INTRODUCTION.
Outsourcing your IT in 2017 has many benefits in terms of improved flexibility and scalability, access to a broad range of expertise and the latest technologies, and around the clock support 24/7, all at a fraction of the cost of investing in hardware infrastructure and software licenses. Additionally, outsourcing IT allows your IT staff to focus on critical business initiatives that contribute to your company’s bottom line.
As outsourcing IT continues to generate a variety of business benefits, here are ten reasons you should outsource your IT Support in 2017.
1. LOWER THE TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP.
During the economic downturn in the last few years, businesses have been faced with tough decisions with regard to IT budgets, project prioritisation, and staffing. Additionally, many enterprises have been delaying large investments in IT and “making do” with existing legacy IT infrastructures. However, the reality is that you can only delay access to new technologies for so long before it begins to have a negative impact on your business.
At the same token, setting up an IT department on premise is a huge undertaking that requires a significant time investment and the resources to accomplish it successfully. You must also employ the appropriate number of qualified professionals to oversee monitoring and maintenance and to provide ongoing support for the end users.
By outsourcing your IT, your company can sidestep the exorbitant costs associated with having a fully functional IT department in-house, without having to sacrifice service and support levels. Ongoing issues with your IT network can have serious financial consequences in terms of both time, productivity and data loss. By introducing the services of an IT services provider, you immediately gain access to a vast pool of resources and expertise that will help to increase profit margins by reducing annual operating expenses and improving the stability of your IT Network.
2. IMPROVED BUSINESS NETWORK SECURITY.
Small business networks can be very difficult to secure because they have become more complex and frequently have an increased number of endpoints, connections, data, and applications to monitor and maintain. Network security threats have also gotten more sophisticated with more types of threats and more security breaches than ever before.
Additionally, there are new security regulations and compliance guidelines to address which commonly results in higher infrastructure costs. To add to the complexities, many organisations are employing a mobile workforce with wireless technologies constantly changing the rules of network security. This raises the bar in terms of challenges. If a breach does occur, the loss of revenue can prove to be devastating.
Reputable IT outsourcing organisations such as Our IT Department provide trained and certified professional security expertise without the recurring operational costs associated with network security. You also do not have to worry about high salaries associated with expertise, costs related to software updates, training on the latest threats, or ongoing maintenance and management. Additionally, any security regulations or industry-specific compliance guidelines that must be met are the responsibility of the service provider.
Your costs are defined and predictable while enjoying the piece of mind that your network is secure.
3. ACCESS TO A BROAD RANGE OF EXPERTISE AND CONSULTANCY SERVICES.
Searching for highly qualified IT staff in different niche sectors of IT can be a daunting task, not to mention the time investment and high costs associated with hiring IT staff with a specialised skillset. This includes professionals with knowledge and expertise in network security, project planning and management, IT maintenance and monitoring, help desk support, IT procurement, consultancy on new project initiatives, and much more.
If you were to hire expertise in each of these areas separately, the end result would be cost prohibitive. Plus, it may not even guarantee you will find expertise in all the required areas including a broad range of technologies. You would also be required to budget for training costs to update skillsets as new methodologies and technologies emerge.
By using an outsourced service provider, you have access to a team of expert IT professionals that can guarantee your IT system is up to date and meets your changing business needs. You also have access to around the clock support 24/7.
When it comes to ever changing business needs, an IT services provider employs expert consultants that can achieve results faster and more efficiently than in-house employees by avoiding costly delays and unanticipated learning curves. They can also help you develop and incorporate ideas that may be outside of the skillset of your in-house staff. And all within a managed and predictable budget.
4. IMPROVED AVAILABILITY AND ACCESS TO 24/7 END USER SUPPORT.
If your enterprise employs a sizeable staff, maintaining all the workstations and providing desktop support can be a massive undertaking for your internal IT support team. By outsourcing your IT, you have access to 24/7 help desk support 365 days a year while reducing internal maintenance and support costs. An outsourced services provider can provide your staff with desktop support without having to be on the premises.
