Pros And Cons Of Outsourcing IT Support 

The current technology environment has seen the growth of software and cloud computing which require dedicated maintenance and monitoring. Typically, an IT team would be in a large organization to ensure all systems are running efficiently. 

However, if you have a small or medium-size organization, this may stretch your resources and become a financial burden. Thus, you can outsource some of the IT services that could be time-consuming and labor-intensive can allow you to maintain an in-house team to oversee and manage crucial data that are important for your day-to-day operations. 

Even though outsourcing may have its advantages, it also has some drawbacks. Read below on the pros and cons of outsourcing your IT support. 

The Pros 

  1. Reduces Operating Costs 

At any given point, outsourcing your IT support reduces two costs off your financial books. First, you can reduce the number of full-time IT staff you need in the organization. Getting the right IT expertise may come at high remuneration costs, and you may need several team members with diverse expertise. By outsourcing, you can access this diverse expertise at a flat rate which can be lower than the salaries and benefits you would otherwise payout. 

The second cost you can reduce is repairs, maintenance, and infrastructure hosting. Your IT support provider hosts the infrastructure you need, thus reducing expenses like power and lighting on your end.

  1. Access To Varied Expertise 

IT support companies more often hire a variety of experts to cater to the various needs of their clients. As such, when you use their services, you can benefit from this broad base of expertise without spending more. Thus, in case of a network problem, your team doesn’t need to struggle to figure it out as the service provider can quickly solve it due to experience and knowledge base. 

  1. Improved Security And Compliance 
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Most IT support service providers would have a vast knowledge of requirements and regulations in your industry. Thus, it gives you less struggle to find what’s acceptable and what conditions you need to meet. 

Additionally, as IT support is its core business, the service provider ensures that your cybersecurity is updated. By updating its software, you benefit from the same as you’re in its framework.

  1. Allows Your Team To Focus On Core Business Functions 

Hiring out your IT support services relieves your team of the burden of monitoring and updating your network and solving any issues that arise during operation. These support functions can be a distraction if you need to attend to other crucial matters that form the core of your business. Once you outsource, your team can focus on the company’s core services and increase productivity.

  1. Save On Space 

When you depend on internal IT, you have to put all infrastructure you need in place, ranging from server rooms to IT office desks that help facilitate hosting this infrastructure. All these can take up space you would otherwise use for other business operations.

  1. Predictable IT Costs 

Outsourcing your IT support means you enter into a contract for a specific period. Thus, you need to pay a fee to the service provider during this period. However, with internal IT, you can only factor in such costs as repairs and maintenance but won’t know the actual amount you’ll need. Additionally, any downtime can require hiring a temporary IT tech or buying new equipment.

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The Cons

  1. Loss Of Control 

Given that you have to go through a defined communication channel, you may not control the implementation of some managerial decisions as quickly as you may want, forcing you to miss out on opportunities if changes require a particular timeframe. With an in-house IT team, you can communicate and follow up on what needs to change.

Furthermore, there’s more skepticism on confidentiality and data security under third-party protection. 

  1. Minimal Flexibility 

When outsourcing your IT support services, you enter into a contractual agreement with the provider. The IT support provider shall extend the support as per the contract, which can be restrictive if you use a different software platform. If you need to change from one software platform to another before the end of a contract, you may need to enter into another agreement, which may take more time and money.

  1. Not Familiar With Internal Policies And SOPs 

In most cases, the outsourced IT companies may apply a blanket operational response or procedure to their clients. However, each organization differs in how it operates and what standard operating procedures (SOPs) it may have in place. In the end, this one-applies-all approach may not auger well with your operations and bring a breakdown in the wheel. Overall, it can confuse the team members as it may not have the correct translation within your SOPs. 

Conclusion 

While outsourcing some of your primary IT functions may carry several benefits, you may need to address its cons to ensure it doesn’t become a drawback to the organization. A balance between the rewards and the risks would be critical. 

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