Our Technology Assessment Process: What Happens During a Free Consultation

You've decided it's time to get serious about your IT infrastructure. Maybe your WiFi is unreliable. Maybe your team is spending too much time on tech issues. Maybe you're growing and your current setup doesn't scale.

But you're unsure what you actually need.

This is where most businesses get stuck. There are dozens of IT service providers out there, but most consultations feel like sales pitches, not genuine diagnostics. You leave confused about what problems you actually have and what solutions would genuinely help.

We built our technology assessment process differently.

When you schedule a free consultation with Sandbar Systems, we're not there to sell you something. We're there to understand your current situation, identify what's working and what's broken, and give you an honest roadmap for improvement—whether you work with us or not.

Here's exactly what happens during our technology assessment process.

Before the Consultation: Preparation

Good assessments start before we ever sit down with you.

When you schedule a consultation, we send you a brief intake form asking:

  • What's your current biggest technology challenge?
  • How many employees do you have?
  • What locations are you operating?
  • What critical systems does your business depend on?
  • Have you had major technology issues in the past year?
  • What's your IT budget, if you have one?

This gives us context before we arrive. We're not walking in blind.

Our consultant also reviews:

  • Your website (to understand your business model)
  • Your industry (to know common challenges in your sector)
  • Your company size and structure (to understand complexity)

This preparation means we ask smarter questions and don't waste your time with generic assessments.

Stage 1: Business Discovery (30 Minutes)

The assessment starts with conversation, not technology.

We want to understand:

Your Business Model

  • How do you generate revenue?
  • What are your peak times and critical operations?
  • How does technology enable or constrain your business?

Your Current Technology Footprint

  • What systems are you dependent on?
  • How many people touch technology daily?
  • What's working well? What's frustrating?

Your Growth Plans

  • Are you expanding? New locations? New services?
  • How does technology need to evolve with you?

Your Pain Points

  • What specific issues brought you here?
  • How often does technology cause disruptions?
  • What's the cost or impact when things break?

This isn't a sales conversation. We're genuinely trying to understand your world before we start analyzing infrastructure.

Stage 2: Network & Infrastructure Walkthrough (45 Minutes)

Now we get hands-on.

We ask to see your current setup:

Connectivity Assessment

  • Where is your internet connection coming in?
  • Do you have backup internet (redundancy)?
  • What's your current bandwidth? Is it adequate?
  • How reliable has your connection been?

WiFi Assessment

  • Where are your WiFi access points?
  • Are they covering all areas effectively?
  • How many devices are connecting?
  • What's the quality of the WiFi experience?

We often perform:

  • A WiFi site survey (walking the location with tools that measure signal strength)
  • Speed tests at various locations
  • Network device inventory (routers, switches, firewalls)
  • Physical inspection of network cabling and connections

Security Assessment

  • What firewalls and security tools do you have?
  • Are you backing up critical data?
  • What's your password policy?
  • Have you had security incidents?

Server & Systems Assessment

  • Where are your critical systems hosted?
  • Are they in-house or cloud-based?
  • How are they being backed up?
  • Who has access to critical systems?

This isn't theoretical. We're literally looking at your infrastructure and testing it.

Stage 3: Device & Software Inventory (20 Minutes)

We want to understand what devices are on your network:

  • How many computers, phones, tablets are connected?
  • What operating systems are running?
  • How old are the devices?
  • What software is critical to your operations?
  • Are devices patched and updated?

This reveals vulnerabilities. It also shows us what we'd need to support if we took over management.

Stage 4: People & Processes (20 Minutes)

Technology doesn't exist in a vacuum. It serves people.

We ask:

  • How is IT currently managed? (In-house? External support? Ad-hoc?)
  • Who's responsible for tech issues?
  • How do employees report problems?
  • What training do people have?
  • What processes exist for backups, updates, security?

Often, infrastructure problems are actually process problems. The network is fine, but nobody's managing it. Data backups aren't tested. Updates aren't scheduled.

Understanding your people and processes reveals the real issues.

Stage 5: Analysis & Recommendations (30 Minutes)

After gathering all this information, we step back and analyze.

We're looking for answers to key questions:

Availability & Reliability

  • How likely is your network to go down?
  • What are single points of failure?
  • What's the cost of potential downtime?

Performance

  • Is your current setup adequate for current and near-term growth?
  • What bottlenecks exist?
  • What upgrades would meaningfully improve performance?

Security

  • What vulnerabilities exist?
  • How protected is your data?
  • What's your risk exposure?

Compliance & Backup

  • Are you meeting regulatory requirements?
  • How protected is critical data?
  • What's your disaster recovery capability?

Scalability

  • Can your current infrastructure support growth?
  • What would need to change for additional locations or headcount?

Stage 6: Recommendations Report (30 Minutes)

Here's where we present findings.

Typically, we create three tiers of recommendations:

Tier 1: Critical Issues (Urgent)

These are things that could cause major problems if not addressed immediately. Examples:

  • Single point of internet failure creating outage risk
  • No data backup or protection
  • Unpatched security vulnerabilities
  • Inadequate WiFi causing daily disruptions

We recommend addressing these within 30-90 days.

