Making the decision to either keep things in-house or to outsource certain key elements can be tough.
Many business owners struggle with this, having to weigh up the advantages of having their own in-house assets against the cost of maintaining them.
“When it comes to IT support, this can be especially costly as an in-house option,” explains Lee Wrall of Everything Tech. “This is because it requires not just a fixed level of technical expertise, but an ongoing commitment to development and training.”
Keeping Up
“The world of IT doesn’t stand still. Technology continues to advance and the kinds of systems and applications businesses depend on rapidly evolve,” continues Lee.
This means anyone specialising in looking after it must keep up to speed with developments.
“IT support is a full-time commitment. For many SMEs, as they grow, it then becomes a resource issue. Do they have the time, and the staff, to maintain and monitor their systems? Can they focus fully on their core business at the same time?”
“In terms of cost management, outsourced IT offers SMEs the opportunity to improve how they budget, because they no longer face the same levels of volatility in expenditure”
“In-house, you may need to expect the unexpected, from training to upgrades, maintenance and, where essential kit conks out, replacements.”
Outsourcing IT support and expertise brings with it consistency, and a guaranteed, ongoing maintenance of your services, software and hardware.
“It’s a fully managed service, making it more affordable to keep up with the latest developments while ensuring your systems are safe and secure.”
Improving Your Security
IT specialists can offer advanced security solutions, and provide the kind of expert insight into ever-mutating cyber threats that, typically, in-house resources will not have.
“Trained IT professionals will have it in their job descriptions to keep abreast of all the latest cyber-security developments,” says Lee. “They’ll be familiar with the sort of tricks of the trade that hackers employ. Knowing and anticipating these techniques enables outsourced IT support teams to act proactively to protect your systems.”
Depth of Knowledge
“IT providers have multiple skill-sets, providing your business with a ready resource,” suggests Lee. “This makes problem-solving fast and focused, and it offers opportunity for SMEs to expand and enhance their underpinning IT infrastructure.”
“Outsourcing your IT support is a cost effective way of tapping into a great depth of knowledge”
“It’s like having a full toolbox of solutions, and ideas, at your disposal. You’re getting a broad base of experience which can significantly speed up the processes of identifying and fixing issues.”
“Ultimately, investing in outsourced IT support allows businesses to focus on their own areas of specialisation,” Lee advises, “with the full confidence that someone else, with the right skills and knowledge, is looking after their technical requirements.”
“You need the capacity to change in order to grow,” concludes Lee. “The right IT support will give you that capacity.”
To discover more about your options for outsourcing IT support please contact Everything Tech on 0161 826 2220 or visit everythingtech.co.uk.
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