Finding the correct IT provider is crucial, and that sentiment could not be truer in an industry as distinctive and rapid-paced as cannabis. It can be a real headache when your IT support slips, leading to painful interruptions that get in the way of business. If you’ve only worked with one IT provider so far, you might not even realize that your experience is subpar—after all, you don’t have much to compare it to. Some of the major red flags you should look out for include slow response times, improper solutions, and multiple system breakdowns. But beyond these technical issues, you need a provider who truly understands your industry. If your current IT partner isn’t meeting those expectations, it may be time to consider switching over to someone who can.
Slow and Ineffective Support
When it comes to the fast-paced state of cannabis, reputable IT support is no longer an option—it has evolved into the new norm. One can picture the horror of a Saturday evening when your system suddenly starts to malfunction; as you try contacting your IT support providers, their responses come back slower than usual, or worse, you hear nothing at all. Even the most minor downtime can have enormous implications in an industry with a critical need for compliance and security.
If you’re experiencing these frustrations repeatedly, it may be time for a change of IT partner. A great provider should react quickly, understanding the urgency of your sector and resolving problems immediately. Cure8, for instance, offers Service Level Agreements (SLAs) tailored specifically to the cannabis industry, ensuring that you get the timely support you need. Partially effective stopgap solutions aren’t suitable for serious issues—your business needs to run smoothly and be protected from partners who only fix surface-level problems.
Downtime That Costs You
In a world where the whole cannabis industry is busy at work, downtime may just be the last thing you want to happen. From an outage that brings down your POS systems to a server crash that leaves you unable to access critical information, regular instances of downtime can directly lead to lost revenues, angry customers, and even compliance dilemmas. But it’s not just the money and time lost—downtime can also add to your workload and stress when you may already be overwhelmed. Once it happens, it’s something you continually have to worry about, adding an extra layer of anxiety to your day-to-day operations.
The role of your IT provider is to keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes, so you can get on with business. On the other hand, if you suffer from constant outages and downtime, then it shows that your provider is not offering what best suits your business requirements.
No business can afford downtime, but in cannabis — with its often razor-thin margins — it is particularly costly. If you find that outages occur a little too often, it may be time to determine if your current IT provider has reached a saturation point when it comes to what they can offer your business.
Unfamiliar with the Cannabis Industry
The cannabis industry is like no other and comes with its own unique set of challenges, especially when it comes to compliance laws and security. If you’re working with a traditional IT provider, they may not fully understand the intricacies of your business, especially if they’ve never focused on cannabis before. A cannabis-specific IT company, however, knows exactly what your business needs. For example, they understand visitor access rules, know the specific types of records you need to maintain, and are aware of the exact security measures required to protect your assets. Working with a provider experienced in cannabis can help you avoid costly compliance issues and give you the peace of mind that your IT infrastructure is in capable hands.
Cannabis businesses, for instance, are subject to an intricate web of regulations from data security rules and tracking-and-reporting requirements. An IT provider that is not well apprised of these regulations could, without realizing it, cause your business to go into compliance jeopardy. They also may not be up to speed on the most recent knowledge and trends in technology or tools that might set your business above competitors.
The chances are that your IT provider should not be just a tech expert but also an industry partner with some unique challenges and potentials within the cannabis space. When your provider is not able to meet the industry demands, you should look for someone who could.
Poor Vendor Relationships
If you work in the cannabis industry, chances are good that your business depends on a host of other software and systems to keep everything well-maintained. If your IT provider isn’t in regular communication with all of your vendors, updates become less timely, and integration between systems becomes slower. This can lead to headaches ranging from security vulnerabilities to operational inefficiencies.
However, when your IT provider has strong relationships with your software vendors, they can offer a range of benefits. For instance, if your IT company knows the software company, they can provide updates on outages, help escalate your service requests, and resolve issues more quickly thanks to their deeper product knowledge. This proactive communication can save you time and prevent small issues from becoming major problems.
A good IT provider will work proactively with your software vendors so you are always up-to-date, safe and integrated. So, if your current provider is not going through this process then they are not completely committed to the success of your business.
Conclusion
IT is one of the single most important parts of your infrastructure and can literally make or break your business. If your support requests are being fielded slowly, or if you still have unresolved issues and experiencing frequent downtime, or worse, a provider that cannot autocorrect the importance of uninterrupted service to their services, then it sounds like it’s time for change. Having IT support that works effectively for your organization is what will keep you running seamlessly and, in some cases, can also provide a competitive edge over the pace of this industry!
