Growing companies generally have two main choices in managing information technology (IT), namely doing it yourself or outsourcing it. Building your own IT team is costly and complex and has many hidden risks. IT and cyber security talent are in short supply. Labor costs in this area are constantly rising. Moreover, the breadth of technology knowledge required is often overwhelming for a small team. It is easy for growing IT teams to become swamped with the daily technology challenges and not get to strategic or cyber security responsibilities.
Outsourcing your information technology to an IT service provider or managed service provider (MSP) is a great choice. Hiring an MSP enables you to access best-in-class IT and cyber security talent, while locking in predictable IT operating costs. A trusted MSP partner can help you raise the bar on cyber security, and handle tasks like migrating more and more of your applications and IT infrastructure to the cloud. With the right level of strategic advice, you will also begin to benefit from an IT roadmap and annual IT operating and capital budget. In short, partnering with an MSP enables you to tame your technology needs, so you can focus on running your business well.
In this blog post, we will explore the seven key benefits of outsourcing IT.
Access Scarce IT Talent
Organizations struggle to fill IT and cyber security roles. While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the overall labor market, the long-standing IT staffing shortages and skills gaps are even worse than ever. Many employers are experiencing an urgent skills gap in areas such as cyber security, data analytics, and artificial intelligence. As companies battle for technical talent in a post-pandemic world, there are only greater challenges for companies looking to build an internal IT team.
Working with an MSP allows organizations to tap into scarce IT and cyber security talent. MSPs will often have a range of technical talent, from level 1 help desk staff all the way up to highly certified, cyber security specialists and CIO level talent. MSP clients benefit by tapping into this broad range of expertise.
While employees enjoy fast and professional help desk service when everyday technical problems occur, it is just as important to tap into strategic advice. MSPs serve as trusted advisors, helping companies plan out their IT budgets and investments over multi-year periods. MSP teams meet regularly with company leadership to keep strategic IT projects on track and to help navigate the fast-changing tech landscape.
Improve Your Cyber Security Posture
Working with an MSP enables organizations to raise the bar on cyber security. MSPs have the experience of many different environments and can deliver proven best-in-class solutions to protect your business. The benefits you get with have multiple resources and partnerships focused on cybersecurity is invaluable. A single resource or two can no longer stay up with all the emerging threats.
Accountability
Working with an MSP gives company leadership one throat to choke for IT service and support. MSPs are accountable for the entire IT life cycle, from initial configuration and deployment to ongoing service and support, and eventual updates and upgrades. This level of accountability helps improve the overall client service and support experience. No more finger pointing.
Lock in Predictable IT Operating Costs
When outsourcing IT, companies achieve a new level of transparency and control over IT operating expenses. In most MSP engagements, the service is priced on a per employee per month basis, helping companies to scale their expenses as they grow. While staffing an internal IT team often involves hiring ahead of the curve, with an outsourcing arrangement, a company can invest when needed.
Benefit from an IT Strategic Plan and Annual Budget
Leveraging technology requires sound strategic planning and budgeting. It is not uncommon for IT infrastructure upgrades or major technology shifts to catch management teams off guard. Unplanned capital investments or urgent IT projects can impede growth or stress company finances.
When working with a mature MSP, these challenges are a thing of the past. The MSP is responsible for keeping abreast of key technology trends and guiding management on upcoming investments and needed upgrades. Your MSP will also keep a detailed record of all current IT assets, along with their related IT life cycle and upgrade plan. Everything then flows into a well-organized IT operating and capital budget. Strategic planning and budgeting is an area where an MSP relationship really shines over an internal IT staffing approach.
Cloud Expertise
The migration to the cloud is a multi-year endeavor for most organizations. While many companies have already migrated things like email, calendar, and content-based collaboration to cloud platforms such as Microsoft 365, this is often just the beginning for most organizations. In nearly every company, there is often a long list of required upgrades to legacy software applications and on-premises infrastructure. These migrations are complex and often involve mission-critical, line of business applications. While the migration to modernized SaaS-based applications seems easy, there are often very complex considerations related to data migration, application integration, cyber security, and employee training. MSPs have deep experience to help organizations succeed with the various phases of their cloud migration.
Improve Employee Productivity and Job Satisfaction
Working with an outsourced IT service provider should result in dramatic improvements in employee productivity and satisfaction. When technology is prioritized and managed by a team of world-class professionals, employees get the equipment, software, and support they need to excel in their jobs. When access to the help desk is fast and efficient, your staff can get back to work quickly and focus on the task at hand. When company leadership is strategically investing in technology and managing a multi-year IT roadmap, technology becomes an enabler in the business which benefits employees, leadership, and customers alike.
For growth-oriented companies, outsourcing IT is a wise choice. The team at NENS welcomes prospective clients to explore how an outsourcing relationship can benefit your organization and team.