How to Choose an IT Provider in Shrewsbury: A Local Business Guide

Choosing the right IT provider in Shrewsbury means looking beyond Google rankings. Here's what local businesses should actually look for - and the red flags to watch out for.

Shrewsbury has no shortage of IT companies. From one-person operations working out of a spare room to national providers with a local phone number, the choice can feel overwhelming. But making the wrong choice costs more than money - it costs productivity, security, and peace of mind.

Here's what we think you should actually look for when choosing an IT provider in Shrewsbury - and we'll be honest about the questions you should ask us too.

1. Are They Actually Local?

Some IT companies advertise a Shrewsbury presence but are really based in Birmingham, Manchester, or even overseas. They answer the phone with a local number but the engineer who visits (if they visit at all) is driving from 60 miles away.

Ask them: Where is your office? How quickly can you be on-site in Shrewsbury? Do you have engineers who live locally?

A genuinely local provider means same-day onsite support when you need it. When your server goes down at 3pm on a Tuesday, you want an engineer who's 20 minutes away, not 2 hours.

2. What Does 'Support' Actually Include?

The word 'support' means different things to different providers. Some include everything in a monthly fee. Others charge a basic fee and then bill extra for anything beyond answering the phone.

Red flags:

• Per-call or per-ticket charges on top of a monthly fee
• 'Out of scope' invoices for work you assumed was covered
• Vague SLAs that don't specify response times
• No mention of proactive monitoring or maintenance

What to look for: A clear, fixed monthly per-user fee that includes unlimited helpdesk calls, 24/7 monitoring, patching, security management, and strategic planning. No surprises.

3. How Do They Handle Security?

This is where the gap between good and average IT providers is widest. A good provider doesn't just install antivirus and hope for the best.

Ask them:

• What endpoint protection do you use? (If they say 'Windows Defender' or 'Norton', keep looking)
• Do you deploy MFA and Conditional Access?
• What's your approach to application control?
• How do you handle patching and vulnerability management?
• Can you help us achieve Cyber Essentials certification?

4. Are They Transparent About Pricing?

Some IT providers treat pricing like a state secret. They want you to 'book a call' before they'll tell you what anything costs. This is usually because their pricing is complicated, inconsistent, or expensive.

A provider who publishes clear pricing on their website has nothing to hide. Per-user pricing is the fairest model - one fee per person, regardless of how many devices they use.

5. Do They Invest in Your Success or Profit From Your Problems?

The break-fix model (call when something breaks, pay per hour) creates a perverse incentive - your IT provider makes more money when things go wrong. A managed support model flips this: the provider's profit margin improves when your systems run smoothly.

Ask them: How do you make money? What's your incentive to prevent problems rather than just fix them?

6. What Do Their Existing Clients Say?

Google reviews, case studies, and direct references tell you more than any sales pitch. Look for:

• Consistency over time (not just a burst of reviews from one month)
• Specific detail about what the provider did and how they helped
• Responses to negative reviews (every business gets them - how they handle criticism matters)
• Case studies showing real results for real businesses

The Shrewsbury IT Landscape

Shrewsbury's business community is concentrated around the town centre, Battlefield Enterprise Park, Shrewsbury Business Park, and the surrounding industrial estates. Professional services firms, retail businesses, and growing SMBs all need reliable IT - but the right provider depends on your size, industry, and ambitions.

Whether you're a 5-person accountancy practice or a 50-person manufacturer, the principles above apply. The right IT provider is a genuine partner in your business growth, not just someone who answers the phone when things break.

Our Honest Assessment

We think we're a good fit for businesses with 5-100 staff in the Shrewsbury area who want proactive, properly managed IT support with transparent pricing. We publish our pricing, we're genuinely local (based in Shropshire), and we don't do break-fix.

But we're not right for everyone. Very large businesses (100+ staff) may need a bigger provider or an internal team. Very small businesses (1-2 people) may not need our level of service yet. We'd rather tell you that honestly than take your money for something you don't need.

If you'd like to see whether we're the right fit, book a free, no-obligation IT health check and we'll give you an honest assessment of where you stand.