The IT Recipe that Gets Proven Results

Crafting dependable IT systems is a lot like being a chef.

Chefs work with an end goal in mind: a finished dish, delivered to taste and high-dining standards. There’s a clear recipe toward getting there – a list of ingredients and a set of instructions on how each one should be prepared and added. It’s this set of guidelines that ensures repeatable quality.

And yet, in addition to simply having a recipe, being a chef requires the skill and expertise acquired over dedicated years of training to make subtle refinements that tailor the final creation to a customer’s unique palate.

Anyone can follow a recipe. It takes a chef to create one.

The same principles are true when it comes to implementing IT systems.

There’s a Proven Methodology to Dependable IT

First, make no mistake about it: there is a proven methodology to dependable IT. In culinary terms, there’s a recipe to follow.

The principle is fairly straightforward: if you know what you want the outcome to be, you can start to know what you’ll need to put in to achieve it. Do you want a cake? You’ll need eggs, flour, milk, butter, and sugar. Do you want a secure network? You’ll need a combination of solid hardware and secure software.

The best IT providers know the ingredients that will contribute to a great solution.

Over our years implementing and protecting dependable networks and systems, we’ve found that there are a set of standards and tools that, if enacted, provide the best chance of system dependability. This recipe is, by its nature, complex, but it’s also intensely documented and easily repeatable. Generally, it includes components such as:

- The Sophos Security Suite
- Secure routers
- Secure switches
- Server-level security
- Application security
- User access management

…And more, depending on need. Each piece, of course, is implemented with the end goal of security in mind. After all, if you want your network to be secure, then it makes sense to follow a recipe known to produce that outcome

The Best IT Recipes Take Business Needs into Account

Of course, having a recipe to follow is important, but the best IT recipes aren’t static, one-size-fits-all lists. Instead, they’re dynamic solutions shaped by business needs.

Let’s continue the culinary analogy. A good chef wouldn’t, for instance, include peanut oil in a dish when serving it to a patron with a peanut allergy – even if the recipe traditionally called for peanut oil.

A good chef would, on the other hand, tailor the level of spiciness in a dish to take a patron’s preference into account – even if the traditional recipe called for a certain amount of hot pepper.

A good chef knows that a patron’s unique needs trump an obligation to follow a recipe to the letter.

When modifications are necessary, the recipe isn’t thrown out, obviously – it’s a critical guide to preparing the dish. But neither is it followed blindly, or prioritized over the desires of the patron.

The same principle holds true for IT solutions. While the best IT providers have a set of guidelines that are known to result in success, they also understand that the process of following an IT recipe is in service of a business’ needs – not the other way around.

That’s why, at Swift, while we have a carefully tested recipe that we know brings proven IT results, we’re also open to working with existing systems and hardware in accordance with business needs.

We believe that having a good recipe is critically important. But we also believe business priorities should guide IT implementation, every time.

You Need a Recipe. But You Also Need a Chef.

Do you know why many IT solutions aren’t dependable? It’s because many IT providers only follow a recipe; they aren’t concerned with being a chef.

Cheap IT solutions entail setting up a list of hardware and software components. Often, to make it easier for lower-level techs, it’s the same package every time, repeated for different clients again and again. It’s cost effective, and it makes training techs easier, too. In culinary terms, it’s a McDonald’s cheeseburger.

But the reality is that the same package of IT solutions doesn’t work for every situation. And, to be honest, many cheap IT providers don’t have the expertise to select the right ingredients – so the resulting solution is more like an imitation of a McDonald’s cheeseburger than the real thing.

Choosing cheap IT means choosing questionable quality. And just like choosing to eat at McDonald’s everyday will come back to hurt your health in the long term, choosing cheap IT means exposing your business to issues that, over time, have the potential to cripple your business.

If you want more than fast food IT, you need a provider who can do more than just follow an IT recipe. You need a chef who can tailor solutions to your unique business needs. You need someone who has the expertise to recommend the system components that will work best in your unique situation.

You need a trusted IT partner to provide solutions you can count on.

That’s Why You Should Switch to Swift

We have a proven recipe we’re proud of. But we’ll never put it above your business needs. And, we have the expertise, honed over years of helping mid-sized businesses like yours, to recommend the quality components and strategy that will be essential in growing your business.

Don’t let cheap IT wreak havoc on your business. Choose an IT chef who will provide solutions you can count on – solutions that will play a vital role in assuring your business’ long-term health.

Get in touch with us to learn more, and take the first step toward dependable IT.