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How to choose the right computer equipment for your business to increase your productivity and efficiency without it costing the earth.

Business software helps you complete a range of tasks. Choose the right software, provide support and train your staff with our introduction.

It is highly likely that you depend on the internet for some aspects of your business. Find out how you can use the internet more effectively.

Good communication with customers, partners and suppliers is vital for business success. This summary explores business communication methods.

How would you cope if your IT system failed or was breached? We cover the main IT security issues and how to protect against them.

Good IT management can help you choose, use and implement IT. Our overview helps you manage IT in a way that maximises the return on your investment.

IT support is vital if you rely on your IT system. But how can you set up an effective safety net in case things go wrong? We explore the options.

Getting the right IT is just the first step. Appropriate training, policies and working practices can help you maximise return on your IT investment.

Sample IT support contract

Our sample IT support contract will help you understand the main things your business IT support contract should cover

You can compare our IT support contract template with your chosen supplier's contract, to make sure you're getting a fair deal. It is free to download and you can customise specified sections to suit your own business needs.

Download sample IT support contract >>
(Microsoft Word, 66KB)

If you would like to include our Sample IT policy on your own website, you must credit the Tech Donut and link back to this original page.

When you read through the example IT support contract template, you'll see it's made up of a number of different sections.

We've also provided a summary of key points below, to help you understand more about what this sample IT support contract covers:

1. Items covered by the contract

Our IT support contract template starts by listing the items to be covered by the contract. This section can be amended to include the software, hardware and services specific to your business that are to be covered.

2. IT support contract exclusions

It's totally normal for an IT support contract to exclude certain situations. For instance, you might not be covered for problems that arise from you spilling coffee in your hard drive, or if a power surge knocks out your server.

That doesn't mean your support company won't help in these circumstances - they'll probably just charge you extra.

3. Activities

This is a detailed list of the tasks and situations that the contract covers. Our IT support contract template lists some common examples. For instance:

  • Testing your backup system
  • Installing software updates when required
  • Dealing with support requests on an ad-hoc basis
  • Checking security software and firewall logs

4. IT support contract tiers

The IT support contract example provides for three different tiers of support.

Most IT support companies use a tiered system to track and respond to support requests. Typically, a request starts at tier one, then gets escalated to tiers two and three if it cannot be easily solved.

Ask if you don't understand your IT contract

Contracts can often be confusing, and sometimes the temptation is to sign on the line without checking the details too closely.

With your IT support contract, that's a mistake. It's really important that you understand what's covered, what isn't, and how long you might have to wait for help.

If anything in the contract is unclear, or different to what you discussed with the supplier, ask them about it. The best support companies won't be happy until you're happy - and will rewrite or clarify any confusing areas of their support contract.

Sample IT support contract >>
(Microsoft Word, 66KB)

Written with expert input from Craig Sharp of Abussi Ltd.

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