Should you outsource your IT or keep it in house? It’s an age-old conundrum for businesses, and one that won’t answer itself. If you’re wondering how best to manage your IT needs, we’ve got the answers.
All businesses rely heavily on their technology solutions, and once those solutions are in place, they become integral. Over time, as your business grows, or new technologies are required, your infrastructure may need to be further developed, or integrated with other solutions – Cloud services for example. Does your internal IT resource have the time, alongside their day-to-day role, to investigate new technologies and new solutions to improve your business processes? Are they able to regularly test your cyber security measures and procedures, or ensure that you’re benefiting from efficiencies delivered with newer solutions?
With so much advancement with tech services over the last few years; improved hardware, software and cloud solutions that deliver faster, cheaper more secure business solutions, how do you know that you’ve got the best tech solutions stack for your business? Products and programs that offer better, more efficient ways of working are continually being developed, and if your internal IT resource doesn’t have the time to dedicate to researching more effective solutions, your business will be missing out on their productivity and cost benefits.
Let’s look at the reasons for moving from an in-house IT solution to either fully outsourced IT support, or a hybrid tech solution with an outsourced IT provider:
What are the top 5 business pain points for companies with an in-house IT solution?
1. Experience
It’s hard for an in-house resource to gain all the experience they need to tackle the many issues businesses can encounter. Outsourced IT Support will have many expert technicians, regularly undertaking training, learning from the needs, and the problems they encounter working with their clients. They’ll have dedicated subject experts, and IT loving maniacs that live and breathe purely to outwit and obstruct cyber criminals!
2. Contacts
MSPs forge relationships with the best-in-class providers, ensuring the services they provide are their most effective. Vendors like Datto, Knowbe4, Microsoft, Apple and Connectwise, meaning your IT provisions are top notch. With an in-house resource, these relationships won’t be as strong, established or profitable. Working with a managed service provider, you’ll most likely benefit from the resources, discounts and incentives that only an MSP can achieve.
3. Proactivity
An MSP will remotely and continuously monitor your systems; they won’t just fix something when it goes wrong, they’ll more than often fix it before you even realise there’s been an issue. They’ll manage patches (to ensure security and updates are put in place as they become available), and they’ll let you know if they’ve defined a better solution for your business. This service can be available as needed 9 to 5, 5 days a week or 24/7/365, and with an internal IT resource, unless you have a large team of Techs, that provision simply can’t be replicated.
4. Risk
With the right MSP by your side, your business risk will be greatly minimised. Managed Service Providers monitor risks and assume much of them for you. With their specialised knowledge of solutions – especially security and compliance – they can best prepare for and avoid risks to your data and business. Depending on the size of your team, for an internal resource it could be hard to monitor and manage all these services and requirements. For example, should a subject access request be demanded under article 15 of the GDPR (SAR), you’ll need someone specifically trained to manage and respond to this legal request, in the allotted time, and if that person is your sole IT resource, they’ll most probably be unable to complete this in a timely manner, while managing all other IT requirements of your business.
5. Security
Almost without doubt, the most important benefit of working with an outsourced managed IT provider is the peace of mind from working with a cyber security specialist. No business wants to fall foul of GDPR, risk a data breach, or worse still, suffer a ransomware attack! MSPs offer solutions and training to help protect your business from breaches, cyber criminals, insider threats and phishing scams.
If these pain-points resonate, it may be time to look at the advantages of outsourcing your IT Support to a Managed Service Provider. MSPs, are experts in defining best-practice IT infrastructure. They’ve developed strong partnerships with key solution providers and understand effective cyber security and cyber hygiene requirements. Their technicians are regularly trained and tested, their GDPR and compliance knowledge is comprehensive, and by working with many other businesses, they have plenty of hands-on expertise.
An MSP can consult, investigate, review and design a bespoke IT solution around the business and budget needs of any company. They can take all these headaches, and many more, away from you.
Thinking of outsourcing your IT? Give the team at SPC IT a shout, we’re happy to discuss your needs and explain just how our IT experts could transform your business. What are you waiting for?