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As your business grows, your need for IT support and expertise grows. However, there isn't any reason why small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can't have the same kind of technology management as large enterprises. After all, they both rely on technology for business operations; they simply have different budgets.
When looking for IT support, you’ll need to decide if you want an internal IT department or outsourced IT work.
But what exactly does that mean? What are the pros and cons for each, and how do you choose? Let’s find out.
Read: Is It Time to Replace My Internal IT Team?
Difference Between Internal and Outsourced IT
An internal IT department is when a company assigns tasks and projects to an in-house department. It can consist of one individual or a team of specialists. However, internal departments are notorious for being overworked, and the move to remote workplaces and the talent shortage in the technology sector have caused businesses to consider outsourcing their IT needs.
Outsourced IT performs all the same functions as internal teams, but they are assembled and maintained by a third-party expert, called a managed service provider (MSP), to handle its business IT needs. MSPs rely on building a strong relationship with your company to run your IT infrastructure smoothly. They’re dedicated to finding fast, reliable solutions to issues and providing high-grade customer service that keeps you at the forefront of your industry and unleashes your business success through measurable and outstanding IT results.
MSPs can provide a variety of services, including:
- Remote support and monitoring
- Help desk services
- Troubleshooting
- Security monitoring
- Backups
- Software updates
- Server storage and management
- Cloud services
- IT budgeting
- Fractional CIO services
- Network and server management
What to Consider When Choosing Internal or Outsourced IT
Both internal and outsourced IT have pros and cons, but neither is a one-size-fits-all option for companies – you should choose one that meets multiple factors, like company budget, deadlines, goals and needs. If you go with an outsourced company, ensure they’re trustworthy and have an excellent reputation. Select an MSP that has services that benefit your company.
Read: 9 Tips on Choosing the Right Managed Service Provider (MSP)
9 Benefits of Outsourced IT
1. Cost
The number one reason why a company chooses to outsource its IT needs is cost. Outsourcing can help contain labor costs, as you no longer need to screen, onboard and train employees, as well as pay for their salaries, benefits, raises and taxes – a single IT support staff salary is about $50,000 a year, meaning an internal IT department of several could cost upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Providing a physical office space with the proper equipment and maintenance can also be expensive.
With outsourcing, you have a team of experts working at a fixed monthly cost that is almost always cheaper than setting up and maintaining an internal IT department – you know what service you’ll receive at what price, so you can guarantee more bang for your buck.
2. Wealth of Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Unless your business is specifically about technology, odds are, you don’t know much about managing IT. A small internal IT department risks having gaps in your IT capabilities, whereas a team of certified, trained IT experts who specialize in different aspects of technology at your fingertips can offer their collective knowledge, skills and experience to cover a wide array of services.
An outsourced IT team should also have experience working for various industries, meaning they will have developed strong SOPs to can handle issues efficiently and quickly. They know the best workarounds, solutions and tools, not including their established connections with suppliers, vendors and resources. Meanwhile, if your internal IT department is small or has limited skills, they’ll struggle to address any issues your company faces – if an IT person leaves, they take their knowledge with them.
3. IT Leadership and Guidance
Reliance on one or a small handful of people for IT management can put your company in a precarious situation, especially if someone gets sick or leaves the company. Whether planned or unexpected, an absence can stall or completely stop business processes due to inefficient IT support. This predicament forces your employees to choose between halting their work until a solution arises or delivering subpar services to customers.
Outsourced IT support provides access to IT leadership that continuously grows the company. A fractional chief information officer (CIO) partners with your management and creates an IT roadmap that is aligned with business goals. They recommend IT investments that will help the company achieve its objectives and get the best ROI from its investments.
4. Enhanced Cybersecurity and Compliance
Outsourced IT can enhance your cybersecurity stance by noticing vulnerabilities you didn't know existed and offering insights on how to fix them. They monitor and maintain your systems, ensuring continuous protection of your sensitive data and networks. They can implement security strategies that minimize risks and mitigate threats against the latest cyber attacks, as well as help your company meet cybersecurity compliance requirements.
