An in-house IT department costs a lot to run daily. Hardware upgrades, IT maintenance and ongoing staff training continually add to this cost.
Many organisations are now choosing outsourced services for cost efficiency, access to specialist knowledge and enhanced security.
We delve into the benefits of IT outsourcing and why it’s a sensible choice for your business.
What are the benefits of outsourcing IT support?
In-house IT departments are still common in many SMEs. But more and more organisations are now outsourcing their IT support to specialist companies. That’s because doing so promises significant rewards, including:
- Leveraging specialist expertise. When outsourcing your IT to a specialised company, you’ll gain access to cutting-edge expertise. The people there will spend every day supporting organisations like yours, giving them rich knowledge. So, you’ll benefit from well-considered solutions and faster resolutions to issues. They also provide increased security and innovation.
- Cost efficiency. Outsourcing IT offers better cost-effectiveness than internal resource. You only pay for the service you receive, rather than having to pay for other staff overheads.
- Consistent service. With an outsourced IT contract, you’ll have to access to an always-on service. Many companies offer 24/7 assistance, so you can literally get support whenever you need it. You also don’t need to worry about staff being off or leaving the business, as your IT partner will fill any resource gaps to maintain service.
- More time to focus on internal strategy. By relieving the pressure of IT on your internal staff, they’ll have more time to focus on everything else. 100% of your resource is spent on important operations or strategic work that pushes your growth goals. By outsourcing, you’ll win back money and time, while benefiting from optimal coverage.
The pitfalls of internal IT support
If you’ve historically kept your IT support in-house, we understand that the thought of outsourcing can seem drastic. However, organisations who utilise only internal resource often fall into common traps, especially if they haven’t got a careful strategy.
We’ve listed some important questions to contemplate when considering in-house versus outsourced IT support.
1. How can you ensure your staff have the latest knowledge on cyber security compliance?
We often find that organisations with smaller IT teams can fall behind when it comes to the latest developments in cyber security. In-house IT provisions are limited by the knowledge and experience of your team, much of which has been acquired working with your systems. If you choose to deploy new technologies in-house, technical issues may take longer to resolve as engineers are learning as they go.
As a result of this, company security can sometimes be put at risk and become exposed to malware threats and data breaches. If your employees can’t handle these, you could find yourself in hot water.
One of the major benefits of outsourcing IT support to a reputable company is that you’ll be protected against major security threats. They’ll also ensure your company adheres to compliance regulations, such as GDPR, for consistent peace of mind.
2. What happens to your company’s IT when team members go on holiday or are off sick?
Outsourcing your entire company’s IT can be very daunting for some directors due to the perceived loss of control. However, by outsourcing, you can keep a consistent level of service, with no disruption caused by staff illness or holiday.
If there’s still concern, some IT companies work alongside existing teams as a bolt-on addition. This will strengthen your team with third-party expertise and can be particularly useful during significant IT projects.
3. How do you ensure your staff have enough current industry knowledge and expertise to take your company IT to the next level?
As organisations of all sizes move towards new technologies, many find themselves at the edge of a competitive advantage. However, technical skills are needed to deploy and use these new technologies. These skills can be hard and costly to source.
To elevate your existing team, you need to send staff on regular IT courses – but there is an expense to this. By working with specialist IT partners, they will often have up-to-date knowledge already, with no extra cost to you.
4. How do you ensure your organisation’s IT setup is as up to date as possible?
Many companies fall into the habit of doing maintenance in response to problems, rather than to prevent them. A third-party IT partner will proactively check for updates to avoid potential threats/glitches and install them out of hours to avoid any disruption. This means your IT setup is always secure. It also enables you to use the new functionality that comes with system upgrades as soon as it’s released and not three months down the line!
5. How many times a day are files lost, computers crashing or servers not working properly?
As we all know, time costs money. IT setups that run smoothly enable employees to work efficiently without any disruption to their busy working day. One of the other benefits of outsourcing IT support is to get assistance in emergency situations, whenever they happen.
It keeps everything ticking along smoothly for maximum productivity and minimum frustration.
Infinity Group has years of experience providing award-winning IT support. With dedicated and fast service, plus leading knowledge across Microsoft and other IT matters, we can help you optimise and protect your IT practices.
If you are considering outsourced IT Support, please get in touch and we would be pleased to discuss your individual business needs.
