In recent years, we’ve seen a growing number of organizations shift their IT operations over to an outsourced model. Rather than rely on an internal team to handle their IT support, these companies are instead partnering with managed service providers (MSPs).
What’s behind this sudden rise in popularity, and is outsourcing right for your business? We’ll answer those questions in this article.
When To Outsource IT Services
Before we go any further, it’s necessary to provide a clear definition of what outsourced IT support is. Also known as managed services, outsourced IT support refers to when you hire a third-party vendor to handle the management of your IT environment. It’s a service that’s used to make your life easier by taking the burden of maintaining your IT off your shoulders. The popularity of managed services is due to the many advantages that come with the service.
Despite the benefits of outsourcing IT support, leaving your infrastructure in the hands of someone outside of your business is a big decision. It requires you to invest in a third-party vendor and form a good, trusting relationship with them. As a result, you may find yourself asking, “Is my business ready for managed services?”
How To Know When It’s Time
While it’s important to consider all sides of the question, there are signs that can tell you if outsourcing is the better option. If you’re experiencing any of these situations, managed services may be the right option for your business.
- IT is holding you back: Technology is meant to improve a company’s efficiency, productivity, agility, and flexibility. When infrastructure starts getting in the way, changes need to be made. More often than not, IT becomes a hindrance when systems aren’t aligned with business operations or it’s not maintained properly. An MSP manages your environment for you so it’s always working the way it should.
- Your team is overwhelmed: IT projects can pile up quickly. If they’re coming in faster than your staff can finish them, it can lead to your team feeling overwhelmed. Rather than watch them struggle to keep up, you can supplement your team with an MSP. The MSP acts as an extension of your internal department, allowing you to delegate tasks more evenly.
- A lack of certain skills: Although your staff is capable, it’s not impossible for your team to lack knowledge in certain areas. If an IT project comes in, requiring a skill your team doesn’t have, then you’re going to need an alternative. With outsourced IT, you have access to a range of experts who possess a variety of skills.
- You need to lower costs: Hiring employees is expensive. On average, an IT specialist makes a salary of over $57,000 according to PayScale. In addition to salary, your company also has to pay for their benefits. For smaller businesses, it can be difficult to afford IT personnel, let alone an entire team. Outsourcing allows you to receive IT support at a fraction of the price.
- You need IT advice: Eventually your IT is going to reach the end of its lifecycle. Before that time comes, you should make a decision on what new technology needs to replace the old. If you don’t know what the best solution for your business is, an MSP can help. As your partner, they can provide advice to steer your infrastructure in the right direction.
- You have network issues: As a business owner, the last thing you want is for your network to go down. Downtime can be costly for any business. Monitoring services, offered by your MSP, can catch issues before they affect end users. This means your employees can continue to work without disruption.
- You are on a deadline: There are times when a business needs to get a product out to market on a deadline. If it’s a big project or you have a small staff, getting it out on time could be difficult. With outsourced IT support, your MSP can pick up the slack, helping you finish on schedule.
The Benefits of Outsourcing
From reduced labor costs to expanded resources, there are plenty of reasons to choose outsourcing over insourcing. Some of these benefits include:
- Better security: Good cyber security is vital for business. There are millions of cyber threats that are strong enough to take down an entire business. An IT provider that can implement enterprise-level cyber security solutions to protect you from even the worst cyber attacks.
- Compliance: Some industries are subject to strict cyber security regulations. A MSP that offers compliance services, like E-N Computers, can make sure your systems stay compliant.
- Disaster recovery: A hardware crash or a natural disaster could cause you to lose your precious data. With the help of an MSP, your information can be restored with disaster recovery services.
- Refocus your attention: Since your IT provider is taking care of the management of your infrastructure, you’re free to focus on the more pressing aspects of your business.
IT Outsourcing vs Insourcing
In the end, the decision is up to you. To find the right answer for your business, it’s necessary to weigh the benefits of outsourcing with the benefits of insourcing. Going down the insourcing route, everything is kept in-house. This is a good option if you’re working on something confidential or you already have the necessary resources. For anything else, outsourcing is usually the better option.
Outsource Your IT With E-N Computers
The team at E-N Computers are highly trained and knowledgeable professionals who are at the forefront of the IT industry. When you choose us as your outsourced IT provider, you gain access to experts who are dedicated to your success. From compliance to cloud migration, we offer all the services you need to reach your business goals.
Contact us today to learn more about the industry-leading services we provide.
