The business landscape is always challenging and conversations regarding the pros and cons of outsourcing IT vs. In-house IT has become a core business challenge. Many organizations start out by handling various aspects of their business including IT management and support, however, when a business starts to grow and hiring more staff, you need to focus on the core of your business.
For most organizations, hiring in-house IT is often too cost prohibitive as you will have to pay a full-time salary, benefits, invest in training, and deal with vacation as well as sick days. Does it make sense for businesses to hire a full-time in-house IT support professional or look at outsourcing IT? When you choose to look at outsourcing IT, you can transfer your responsibility for IT management to a managed IT services provider.
The In-House IT Support Model
In-House IT Support comes with the following Pros including easy access to a dedicated tech support team member that can address issues immediately. You also get a certain cost control measure as the IT team members salary remains the same regardless of the tasks undertaken such as troubles tickets, setting up a new server, or working after hours to complete a network upgrade. This means that your costs remain steady even as your technology needs change.
In-House IT Support comes with Cons also including upfront and hidden costs such as hiring a full-time IT professional is an expensive endeavour. You will need to provide that IT professional with a computer, desk, telephone extension, payroll account and benefits that will drive the cost up even higher.
In-House IT Support also gives you limited technological expertise as your IT support specialist may be good with Office Suite however they may not have the expertise to handle your disaster recovery plan or tech-savvy enough when it comes to diagnosing network security issues or upgrading the server.
The Outsourcing IT Support Model
Outsourcing IT Support comes with Pros such as less expensive when all things are considered. Outsourcing IT tends to be less expensive than hiring a full-time in-house IT support model. The good news is that many of the costs are spread out over several clients via the managed IT services model. You also do not have to worry about costs associated with training or certifying in-house IT staff.
True outsourcing IT support model will offer you around-the-clock service and monitoring. Most professional IT help desk or tech support firms offer their customers 24/7 access to tech support specialists, either by phone or through remote computer access. This means that you’ll have someone to walk you through resetting your email password, even at 2 a.m. What’s more, if your main contact is unavailable for any reason, there will be a substitute that you can count on.
Outsourcing IT Support does have its Cons also. Some may feel, or you may have worked with a managed IT services provider and not felt part of the team. Some believe that outsourcing IT will cause a gap as they are only there when scheduled or when you need them to address a technical support issue. You may feel that you must spend time bringing them up to speed when issues do arise or when you want them to provide advice on the future of technology within your organization.
The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing IT vs. In-House IT are different depending on your business however if you are considering outsourcing IT, always outsource locally to a managed IT services provider. Outsourcing IT tech support allows your organization to stay focused on your core business without getting sidetracked. It also gives your businesses access to cutting-edge technology resources and expertise without the costs typically associated with staying ahead of the technology curve with in-house IT.
For more information about In-House IT support model and the Outsourcing IT support model, contact BrickHost.