5. Cutting-Edge Trends and Tools
It’s almost impossible for an internal team to understand the ever-changing IT systems, best practices and regulations, let alone implement them effectively. In contrast, an outsourced team literally exists to do that – it takes a substantial amount of time, money and effort to stay abreast of the latest IT advancements, tools and trends, so let the MSP do it for you.
There's an endless number of technology tools you could invest in, and all of them profess to be the perfect product for your company, making it difficult to pinpoint which ones are actually worth your time and time. Even the best IT tools in the industry won't accomplish much if they aren't operated by professionals who know how to use them.
Outsourced IT professionals specialize in researching and training staff on these cutting-edge tools, meaning that partnering with one will give you access to some of the most effective instruments available. More importantly, your outsourced team will choose and apply the best tools and practices for your specific situation, efficiently meeting needs without any overlap or gaps. Plus, putting cutting-edge tools in the hands of experts who know how to use and apply them empowers companies to achieve business objectives.
6. Scalability
As businesses grow, so do their IT needs. By outsourcing, you can easily increase your IT with your organization – scale up or down, depending on your changing business needs and budget, without the logistical challenge of hiring or laying off staff. Whether you're opening a new office, launching a new product or experiencing seasonal fluctuations, remote IT support can adjust accordingly. Outsourcing can also offer more access to resources and staff during a busy season that typically overwhelms an internal IT team.
7. Flexibility
In-house teams are often overburdened with too much work and feel unable to focus on their responsibilities. Outsourced IT can help manage the workload and provide flexible solutions and policies as they adapt to your needs and issues so you can get more tasks done. Your company can then decide whether to focus on day-to-day tasks or big projects and divide the responsibilities with the outsourced IT department.
Or you can let your outsourced company handle all IT issues – you can focus solely on what you do best (growing your business) and avoid costly downtime. Outsourced IT takes the burden of IT management off your shoulders, allowing your staff to concentrate on strategic initiatives and operations. This leads to higher productivity and business operation efficiency, and you can reinvest the time and money saved back into your company.
8. 24/7 Availability
Outsourcing IT also provides a flexible work schedule, especially since 60% of tech professionals work remotely. With an internal team, you must be mindful of employee sick time, vacation time and holiday schedules. If you lose an employee, whether temporary or permanent, it can stall or stop business continuity – a high turnover rate in the IT field means inconsistent work as businesses continuously onboard, hire and train staff before losing them again.
Outsourced teams can be available 24/7, on the weekends and during holidays, so you aren't restricted to set times and hours. This constant support also lessens the time between finding and solving issues, which also results in higher productivity – you might not even know a problem existed because the outsourced team will handle it outside normal business hours.
9. Proactive IT
The most significant benefit of outsourced IT is it provides proactive IT management. A proactive approach tables the day-to-day technology concerns that keep your employees from doing their jobs effectively, but it also stops IT issues before they happen; proactive monitoring and maintenance mean potential problems can be identified and addressed before they cause disruptions, ensuring that IT systems are always running smoothly and securely.
Proactive IT also predicts and plans proposed frameworks and systems around upcoming shifts in the field, ensuring you won't be blindsided by a poor IT investment or new cyber threat. In other words, it helps build and maintain a strong, reliable IT infrastructure that keeps future developments in mind.
Read: 5 Risks of Not Going Proactive with Your IT
The Obvious Choice? Thriveon
If you need an outsourced IT company, look no further than Thriveon.
Thriveon provides outsourced managed IT services to a variety of industries in Minnesota and Florida. Our proactive mindset means we try to fix problems before they occur so you’re not dealing with the same issues again and again. We also provide comprehensive cybersecurity compliance measures and hassle-free professional IT project services. All of your IT needs are handled by our industry experts, who work both remotely and in the field.
Find out how Thriveon can help you today – schedule a consultation now.