Tier 2: Important Improvements (Medium Priority)

These improve performance, reliability, or efficiency but aren't emergency-critical. Examples:

  • Network redesign to improve WiFi coverage
  • Implementation of monitoring and alerting
  • Security tool upgrades
  • Update or refresh of aging equipment

Timeline: 90-180 days

Tier 3: Strategic Enhancements (Long Term)

These align with growth plans or create efficiency gains over time. Examples:

  • Cloud migration strategy
  • Disaster recovery planning
  • Scalable network design for new locations
  • Strategic technology roadmap

Timeline: 6-12 months

For each recommendation, we outline:

  • What the issue is
  • Why it matters for your business
  • What we'd recommend
  • The cost and timeline
  • The ROI or impact if implemented

Stage 7: Next Steps & Implementation Options

Finally, we discuss what happens next.

We present options:

Option A: Self-Implementation We provide our assessment and recommendations. You implement improvements yourself or with your current IT support. No obligation. No sales pitch.

Option B: Sandbar Systems Managed Services We implement recommendations as part of ongoing managed network services. We handle the work, monitor the systems, and support ongoing operations.

Option C: Hybrid Approach We implement specific items (like network redesign) while you manage others. We work alongside your existing IT support.

We discuss what makes sense for your business, budget, and preferences. Not every client should use Sandbar Systems. Some have great existing IT support. Some prefer managing technology in-house. We're honest about what we'd be great at and what you might do better yourself.

The Philosophy Behind Our Process

Our technology assessment isn't a sales tactic. It's genuinely how we believe good partnerships start.

We invest time upfront because:

  1. You deserve to understand your IT situation before making decisions
  2. We can't recommend the right solution without understanding your actual problems
  3. The assessment itself often produces value—clients leave understanding their technology better
  4. Real partnerships are built on clarity and trust, not sales pressure

We provide honest feedback because:

  1. Recommending unnecessary services damages trust
  2. If you're going to work with us, it should be because we solve real problems, not because we convinced you to buy things
  3. Our reputation is built on results, not on closing deals

15+ years and hundreds of clients later, this approach has proven itself. Many assessment consultations result in clients working with us. Many don't. But all of them appreciate the honesty and clarity.

What You Get From the Assessment

By the end of a technology assessment consultation, you'll have:

A Clear Picture of Your Current State You'll understand what's working, what's at risk, and what's holding you back.

Prioritized Recommendations You'll know what to fix first, what can wait, and what aligns with your growth plans.

Cost-Benefit Analysis For key recommendations, you'll understand the investment required and the return or impact.

Honest Advice We'll tell you what we'd do and what we wouldn't do. You'll know what's our opinion and what's objective fact.

A Roadmap Whether you work with us or not, you'll have a technology strategy for the next 12 months.

Common Discoveries From Our Assessments

After hundreds of assessments across hospitality, retail, professional services, and manufacturing, certain patterns emerge:

Discovery 1: WiFi Problems Are Often Network Architecture Problems Businesses often think they need more WiFi access points. Usually, the real issue is where points are placed, how they're configured, or inadequate backhaul. Good site survey analysis reveals the actual problem.

Discovery 2: Downtime is More Expensive Than People Think Most businesses have never calculated true downtime cost. When we show them the real number—often $5,000-50,000+ per major outage—the ROI of reliability investment becomes obvious.

Discovery 3: Security Is Often Overlooked Until Disaster Strikes Many SMBs have no backup strategy, unpatched systems, and weak access controls. A breach can cost 10x more than prevention.

Discovery 4: Growth Breaks Existing Infrastructure Businesses that worked fine at 10 people start failing at 30. We catch these breaking points before they cause crises during growth.

Discovery 5: Process Problems Masquerade as Technology Problems If nobody owns technology management, a good network still feels unstable. Process improvements often matter as much as infrastructure upgrades.

The Free Consultation: No Obligation, No Pressure

Our technology assessments are genuinely free. No hidden fees. No obligation to hire us.

We invest in this process because:

  1. It builds relationships with business owners
  2. Many assessments lead to partnerships
  3. Even those that don't result in client goodwill and referrals
  4. The assessment itself proves our expertise and approach

You're free to take our recommendations and work with anyone else (or do it yourself). We just ask that you consider us if our approach resonates and if we've demonstrated clear expertise.

Ready to Understand Your Technology Situation?

Clarity is the first step to strategy. You shouldn't have to guess about your IT infrastructure, vulnerability to downtime, or what upgrades would meaningfully improve your business.

Our free technology assessment gives you clarity—honest analysis, prioritized recommendations, and a roadmap forward.

No sales pitch. No obligation. Just expertise.

Schedule Your Free Assessment Today

Questions before you book? Let's talk:

At Sandbar Systems, we've spent 15+ years assessing technology for hundreds of businesses. We know what questions to ask, what to look for, and how to translate technical findings into business impact. Let us help you understand what's possible with your technology.