that can help you manage a server. Most firms that target small businesses have areas of focus. If you find one that matches your needs, then do your due diligence to assure they are reliable.

Some tips when outsourcing server management:

Have clear business objectives you hope to achieve by outsourcing.

For example, "taking backups of the server" is a technical task not a business objective A business objective may be ... "Assure that my data is safe. I can tolerate loss of X amount of data. Should my data become inaccessible, I will need to regain access to it in Y amount of time."

A good provider will recommend solutions that align with your business objectives.

See if the service provider has official partnerships in place for the technology you are using.

This is important as many IT suppliers, e.g. MicroSoft, Red Hat, MySQL, Oracle, etc, have certification or training requirements before a company can become a partner. Just don't go by logos on a site. I see companies stating they are "partners" when what they really mean is that "we use that technology."

Be very clear what you are purchasing.

The service provider should be able to give you an easy to understand Service Level Agreement (SLA). This SLA defines the services to which you are entitled. If something you need to meet your business objectives is not covered by the SLA, ask for written clarification.

Back to our backup example. You may need to have your data restored to you within 24 hours. If an SLA says 1 week, then that is not a good fit.

Envision situations and ask how they will be handled.

When you are outlining your business objectives, you likely have some situation in mind you want to avoid. Pick your top 2-3 issues and pose them as hypotheticals to the service provider.

Back to backups. Ask, if my drive fails what is the procedure to get the data restore, how long will it take, how much will it costs. A good vendor should have listened to your business objectives and put you into a product that meets your need.

Watch for product/service cramming.

I find that some vendors take advantage of their client's ignorance. They push them to upgrade into higher tiers of service that they don't need. If you get the upgrade pitch, ask how it will better meet your business goals over the standard packages/services.

Too good to be true applies here as well.

You will find a wide range of pricing for outsourced IT services. As much as 10x for the apparently same service. By digging deeper you can reveal the differences and find the providers that best matches your needs.

Trusts is key.

You must trust the company providing these services. If they don't give you reasons to trust them, don't use them. Trust is earned over time, so when you first start, you may want to entrust only certain operations to them and then expand their role over time.

I hope I understood what you were after.