Information technology is vital to the success of almost all small businesses. However, not all small businesses can afford to hire dedicated IT departments and even for those who can, it is sometimes more cost-effective to outsource IT functions. Consider these five benefits when deciding whether outsourcing your IT functions makes sense for your business.
Expertise
Technology changes rapidly and it can be difficult for a small internal IT department to keep up with every new technology. Outsourcing your IT functions can allow you to bring on board an expert in any new software or hardware technology your business deploys, as opposed to having to spend time training internal IT employees on new technology. This can save you money on training costs and allow you to roll out new technology faster. Your managed services partner will also usually provide support after installation and training for employees who need to use the system.
Availability
Some managed services firms offer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This can save you from trying to rouse your internal IT department from sleep at 2 a.m. or track them down on a weekend or holiday. The support that is always available means less downtime and less downtime means less lost productivity or potential customers. You also do not need to worry about covering for employees who are sick or on vacation.
Future Proof
Modern hardware and software is not something you can just install and then forget about. There are patches to install, upgrades to consider and backups to perform. A managed services provider has the expertise and equipment to handle your off-site backups for you, determine when it makes sense for your business to upgrade to new software or equipment and ensure that you have the latest patches installed to keep your systems running smoothly. Outsourcing your IT can also help you avoid a situation where you have one or two employees who understand how the system works, but no one else, which can leave you in a bad position if that employee leaves the company without training a replacement.
Cost
The cost of hiring external IT support is often less than the cost of paying salaries, insurance, and other benefits to internal IT employees. When considering the cost of having your own IT department versus outsourcing, be sure to include the costs associated with hiring, training and replacing employees, which can sometimes be in the thousands of dollars.
Scalability
Because managed services firms keep staff with varied expertise on hand, they can add and subtract people with the skills you need to match your business’s current and future IT needs. Many IT projects temporarily require a large staff during roll-out and then a fewer number for maintenance afterward. It can be impractical to handle these types of projects with internal staff, because you may either have to keep more people on staff than you need or hire temporary workers.
Cloud Computing
A managed networks solution can be ideal if your business uses or intends to use cloud services. In a cloud environment, your managed services partner will take care of the physical servers and help you install and maintain the terminals you will need to access them. You can cut costs by only paying for the amount of storage space and applications you need. Keeping most of your technology and data off-site also protects you if your physical location is damaged or destroyed.
IT support is critical for the effective operations of most businesses. Outsourcing IT functions can have many benefits for small businesses, including cost savings, flexibility, and protection from catastrophic data loss.