The technology that powers a business can drive it forward or become a ball and chain that holds it back. To tap into all that modern hardware, applications and cloud computing can offer, small and mid-size organizations are increasingly turning to managed IT support services. Why is that? In this article we explore the three ways organizations can manage their IT and the benefits of outsourcing IT to the experts.
IT Infrastructure Solutions for Small and Mid-size Organizations
Even small businesses and establishments find that their network, devices, data and security management can overwhelm an informal IT setup. It takes dedicated expertise to maintain systems and incorporate new technologies. There are three main options small and mid-size organizations can choose from for their IT. They can hire a:
- Full-time IT technician – requires a substantial commitment; sole IT person is a single point of responsibility that can cause catastrophic business disruption when there’s a failure; little bandwidth/skill to continually adopt new technologies.
- Break-fix IT company – pay when something goes wrong with your systems; ‘repair bill’ can be large if the problem is deep-rooted; no incentive for the break-fix IT company to implement long term solutions or be proactive.
- IT consulting & services company – IT experts providing complete support; fixed amount charged per month; proactive about keeping systems up-to-date and recommending about applications that improve performance.
A study by IBM found businesses outsourcing their IT saw 48% greater operating income growth than comparable businesses that did not.
Benefits of Outsourcing IT Consulting & Services
The benefits of outsourcing are clear for any business owner or administrator to see. But let’s take a look at five of the most compelling arguments for why any organization should outsource its IT.
1. Predictable budgets and cost control
Outsourcing IT allows long term IT budgeting and investment planning. For most organizations, outsourced IT means lower costs, too, as they only ‘pay for what they use’.
2. Scalable
IT that grows (and shrinks) with the needs of the organization is enough to get any CEO, CFO and CIO excited. Flexible and scalable IT means it is not a bottleneck to growth, rather it drives productivity. Make sure your Service Level Agreement gives you this flexibility.
3. Reduced labour costs
Maintaining an in-house IT team places a significant payroll burden on the business. With managed IT services, payroll costs are largely eliminated, and IT spend can be dynamically ‘allocated’ to different competencies as required, rather than be hamstrung by the same set of legacy skills.
4. Experienced IT professionals
No matter how much an in-house IT team trains, it simply does not have the breadth of experience that comes from implementing and troubleshooting different types of systems. Would you rather fly with a pilot fresh out of flight school or an experienced captain with thousands of flying hours?
5. Rapid deployment
The biggest advantage of outsourcing IT is that the organization can adopt new technologies as soon as they come out. A dedicated team also ensures that projects are completed within days, not the weeks and months an in-house IT team will take.
Small or medium-size business in Kitchener?
Outsourcing IT for an SMB in Kitchener is but an obvious step. Instead of in-house bureaucracy you will benefit from agility; instead of a fixed monthly payroll you pay only for what you use. Managed IT services have been a game changer in modern day business. Speak to EMKAL, a reputed IT consulting & services company, and discover how we can help reduce your operational expenses and provide reliable IT support.