Support is delivered via remote access, including the monitoring and maintenance of all workstations. This guarantees a boost in staff productivity while keeping your IT support costs under control. Service providers also hire only the most qualified experts and typically all support personnel are certified with several years of experience in the field.
A desktop support team can be deployed as an extension of your existing team or they can assume total responsibility for providing end user support. Since they are available around the clock, your remote workers that may be in different time zones can also tap into the support services. The problem of response time is also solved since you are getting state-of-the-art service as defined in your service level agreement.
5. ACCESS TO RESOURCES OTHERWISE NOT AVAILABLE INTERNALLY.
Outsourcing IT levels the playing field for businesses of all sizes and makes it possible for smaller organisations to compete with larger enterprises. If you require IT support personnel but you cannot make it happen due to budget restraints, using a service provider is an affordable way to solve the problem.
Perhaps your company does not have the budget for deploying the latest technologies and software applications. Outsourcing your IT provides you with access to the latest technologies and software without the exorbitant price tag. You also have access to an entire team that will customise, monitor, and maintain business applications and databases which allows you to focus on important business initiatives. This helps your business to compete in the current marketplace without taking a large chunk out of your IT budget.
Additionally, if there are services that you require on a short term basis, outsourced IT services provide a pay-as-you-go option that allows you to add services when you need them and subtract them when you don’t. The option for flexibility and scalability is a primary reason why more companies are choosing to outsource their IT needs.
6. ACCESS TO SUPPORT FOR INTERNAL IT MANAGERS AND IT EXPERTS.
Many companies use outsourced IT services as a hybrid model to provide external support for in-house IT managers and IT experts. With a hybrid model, you can implement new skills while leveraging existing expertise on the premises. It also allows a company to bring in specialised skills when needed to fill project team gaps where specialised skills are required.
By using outsourced IT services, your company can acquire more resources to effectively complete an active project in less time. Instead of having to search for the additional resources, they are readily available through a services vendor. You are also reaching beyond core competencies to overcome any lack of internal staff capabilities.
Deploying the industry best practices can easily be accomplished simply by using a service provider that follows best practices. The service provider assumes the responsibility of overseeing the implementation, maintenance, and development of best practices.
For many companies, there is no such thing as a one size fits all approach. Some requirements are met through project outsourcing where others are met through staff expansion but, sometimes the two requirements overlap. For example, if you have one project that requires internal core competencies but additional expertise is required to successfully complete the project, and another project that is outside of internal core competencies altogether, in this case a hybrid approach may be the most effective way to complete the projects. Staff augmentation is used to acquire the expertise for the first project and outsourcing is used to complete the latter project.
7. ACCESS TO EXPERT ADVICE ON THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES.
Some business owners are unable to determine what technologies will help to advance their business and often there is no one within the company that has the appropriate expertise. When you work with an outsourced IT services provider, they have trained and certified IT professionals readily available on staff to assist in the growth of your business.
By working with an IT services provider, the trained professionals can advise you on how to best modify and adopt new IT technologies to propel your business forward, and at a lower cost. Most reputable IT solutions service providers offer a broad range of staff expertise that is certified in all the primary technologies. This means they can assist your business in selecting and implementing the IT solutions that are best suited to your business requirements now and in the future.
Outsourced IT services can help your organisation with computer upgrades, cloud migration, virtualisation design and implementation, network, upgrades, security assessments and solutions, advice on the latest cloud solutions, and more. Some IT service providers can even help you with office or data centre relocation to help control the costs and headaches associated with a relocation project.
If your organisation requires managed IT services, an IT service provider employs experts that are readily available to assist you with server and desktop management, help desk support, server backup solutions, and other managed services which depend upon the service provider you choose. Some IT services are also equipped to perform onsite support and emergency response via remote access 24/7 to immediately take care of any IT system issues as soon as they are detected.
8. IMPROVED BUSINESS EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY.
Many organisations opt to outsource IT because it significantly improves business efficiency and productivity. Instead of having your staff running around putting out fires related to IT malfunctions and investing significant amounts of energy on time consuming tasks, outsourcing IT to a reputable service provider increases efficiency.
