In the last few years, more and more businesses around the world have decided to outsource certain services. From website design to accounting and marketing, it can prove to be an invaluable decision that’s ideal for businesses that want to scale. The most popular area to outsource, however, is IT.
This is perhaps because of the greater demand that’s needed for skilled professionals due to ever-evolving technical innovation. By utilising external IT professionals, your business will have direct access to a range of solutions – from threat monitoring to IT infrastructure management.
Some businesses will outsource their entire IT department, whereas others will only leverage external professionals for certain resources. Either way, by outsourcing IT, you can reap several benefits.
If you’re unsure as to whether outsourcing IT is right for your business, here are some pros and cons that you should consider:
Let’s start with the pros:
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Gain a Greater Level of Expertise
No matter what the size of your business, you might find that you’re looking for a higher level of expertise when it comes to IT. And this is where outsourced IT services can come in.
By outsourcing, you’ll access a wider breadth of professionals (take myhealthyit.com for example) who all come with their own expertise and skills. This flexibility allows you to target exactly what skills you require and utilise them as much as you need.
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It’s More Cost-Effective
This is perhaps the key reason as to why so many businesses across the world opt to outsource their IT. It’s no secret that it’s expensive to hire IT professionals throughout your business. But by outsourcing, you don’t have to worry about paying out for their costly yearly wages or for any training that they might require throughout their time at your company.
Now, you can access professional help for a lot less; and only when you really need it. Many outsourced IT professionals will take on projects (such as advising you on effective security measures) with shorter contracts. However, if you do need more longer-term assistance, you can access this too.
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State of the Art Equipment and Cybersecurity
As outsourced IT services are focused on specific areas of IT, they will have the best quality equipment and software available. As they are highly trained, they will also be aware of the latest security measures, which you can utilise to ensure that your business is safe from cybersecurity threats.
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Free Up Your Employees
This benefit is particularly helpful if you run a start-up or a small business. By outsourcing, you’ll be able to free up internal resources – allowing your employees to focus on other crucial aspects of their role. Also, this flexibility will allow you to divide key projects across various experts, meaning that they have a faster turnaround.
Now, onto the cons:
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There Can Be A Lack of Coordination
While hiring outsourced IT professionals can undeniably be effective, it’s essential that they are organised and able to coordinate with your business seamlessly. Without coordination, you’ll find that there will be a clear divide between your business and the external agency.
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Communication Can Be Tricky
Following on from the above, by opting purely for an external IT service, you need to ensure they are good at communication from the get-go. As they are fully remote, you might discover that they quickly become unreliable – whether that be because they are in a different time zone or they never reply when you need their services.
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Your Company Culture Can Be Affected
If you replace your in-house team with purely outsourced workers, this can have a huge effect on employee morale. Increasing anxiety within your business, your existing employees might feel as though their jobs might also be at risk.
Which is why it’s so important to promote a positive work culture throughout the process. Explaining why you have opted to outsource these services and that their roles are secure, it will help to retain high levels of employee productivity and satisfaction.
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Less Control?
Many businesses have this worry. Some might say that by opting to outsource IT services, you will lose control over certain IT functions within your business. Although this, of course, can be prevented, it’s something that you will want to consider before taking the leap and choosing to utilise their services.
