Outsourcing any service for your business is tricky, you want them to be trustworthy, friendly, and overall benefit your business. With anything, there are always going to be pros and cons for each side. What you really need to think about is what is best for your business. In this blog, we give an honest overview of outsourcing IT vs having an in-house IT Manager. So, you can go away with some more knowledge and make your important decision easier.
Price
A big factor on whether outsourcing IT is the best option for your business is of course, pricing. To employ an IT Manager, it will cost between £30k to £50k a year. As with any employee, additional costs will apply – company benefits, training, price of recruitment etc. This may seem like an equitable option, but many smaller businesses, simply won’t have the budget and that’s okay because there are other options with outsourcing to IT companies.
Outsourced IT companies price their services in package deals, so there is one affordable payment each month, with no hidden cost.
Knowledge and experience
Managing and maintaining existing systems within your business requires high-level engineering and technician skills. As we know, technology is always adapting and changing. So, staying ahead of the game is essential for the security of a business. In many cases, in-house IT support departments may be limited by the knowledge that they have (unless they are regularly doing training). If your business takes on new technology and issues arise, they could take longer to resolve as the technician is still learning as they go.
When outsourcing IT, you will have access to a bank of technicians, that will act as a resource because of their range of knowledge about different ‘techy’ things. The team will have a more ranged skill set and experience from other clients they are also providing support for.
Future-proofing your business
Depending what your business vision is, will impact your decision. If you are innovative and looking to expand your business then you may outgrow the support from an in-house IT Manager. As, they may not have the time in the day to fix all the issues that arise. IT contributes significantly to the success of a thriving business, getting the right support at critical times is essential.
Alternately, an in-house IT Manager may fit within your business perfectly – you may be a start-up business and not need much support, or a mature small business that is happy with your current clients, where your business is and not need a lot of support due to having a small number of employees.
Impact on data
Entrusting important data to an outsourced company is always going to have its risks as you cannot guarantee that it will be 100% safe. With an employed IT Manager, all data will be kept internal, and you will have a better chance of knowing how it’s being handled. You can still assure your data is in the right hands when outsourcing to an IT support provider by making sure they are trustworthy, do this by checking they deliver good industry standards and follow data protection best practices.
Response times
When managing IT issues internally, it’s easier to track the progress of each issue submitted. In some cases, you can contact your in-house IT Manager quicker because your team will normally be based on the same site. Having one person supporting the whole business can be difficult if there are a lot of IT problems at one time, it will take a while for them to be resolved.
By outsourcing IT support, it can be harder to track progress, depending on the level of communication. This could lead to a genuine risk and the quality of service could decline if response times increase. When searching for an outsourced IT support team, take a look at their reviews to see if they are praised on their response times.
We understand how important it is that issues are dealt with quickly and efficiently. That’s why we pride ourselves on our 15 minute response times and our customers often feed back how helpful this is to the day-to-day running of their business.
Which is a better fit for your business?
Still considering which option is best for your business between outsourcing IT or hiring an IT Manager? If you need any further advice, we are a Brighton IT Support Company that outsources services to businesses across Sussex, Kent and Surrey.
We understand how difficult this decision is and want the best for you. Contact us now on 01273 806211 or email [email protected], and see how we can help you.
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