Many businesses look for support in areas that aren’t their specialism. IT support is commonly outsourced as most companies do not have the in-house expertise within their team. It is also possible to find high quality support via outsourced IT companies. There are many benefits of finding reliable IT managed services providers, and we’ll explore them in more depth below.
What is Business IT Support?
IT support is a form of technical support that gives businesses technical assistance with all of their hardware and software. It can include managing and maintaining hardware including computers, printers and servers, but also cloud-based technologies and software too.
In-House IT Department or Outsourced Local IT Services
Outsourced IT services allow you to benefit from a highly experienced expert team managing your IT remotely, with visits to your premises if required. Outsourcing allows you to select an outside organisation with specialist expertise to support your organisation with IT and technological infrastructure.
The alternative is to have an in-house IT department where all technical support is carried out in-house by employees within your team. It is more common for larger companies to hire an in-house team and also for organisations that handle sensitive or secure data. Small-medium sized companies and start-ups can benefit from outsourced IT as it is fully flexible, can be scaled and allows you to tap into expert advice without the overheads of hiring full-time employers. It also enhances business continuity by allowing your employees to work efficiently and uninterrupted by technical issues. Let’s explore the benefits and downsides of outsourced IT services.
8 Main Benefits to Outsource IT Support for Your Business
Outsourcing IT support for your business comes with many advantages. Let’s explore the main ones:
Experienced Team without the Overheads
With high quality IT support, you can access fully experienced, certified and qualified IT professionals within seconds. Rather than having to recruit and seek out your own in-house experts as well as create and establish new business processes, you can quickly and easily access fully trained specialists able to help you with any technical problem.
Reduced Costs
One survey found 69% of UK companies outsource to a managed service provider as a way to reduce costs. When it comes to IT there are many financial benefits of using an external company. Utilising outsourced IT support gives you access to a set price for a specific range of services. You do not need to hire IT staff and invest in their training and employee benefits. You also do not need to pay for hardware, equipment and storage as you can often benefit from the infrastructure your local IT support partner provides.
Stay Focused on Core Business Priorities
When you don’t have to commit your business resources to IT and technology, you can focus on your core goals and business productivity. Smaller businesses with in-house IT teams may find their more tech-minded employees drawn into project management and support rather than innovating in their own business role.
On-going Support & Advice
A reliable IT managed services provider will offer a proactive approach to IT maintenance and management. Their approach should mean they spot potential issues before they become a problem and if you have any technical concerns, they will be a simple phone call or webchat away. Proactive monitoring and easy access to technology advice ensures no technical problems slow down your business activities. Read our guide on how to spot a good IT Support team [Link to new blog].
Speed & Efficiency
Your outsourced IT team will focus solely on this area of business, so they are fast and efficient in dealing with any problems. Downtime and hours of being unable to access your systems and networks are rare with a reliable IT support partner. They have quick and effective solutions to almost every technical problem you could imagine and gone are the days of sitting in front of your computer not knowing what to click or how to get your system back up and running again.
Ability to Implement New Technology Quickly
IT support teams live and breathe new technologies and innovation. This means anything new you want to implement can be in place quickly and your IT support team can also provide comprehensive instructions and guidance for even the newest technologies. Outsourced IT professionals are the frontline of the tech industry, allowing your business to take advantages of the newest advances and trends as they become available.
24/7 Security & Compliance
Nothing is more important than proper security management. Almost all businesses will face cyberattacks at once time or another and while you can install basic firewalls and spyware but how well do you understand it all? Outsourcing IT support to a managed service provider means you benefit from expertise in cybersecurity too and your partner should deliver 24/7 reactive and proactive security and support. Read more for helpful information on our local Cyber Security Services.
Higher Productivity
Smaller companies who may not be able to invest in a dedicated in-house IT team may spread IT tasks throughout their employees. Distributing IT tasks between your existing staff can feel like a compromise but you’ll soon find they can’t dedicate as much time as they should to their core job roles. Instead of relying upon your staff to navigate and manage IT problems, outsourcing your IT support allows them to focus on their job roles which has a positive knock-on effect on productivity. Read more on why local IT support is so important to small businesses.
What are the risks when outsourcing your IT Support?
There are risks in all business decisions, so it is important to understand the challenges and problems that may come with outsourcing your IT too. Let’s look at the main risks to consider:
Less control of your data
Entrusting your data to a third party always comes with some degree of risk. Keeping your information internal means you have full control of it and how it is handled. However, you need to share key information with your IT support partner for them to be able to their jobs. To mitigate the data risk of using a third party then you need to ensure you work with a highly regarded partner with a commitment to industry standards and best practice regarding GDPR.
Difficult to outsource with complex IT functionality
If your company has a difficult or complex IT infrastructure then you may find it difficult for an outsourced team to manage. While most IT support companies employ highly experienced experts there are some IT infrastructures that rely upon on-site technicians to run effectively. Despite this, most IT support teams can usually tackle any infrastructure, it may just take a little longer than you had initially imagined.
So, What’s the Verdict?
Outsourcing any department or business function comes with a degree of risk. However, when it comes to IT support, you’ll see the benefits and potential rewards far outweigh the risks. Finding a reliable, local IT support partner gives your business the edge over the competition, especially for smaller businesses, that need to pool their talent and ensure their core business focus is not diluted by technical problems.
Business IT Support in Hampshire – Request a FREE 3-Month Trial with Freestyle TS
Freestyle TS provides high-quality local IT support for businesses in Fleet, Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire. We pride ourselves on long-term, strong customer relationships and provide proactive and clear roadmaps customised to the needs of each one of our clients. To find out more and benefit from our range of support services get in touch and request your FREE 3-month trial to see for yourself.
