Infoconsol Inc. 110 Cumberland Street #318 Toronto, ON M5R 3V5 (416) 922-4455 - your Toronto IT Consulting experts. Visit us today!

1. Tips for Finding the Right IT
Consultant for Your Business

2. Introduction
 In today’s world, IT or information technology is
just as important as any business system. Within
the structure of a standard business, IT consulting
plays a big role to keep the whole information
technology machine rolling along and keep the
business healthy.
 IT consulting generally covers technical
support, networking, hardware and software
repair, hosting, assessment and backing up
computer systems.

3. Introduction
 Some organizations have IT departments or
employees in-house, but many bring in outside
consultants to handle this task. Here are some
tips for finding the right IT consultant for your
business.

4. Experience in the Industry
 It’s wise to hire an IT consulting firm that has experience in the IT
industry, and experience in your industry, if possible. As an
example, IT firm Infoconsol in Toronto provide service to a broad
range of industries, including:
 Automotive  Energy and Utilities
 Banking  Insurance Industry
 Aerospace and Defense  Media
 Consumer Products  Retail Industry
 Electronics  Wholesale Distribution
 Healthcare  Telecommunications
 Financial Markets

5. Experience in the Industry
 Choosing an IT consulting firm that has
experience over a wide range of clients increases
the likelihood that they have experience in your
industry and have seen all of the issues that
come up on a regular basis.

6. Satisfied Clients
 Speaking with satisfied clients is always a
wonderful gauge when you’re planning on hiring
any type of consultant. Ask to speak with
references before you sign on, and ask those
references all the questions you’d want to know
about a company that is doing your IT consulting.
 Most people will be more than willing to share
their experiences, especially if they were bad, so
if you hear a good report you can be sure they did
a good job.

7. Which Approach Is Best?
 According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs, there are two basic approaches
when it comes to consultants; they either provide the
knowledge approach or the people approach.
 The Knowledge Approach – the consultant that uses the
knowledge approach works for you. This approach
works well for straightforward, technical jobs like many
associated with IT consulting.
 The People Approach – the consultant who uses a
people approach doesn’t just work for you, but works
with you. If the entire community or organization should
become involved, using the people approach type of
consultant is typically best.

8. Which Approach Is Best?
 Depending on the type of IT consulting you
need, either type of approach can be effective.
The important part is to sit down and decide
which one is the best fit before making a choice.

9. Where to Look
 Some of the places you might want to look for IT
consulting include:
 Online
 Word-of mouth referrals
 Accessing professional organizations
 Contacting placement or consulting companies
 Placing an online or newspaper ad detailing your
needs

10. The Selection Process
 You may hit on the right IT consulting firm early on in
the process, but if you are interested in a more
substantial search, you may want to follow this
process:
 Make first contact and provide your needs.
 Request proposals from the various firms.
 Analyze and assess each proposal.
 Create a short list. This may have three to five finalists.
 Conduct interviews of the short list, being as in-depth as
possible.
 Check all of the references.
 Choose your IT consultant.

11. The Selection Process
 Whether you go with an individual or a company that
specializes in IT depends on your needs, the size of
your organization and your budget. You don’t need to
hire more than you really need, but bringing in less
help than you need to save some money is also a
poor decision.

12. The Selection Process
 Sit back and think of all the different IT elements your
business uses on a daily basis, then think of the
potential consequences if that system were to fail in
some capacity. No company has a foolproof solution
to IT, and IT consulting is always evolving. Just try to
follow some of the previous guidelines and you should
be on the right track to finding the ideal IT consultant
to keep your system healthy into the future.