- Editor's note: This article was originally posted in 2018, but has been updated to include the latest information.
Cutting costs and maximizing revenue are essential to business success. If you do not stick to your budget, your company will inevitably fail.
This is a large part of the reason why many Connecticut companies outsource their IT work to an external IT providers.
Kelser provides managed IT support services to many businesses in Connecticut. But, I'm not here to sell you on our services.
Instead, I'll provide some of the signs that it might be time to consider external IT support. Our experience has shown that many companies wait longer than they should to consider external IT support.
That's why we are pointing out the signs, so that business leaders like you have the information you need to make the decision that is right for your business so you get the support they need to be successful.
After reading this article, you'll understand the signs that could indicated it is time for your organization to consider external IT support.
What Are The Top Signs It Is Time To Outsource Your IT To An External Provider
IT outsourcing provides budget certainty, elite tech service, and around-the-clock assistance. Perhaps most importantly, outsourcing is cheaper than employing an in-house team of IT professionals.
Here's a look at some of the top signs it is time to outsource your IT duties to an external team of IT experts:
-
Unpredictable or Egregiously High Costs
You may be tired of paying top dollar to recruit and retain competent IT workers with the appropriate certifications. These employees often require six-figure salaries, benefits, and other perks.
Or maybe you currently use an external break/fix provider and are tired of constantly waiting for the next computer issue to happen and the uncertainty of knowing how much the fix will cost.
-
Security Concerns
Security concerns change every day. The risk for small and medium businesses has increased in recent years and resources to combat the latest threats are often not readily available. Data backups, firewall management, virus scans, spam filtering, multi-factor authentication, password managers, and more.
The responsibility for cybersecurity can be daunting, especially with limited (or nonexistent) internal IT resources.
-
You Find It Difficult to Stay Focused on Priorities
When your internal IT team is stretched thin responding to the daily fires, it can be impossible to focus on supporting the strategic short- and long-term goals of the business, not to mention special projects that require focused attention.
Related article: Small Internal Team? An External IT Provider Can Supplement On-Site Staff
-
Your In-House Tech Team is No Longer Able To Keep Up With Demands
You might have been satisfied with your in-house IT team's performance when the company started. Perhaps this performance has deteriorated in recent years or months. Maybe your in-house crew is unable to handle the ever-expanding workload as the business grows and the technology demands expand.
Maybe they do not have the skills necessary to support some of the latest technology advancements. Without updated knowledge and skills, your team could be unable to provide the strategic direction you need and your organization's success could be in jeopardy.
You need someone to align your technology to your business strategy to ensure that you have the long-term view that will have the necessary tools in place before you need them.
What Are Your Options For External IT Support?
When evaluating external IT support, there are two options.
Break/Fix
The traditional approach is known as break/fix. In this model, businesses call an external provider to come fix equipment when it breaks. There are different options within this model, but it is a reactive approach to IT service and because you often don't know how much the fix will cost until it's complete it makes budgeting challenging.
Related article: What Is A Break/Fix Provider? The Pros & Cons
Managed IT
The other option for external support is managed IT. With managed IT, organizations pay one fixed monthly fee for a broad range of proactive IT support. In addition to monitoring and maintenance, managed IT provides organizations with a team of external technology experts who provide comprehensive care for their entire network.
Related article: Managed IT Support: The Pros & Cons
Managed IT often provides experts who offer ongoing strategic technology advice that ensures the organization has the tools it needs to achieve its goals successfully. Some of these experts include a virtual chief information officer ( vCIO) and a technical alignment manager (TAM).
Related article: What Is A vCIO, And Why Should Your Company Have One?
Where Do You Go From Here?
After reading this article, you have a better understanding of some of the signs that your organization can benefit from external IT support. Maybe you are tired of unpredictable costs. Maybe your costs consistently exceed the amount you have budgeted.
Perhaps you are concerned about security or maybe your efforts are constantly focused on putting out fires rather than thinking strategically about the future. Or, it could be that your internal team is no longer able to keep up with the demands of maintaining your organization's technology backbone.
All of these scenarios are totally understandable. As businesses are increasingly reliant on technology, the demands on IT professionals have grown incrementally.
While only you can decide if the time is right for your organization to consider external IT support, you now have the information you need to understand the signs and make an educated decision about how best to support your organization's technology needs based on the two options highlighted in this article.
If you are considering IT support, we encourage you to evaluate several options to ensure that you get the right fit for your organization.
Surprised that I'm not pushing Kelser's managed IT support solution? Well, the truth is that while we have seen the benefits our comprehensive managed IT support offering provides for our customers, we also know that we aren't the only provider. There are a number of providers out there and there is enough work to go around.
To us, it's more important that you find a provider that is the right fit for you: whether you work with us or not. In fact, we take this advice so seriously that we've done some of the legwork for you. Learn the differences between Charles IT and Kelser in this honest comparison of publicly available information.
If you are wondering why we publish articles that compare our offerings with our competitors, the answer is simple. As consumers ourselves, we know that the first thing we do when making an important purchase is compare our options via an internet search. The way we figure it, we just saved you a step.
The reality is that both companies have good things to offer. The key is selecting the one that is best for you.
If you are already exploring IT providers, we encourage you to consider Kelser. And we invite you to learn the 10 best questions to ask any IT provider.
Prefer to talk with a person? Click the link below and we'll reach out to schedule a call to see if we are a good fit to work together.
