Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any unanswered questions, take a look at our FAQs. Please feel free to get in touch with our team who would be happy to help should you need any further information.

What does Partner IT stand for?

We are proud to be a Wollongong born and bred business and since our beginning in 2004, we have provided services to small and medium businesses throughout the greater Illawarra area.

Am I required to be under contract to engage with Partner IT?

We don’t ever force any of our customers to be under contract. We will always discuss options with our customers to work out best case scenario and fit for them.

Do you offer 24/7 support?

Customers that are engaged under a Managed Service Agreement will gain access to a priority line which is diverted to our on-call technicians outside of business hours.

Is work conducted offshore?

No, we have consciously made a decision to keep all of our technical resources locally in Australia.  The main reason for this stems from our understanding that there is a shortage of skilled IT Professionals in Australia. Because of this, we have implemented a program where we employ trainees and steer them on a career path that will see them grow into the next generation of IT professionals.  Whilst we have a vast array of skilled engineers with extensive knowledge, we believe that it can only benefit those involved by continuing to train young talent, in order to fill the skills gap which will only continue to grow if it isn’t embraced.

What is the Cloud?

“The cloud is not a physical entity, but instead is a vast network of remote servers around the globe which are hooked together and meant to operate as a single ecosystem.”

Source: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-au/overview/what-is-the-cloud/

Should I move to the Cloud?

The cloud can mean many different things for all businesses. The main piece of advice that we suggest is to make sure that you aren’t moving to the cloud for the sake of it. We do believe that all businesses will work in the cloud to some extent, however a full cloud migration needs to be reviewed and planned for carefully.

What does digital transformation mean?

Digital transformation is the process of reviewing the use of technology, in order to resolve traditional business problems, improve efficiencies, increase flexibility, reduce overheads, increase sales and automate as many components of your business as possible. The end result should lead to lower operational overheads, more productivity and ultimately increased profitability. As well as this, enhancing your technology stack can also lead to obtaining a better work-life balance by reducing time wastage and freeing up time.

What is a hosted phone system?

A hosted phone system replaced a conventional PBX or VoIP solution by means of hosting your phone system in the cloud. Whilst maintaining all functionality and in some instances, gaining access to better features, there is very little physical infrastructure required. These solutions are generally a subscription based service that is charged on consumption.

What is a Managed Services Agreement?

An MSA or ‘Managed Service Agreement’ is a partnership agreement, where a business engages a Technology Provider to manage their IT environment. In many cases, a MSA replaces the need for in-house IT resources, and can also work out to be much more economical with much better results.

What is a Strategic Business Review (SBR)?

A strategic business review is a collaboration session that is designed to:

  • Review IT System Performance
  • Review support being delivered
  • Identify any skills or technology gaps
  • Review business goals and discuss technology strategies to accelerate them
  • Creation and realignment of the overall I.T. road map to the business needs

Depending on the type and size of the business, these reviews are generally conducted with the management team of the organisation.

What is an Offsite Backup?

An offsite backup is literally a backup of your data that is stored “off site” from the place where the original data is stored.

What is an SLA?

An SLA or ‘Service Level Agreement’ is an agreed framework of services that an organisation will provide to your business. These agreements commonly include response times, items covered and escalation paths.

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