Some of the efficiencies that are gained by outsourcing IT include streamlining daily processes to increase accuracy and productivity with mission critical tasks and providing employees with access to state-of-the-art technology which makes multitasking easier and faster. Other efficiencies include support for compliance concerns to ensure the organisation is staying on top of regulatory changes, as well as internal organisational changes. Organisations are also provided with improved communication systems and access to immediate customer service that helps to improve efficiency and productivity.
9. BETTER RISK MANAGEMENT.
An outsourced IT services provider can help your organisation to improve risk management by identifying and mitigating risks associated with an IT infrastructure. The service provider employs experts in risk management that are ready to handle unique issues that can surface in many different types of situations. Generally risk management deals with four different categories that include operational, commercial, business and strategic, and legal.
Operational risks include the financial risks that can transpire as the result of IT failures or those associated with cloud migration. A quality service provider will work with you to ensure all bases are covered with an in-depth service level agreement and at a reduced cost. They also help to identify risks in advance so they can be acted upon and mitigated before they become a huge problem.
In terms of commercial risks, there are many facets in this category when it comes to IT infrastructure now and in the future. A service provider will work with your organisation to ensure what you are paying for access to IT is fair according to how the market levels change over time.
With an in-house IT infrastructure you could potentially end up paying too much for IT maintenance as the market changes if you are locked into a long term contract. Outsourced IT services ensure you always remain within your budget and pay a fair price according to the market climate.
When it comes to strategic initiatives, many companies are constantly identifying new initiatives to keep up with current trends and to maintain growth within an organisation. An outsourced IT services provider can work with you to accommodate new goals while maintaining control over your budget and your resources.
In terms of legal risks, you can exercise better control over industry-specific regulations and compliance guidelines, privacy requirements, and other liabilities when you work with an outsourced services vendor. This ensures that you can access the technology you need without risking budget depletion.
10. ENHANCED CORE FOCUS.
In addition to cost reduction as the motivating factor behind IT outsourcing, the other primary benefit that enterprises gain by outsourcing IT is the enhancement of internal core business functions. By outsourcing with access to the very best IT expertise, this adds significant value to a business because it enables personnel to focus on core initiatives that contribute to business growth and profitability.
With the increased reliance on technology, there has been a steady depletion of IT skills while the modern business environment demands innovation and access to the latest technologies. This is a recipe for trouble for many enterprises as most organisations are heavily driven by IT. Instead of being held back by lack of access to skills, businesses can continue to move forward with access to outsourced IT.
If your enterprise is fortunate enough to have a solid in-house IT manager and IT experts, outsourcing IT will enable them to focus on core initiatives and competencies. This means you are maximising the skills of the IT staff instead of them being required to be a jack of all trades which in most business environments, does not work well. The IT staff can then tap new opportunities and explore new initiatives that help you diversify your company.
Outsourcing IT also helps your organisation to remain competitive. While your competitors are investing time and money in implementing the latest IT solutions in-house, your IT requirements are completely fulfilled by an outsourced IT service provider. With reduced costs and the time to focus on core initiatives, remaining competitive is no longer the challenge it used to be.
FINAL THOUGHTS.
As you can see, the benefits for organisations seeking to outsource IT are numerous with more rewards to emerge during 2017. Outsourcing IT helps to reduce costs for businesses of all sizes. The cost savings is passed on by the service provider since they can work according to the economy and be free to maximise their own internal resources to successfully deliver outsourced services.
Outsourced IT service providers also command lower costs when it comes to hardware and software acquisition. Plus, they are capable of attracting and hiring highly skilled engineers and support staff. In this regard, outsourcing IT helps organisations dedicate more time to focusing on core activities instead of wasting time dealing with service availability issues.
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The post TEN GREAT REASONS TO OUTSOURCE YOUR IT IN 2017. appeared first on Our IT Department Ltd - Trusted IT Services & IT Support London.