Making the decision to professionalise your business’s tech can feel like a big step. But outsourced IT services exist for a reason. In fact, they exist for several very good ones:
Because up until they reach a certain size, most businesses won’t find it cost-effective to have an internal IT department.
Even the salary of a single IT specialist is likely to be a huge distorting weight on the company books.
Yet trying to skate by with one pair of non-expert hands scrambling to take care of all things IT in addition to their day job is a recipe for wasted time, wasted money, and – potentially – disaster.
Here are the key reasons why SMEs and businesses in every industry have started using outsourced IT services:
Why would I use outsourced IT services?
1) Save staff time
As a business leader, you’ll know that one of the most expensive resources any business has is staff time.
Most small businesses tend to have one (unlucky) person who handles all of the IT issues on top of their normal work. Some businesses persist with this unprofessional approach long past the point they should.
Of course, this is sometimes almost unavoidable. For example, when you’ve grown very fast in a short period of time.
In these situations, although it can feel like a task that is going to take up more time, choosing an outsourced IT service will allow your team to get on with the jobs you actually pay them to do.
It’s much better than having a team member spend half a day a week trying to fix IT issues they may or may not really know anything about. Critically, your IT scrambler is also probably not helping you plan for a better use of your business tech both now and as you continue to grow.
2) Save money (and plan for your IT spend)
Because most outsourced IT services have a clear value “on the tin”, it’s easy to take a look and be put off by what seems like an added cost. This is especially true if your business is about to “step up” to either hire an in-house IT team or go the outsourced route.
However, that clearly marked cost is actually an advantage of the outsourced IT solution. It allows you to make reliable financial plans – because you know exactly how much your business IT will cost you every month.
Stack this up against the internal costs that are racking up otherwise. Do you even have the information you need to qualify these? Many businesses find it difficult to assess them all, taking into account:
- Recruitment costs
- IT training (this needs to be updated regularly – tech and threats advance fast)
- Staff salary
- The loss of staff time if IT isn’t your team member’s “real” job
- Opportunity costs – work lost doing what they should “really” be doing instead
3) Access a wide variety of expertise
Small or one-person internal IT teams rarely have the time to do more than hop from one crisis to another while staying on top of the standard issues like laptop technical troubles or the latest round of password reset requests.
But even this requires someone who can wear many hats. They need expertise in hardware and software. They need to be knowledgeable about networks. They need to advise and implement cybersecurity processes – ideally, help you become compliant with the most suitable framework.
It’s a lot to ask from one person. Few people can boast expertise in all of those areas. Those that can will often (rightly) be able to attract larger salaries.
On the other hand, outsourced IT services consist of teams of specialists. This means you always have someone with the right expertise available to cover any given situation.
4) Get support 24 hours a day (and instant response in a crisis)
IT problems always seem to crop up when you want them least. Last thing on a Friday. At the weekend. Just when that critical project is approaching deadline day. When your IT person is on holiday.
Managed Services like those Dial A Geek provides are always on hand (sometimes with on-site visits included) to deal with any issue whenever it crops up.
Plus, services like this will create disaster response plans guiding you and your team in what to do should the worst happen.
5) Plan for the future
Like your business, you probably don’t want your tech to be going nowhere. Your business is going to grow. Your tech needs to be ready to accommodate its needs – both now and in the future.
A good Managed Service Provider will help you create an IT roadmap. This is a plan for the future that helps you get the best from your IT.
Armed with this, you’ll know that you’re getting the best possible value for money from your business IT spend. You’ll know your growth will be planned for. And that your tech will be a productivity multiplier, not a drain on your business resources.
Not sure if an outsourced IT service is right for your business in particular?
Let’s talk it over. Dial A Geek has already been trusted by over 1000 businesses in Bristol and the UK.
Reach out to us today to book a cost and commitment-free chat with Chief Geek Gildas Jones.
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