The CTN 10: How to Evaluate Your IT Provider
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OUR COMMITMENT
CTN was recognized as a top 500 IT service provider in North America by CRN (the top technology news and information source in the industry). We’re honored to be part of this exclusive list. It has taken years of hard work.
In the 25+ years we have been in business, we have seen it all. As a result, we’ve developed 10 essential best practices of a true IT service provider to aid you in your selection process while shopping for a new provider or comparing your existing provider.
Does your current or possible provider meet these best practices?
CTN does.
The 10 Principles of the CTN Commitment
How to Use This Framework
If you’re evaluating IT providers:
Use these 10 principles as your evaluation criteria. Ask candidates how they deliver on each one.
If you’re a current CTN client:
Hold us accountable to these standards. If we’re not meeting them, we want to know.
If you’re a current client of another provider:
Compare your experience to these principles. If your provider isn’t delivering, it may be time for a change.
1 — The Team
- Is your IT support company a consulting firm with a few technicians (IT guys) or an IT provider (an experienced and proven team with diverse skills)?
- Are the senior leaders of the organization technicians or are they strategic?
- Are there cybersecurity specialists on the team?
Why this matters:
It takes 25 skill sets to run IT. A few generalists can’t cover everything. You need a team with depth, specialization, and strategic leadership.
2 — The Onboard Process
- Does your provider have a documented onboard process?
Why this matters:
A white-glove onboarding process ensures nothing is missed, your environment is documented, and baselines are established before ongoing support begins.
3 — Help Desk and Network Operations Center (NOC)
- How many resources does your provider have dedicated to your help desk?
- How long does it take for a technical support person, who is capable of remoting into your system, to answer the phone?
- Does each person you speak with on the help desk have a general level of familiarity with your environment?
- Is your provider’s help desk and NOC in at least two different locations throughout the country, at least 90 miles apart?
- Is your provider’s help desk US based?
Why this matters:
You deserve fast, knowledgeable support — not a ticket mill. CTN answers in 45 seconds or less, and our team knows your environment.
4 — Service Delivery Approach
- Does your IT provider have a documented and deliberate service delivery approach?
- Is your account manager the same person who fixes your computers or servers?
- Do you receive regular client business reviews (at least once per year)?
Why this matters:
Strategic planning and tactical execution require different skill sets. CTN provides both — with a Strategic Account Manager (SAM) and Virtual CIO (vCIO) for planning, and dedicated engineers for execution.
5 — Compliance
- Do they have the ability to continuously assess your business against any compliance regimes you must adhere to such as Cyber Insurance, NIST, or HIPAA?
Why this matters:
Compliance is no longer a once-a-year audit. You need continuous monitoring and evidence collection.
6 — Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity
- How well do you understand your backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity strategies?
- Are they documented by your provider?
- Are they tested at least annually?
- Has your provider discussed RPO and RTO with you and have you mutually developed a plan?
- Are you and your provider on the same page in terms of how long it would take to recover from a disaster?
Why this matters:
Having backups isn’t enough. You need to know: Can your business survive the downtime while you recover?
7 — Cybersecurity
- Has your provider discussed and reviewed their cybersecurity approach with you in the last 6 months?
- Have they provided recommendations on how they can better protect your company from cyber threats?
- Do they carry a specialized “Tech EO + Cyber” insurance policy of at least $5 million to insure cyber events as well as errors and omissions?
Why this matters:
A cyber attack happens every 11 seconds. Your provider should be proactive, insured, and continuously improving your security posture.
8 — Statement of Work and Service Level Agreements
- Do you have a SOW in place from your provider?
- Do you have a SLA in place from your provider?
- Is your provider meeting the terms of the SOW and SLA?
Why this matters:
Commitments should be documented and measurable. You deserve accountability.
9 — Service Guarantee
- Does your provider offer a service guarantee to exit their contract at any time?
- Do they provide in writing the “end of relationship” process where your information is provided back to you and protected?
Why this matters:
Confidence in your provider should be earned — not locked in with long-term contracts.
10 — Trust
- Do you trust your provider?
- Do you understand the process they use to care for your passwords and client data?
- Do they have professional liability, cyber-crime, and other IT-related insurance policies and coverage?
- Have they been in business long enough where they have developed long-term client relationships based on trust who you can speak with as references?
- Have they been recognized by their industry for their high level of service and guidance to their clients?
Why this matters:
Trust is earned through transparency, accountability, and results. CTN has 25+ years of proven client relationships and industry recognition.
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Whether you’re navigating operational risk, cybersecurity pressure, compliance requirements, or responsible AI adoption — the right conversation changes everything.
At CTN Solutions, we don’t believe in generic demos or one-size-fits-all pitches.
We start by understanding your environment, your risks, and your goals — then determine whether and how we can help.















