The US Chamber of Commerce recommends small businesses outsource their IT department. Why’s that?
Simply put – most small businesses don’t have the financial resources to support an in-house IT employee, let alone a whole team. And finding an IT support and services provider can be complicated. This is especially true when you don’t specialize or completely understand what the IT sector involves. And, that’s why you’re here.
This article will tell you everything you need to know about IT outsourcing and its benefits.
What Is IT Outsourcing?
IT outsourcing is when a third-party team, or Managed Service Provider (MSP), maintains the information technology of a company or organization. The team is responsible for controlling and managing everything IT-related.
In the past, companies did IT outsourcing as a cost optimization solution where the lowest bid would win the contract. IT was only a backend operation.
But, in today’s evolving business practices, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and IT managers create a strategic IT outsourcing plan. As a result, IT is driving business growth. Now, the relationship between the IT services vendor and the business is collaborative. Thus, the vendor can respond to changing business needs and provide the necessary IT support.
IT outsourcing is all about balancing the various IT products and services. It takes continuous planning, developing, and purchasing.
IT Outsourcing Strategy Objectives
Businesses need employees who can quickly adapt to change. But unfortunately, the skills gap prevents some companies from evolving as fast as they need to. Being able to grow exponentially is what keeps companies competitive.
Yet, technology is outpacing the labor market to provide digital skills that drive new strategies. IT organizations and MSPs offer roles and services that fill these gaps. With IT support, businesses can scale much faster.
Further, IT services will move toward everything-as-a-service models. These models will measure the value of finished work rather than the labor required for the task.
Result-driven agreements will foster better relationships between small businesses and MSPs. Thus, companies will have more flexibility in their workforce as they won’t solely rely on their current employees.
Finally, a mix of local and global IT outsourcing will allow businesses to maximize protection with a new, dynamic workforce.
IT Support and Services Available for Small Businesses
Of course, not all businesses are the same. Thus, various companies require diverse IT support and services. Fortunately, MSPs provide a wide variety of services to small businesses. These are a few examples.
Full-Featured IT Monitoring and Management
Some businesses benefit from using a complete IT management service. This type of service will streamline your technology operations as engineers continuously monitor and improve your company’s network.
Engineers will also have access to your company’s servers and workstations. This helps to identify risks, faults, and issues before critical problems occur. In addition, many full-featured services work 24/7 for maximum results.
Disaster Recovery and Backup
Every company needs a recovery plan. In business today, there is so much data continuously passing through servers. And sometimes, numerous people can access the data. So, not preparing a disaster plan is something no company should consider.
Backup is the first step to ensuring your data remains safe and secure. Having access to a controlled and secure environment with high-level encryption is essential for backups. Disaster recovery plans are for when you lose access to your data. You want an MSP with fast restoration times.
Backup and disaster recovery are customizable for your business, depending on your needs. They are also scalable because of cloud capabilities.
Security and Protection
Internet threats and cyberattacks are abundant. Therefore, your business must protect itself against intrusion attempts, security vulnerabilities, and network breaches. Managed IT security will enhance your security with cloud-based solutions. These include antivirus, anti-malware, and email filtering.
In addition, security services also ensure your employees abide by company policies. The rise in popularity of managed IT services means following protocol and remaining compliant is critical. Working with an MSP will not only protect and secure your data. It will also ensure you continue to follow changing rules and regulations.
Benefits of Managed IT Services
If outsourcing your IT needs sounds excellent, that’s because it is. Businesses see several benefits when finding a Managed Service Provider to partner with.
Reduced Costs
IT support and services may sound expensive. But, businesses actually see cost reduction when using them. This is because companies don’t have to train or retain IT employees. IT staff can be expensive. With a service, you only pay for what you use and when you use it.
Plus, the MSP provides IT infrastructure using virtualized and cloud services. So you don’t need to build your own infrastructure, which is also expensive.
More Experience, Functions, and Security
This article already discussed the increased security your business would receive from outsourcing IT. But you will also gain better-experienced engineers.
As a business owner, you probably aren’t IT trained. Thus, it can be challenging to choose the right IT employees. However, when you hire an MSP, you know you’re getting better trained, qualified, and certified IT professionals.
Further, an MSP can offer you solutions you may not be able to afford to buy outright. Not only do you save money, but you add more essential functions when you integrate these services into your infrastructure.
Increased Productivity
With IT outsourcing, your in-house employees can focus on their tasks and goals. In addition, they can take on more significant responsibilities than before because they have more time.
Employees also will have access to more work tools than before. This allows for more innovative work. With a change in productivity, you can scale your company much faster than before.
As mentioned, the infrastructure from managed IT services can support quick scalability.
Get Started With IT Outsourcing
Outsourcing your IT support and services is an excellent choice as a small business. You will feel confident knowing you are technologically advancing with the competition, all while saving money.
To find the IT solutions right for your company, contact us at Coban Computers. Our expert engineers will offer you tailor-made services to elevate your business.
