Why Awful IT is Like a Bad Marriage
If you have ever taken a little time to listen to the call-in advice shows that are so popular on the radio, you’ll quickly notice one strange and slightly disturbing fact: that there aren’t a lot of people out there who are unhappily married. Whether it’s constant bickering, lack of trust, or general dissatisfaction, a certain percentage of the population seems to have been locked into holy matrimony a little longer than they should have been.
So why is it that these people stay together?
Often, it’s because their lives have become so intertwined that they wouldn’t even begin to know how to separate. Aside from the general sense of familiarity, they fear having to split the house, savings account, and maybe even a couple of children… not to mention the horrifying prospect of having to meet someone new. It’s not ideal, they tell themselves, but it probably makes sense to stick it out a little longer.
Of course, in the long run that approach doesn’t really help anyone. And, it has more similarity to a lot of relationships between IT support providers and their clients than it should. There are a lot of business owners and executives who would love to split up from the technology partners they have, but are too afraid to make the move. Just like a bad marriage, they have become dependent on their IT firms over time. They just can’t imagine who else they would call when their server crashes, or what vendor they could turn to in the event that they stop receiving e-mails. And then when you factor in the time and energy it would take to interview new companies and have them get familiar with your systems, it’s just not worth it… or is it?
The reality is that these are usually situations that are created by a bad IT relationship, rather than reasons to hold it together. If you are facing technology problems often enough that you fear a life without your current IT firm, then that’s a sign they probably aren’t working hard enough to prevent them in the first place.
Bad IT truly is a lot like a bad marriage, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay locked in to a poor arrangement until one of your businesses dies. If you find that you’re looking at your IT invoice and thinking the spark is gone, then it’s probably time to look for a new, more competent flame to help you with your technology.
About VC Solutions:
Peter Marsack is the Vice President of Business Development for Vision Computer Solutions – one of the leading information technology companies in Michigan. Vision specializes in Michigan IT support and Michigan computer support for legal, manufacturing, property management and healthcare companies.
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