For many organisations, choosing between an internal IT support team or outsourcing to a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can be a daunting decision. Get it right and you hardly even notice, get it wrong and it’s a never ending nightmare of error messages, frozen screens and viruses.
So which decision is the right one? Well, there is no clear-cut answer. What works perfectly for one business could prove disastrous for another. Every company is unique, requiring a diverse range of skills and strategies to suit their IT needs. Nevertheless, there are several considerations that can help you find the most efficient, reliable and cost-effective option for your business.
What Are Your Needs?
The first step in finding the right IT setup is evaluating your business’ needs. What sort of infrastructure is required? Does your company store on a cloud-based system or on-site servers? What about privacy and security? Surely you want wi-fi? Having your own internal IT department gives you the opportunity to hire and train them to your specification. Another benefit is total ownership and control of your data, decreasing the chances of a security breach by limiting the amount of personnel with access to the network. But what happens if your business needs suddenly change? Recruiting and training can be a lengthy process, especially when time is of the essence. Outsourcing to an MSP allows your business the flexibility to scale your service up or down quickly, reliving you of extra stress during short term projects and periods of transitions.
What Skills Are You Looking For?
It’s also important to take note of what skills are necessary to facilitate your business, as well as assess your own capabilities and limitations. Will general IT support be enough, or will you need more specialised knowledge? The complexity of the tasks may dictate how large of an IT support system your business needs. Internal IT departments are typically small teams that operate as Jack-of -all-trades, able to smoothly handle most day-to-day operations without problem. Having a tech-savvy workforce can also limit the need for a large IT department. But what if you work in a niche industry, one that requires a particular skill set? Outsourcing your IT needs to an MSP gives your company access to an array of experts with a wide range of experience and qualifications, capable of handling any challenge you give them.
When Do You Need Support?
One of the most essential aspects to consider is when do you anticipate requiring IT support? Will you only need coverage during your business operating hours or comprehensive 24/7 monitoring? One of the benefits of an in-house IT support worker is that, well, they’re IN the house so to speak. Onsite personnel allow for faster results and quicker response times in case of emergency situations. However, even having a full time IT department still leaves your systems vulnerable for a considerable amount of time. What about after hours? Or the IT guy is out sick? Away on a holiday? Maybe they stormed out and quit with no notice? If you found any of those scenarios distressing, outsourcing may be the solution. MSPs offer round-the-clock monitoring and maintenance, as well as the ability to troubleshoot issues at any hour of the day. If you can handle remote fixes and are happy to forgo face to face interaction, MSPs can provide great piece of mind.
What Are the Costs?
So, how much is this going to cost? In many cases, the budget you have allocated to IT support can be the determining factor when deciding between internal and outsourced options. For example, every employee you hire as part of your IT department needs to be paid, not only their wages, but also sick and annual leave. They also incur other costs including benefits, insurance, a space to work in and office equipment. Outsourcing to an MSP is most often the most affordable option, as any additional employee expenses are assumed by the MSP themselves and not the clients.
Conclusions
Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all solution. For some companies, a small in house team is more than sufficient to handle all tasks and problems, while others prefer to maintain focus on their business’ core objectives by outsourcing their IT needs. A hybrid model can often be a great approach when neither option is 100% right. By dividing the workload between an internal team and MSP, your business can get the best of both worlds.
