The field of information technology is ever-changing and businesses must keep up with the pace of change if they want to remain relevant. While the rapid rate of innovation helps organizations to increase productivity, it can be sometimes difficult to implement the latest technology. Factors like availability of time and money to invest can be a challenge. However, by outsourcing these requirements to a managed IT services provider (MSP), companies can increase their efficiency at reduced costs. Outsourcing IT functionalities is especially beneficial for medium to large-sized organizations.
This article discusses in detail the common IT challenges faced by businesses and how outsourcing to a managed IT services provider can help these businesses.
Common IT Challenges
When a company reaches a moderately large size, managing IT services effectively often becomes difficult. Some of the usual challenges faced by organizations are as follows-
- Outdated Technology– Working with outdated devices is not an optimum solution. However, having all the old computers in the IT department replaced with the latest models is often not feasible. As a result, companies are often forced to function with a less-than-perfect setup.
- Software Updates– Keeping a track of and installing the latest software updates is not only time-consuming but also expensive.
- Scalability Challenges– In a growing company, scaling up the IT department to keep pace with the rest of the organization is tough.
- Lack of IT Support– A large-sized company is bound to face a certain number of IT issues daily. Creating the capability of the IT support team to handle these cases is a considerable challenge in itself.
Benefits of Outsourcing
In the face of all the above-mentioned challenges of running an in-house IT department, many organizations choose to outsource their requirements to managed IT services firms. This provides several benefits to the businesses, as mentioned below.
1. Cost-Effectiveness
Perhaps the biggest incentive of opting for an outsourced managed IT services provider is the cost-effectiveness. Through outsourcing, businesses can not only lower their IT operating expenses but also optimize the overall operational costs and thus manage the capital budget effectively.
Most of the MSPs offer a subscription-based model and businesses pay an annual or a monthly fee to avail of their services. This allows businesses to forecast their IT expenditures effectively and opt for services that are suitable for their budgets. This helps in controlling the costs while having the requirements met.
2. Implementation of New Technology
Since MSPs usually have all the latest resources available to undertake a project, businesses do not have to worry about the implementation part. Thus, organizations get the full benefit of the latest hardware and software while not having to worry about procurement, installation, and maintenance. This saves both time and money for businesses.
3. Increased Efficiency and Focus on Core Business
By outsourcing their IT functionalities, companies can free up important resources like money and time, that can be invested elsewhere. This allows the organization to focus better on the core business model, thereby increasing the efficiency of performance.
4. Expertise and Experience
An in-house IT department is equipped to solve issues as they arise. However, an outsourced IT department employs experts who have a wide range of industry experience. Thus, chances are high that when these people encounter a problem, they have already seen it and even perhaps solved it before. This ultimately results in a better turn around time for issue-fixing and keeping the system up and running.
5. Compliance and Security Enhancement
Cybersecurity is a cause of concern in today’s era and organizations must do their best to have all the necessary precautions that are required. MSPs are equipped to take care of all the cybersecurity requirements for their clients and implement the essential steps for the same. Similarly, various local and federal laws dictate certain guidelines that must be in place when it comes to handling the IT requirements of an organization. Ensuring that compliance is maintained in all cases can become a tedious process for an in-house team. However, when IT services are outsourced, all these legal requirements are taken care of by the MSPs.
6. Scalability
For a company that is growing in size, scalability is an important requirement. Having outsourced managed IT services allows an organization to scale up as necessary, without worrying about the technicalities of hiring more people of installing more hardware.
In today’s market, businesses need to stay ahead of others in order to be successful. Things like outsourcing the IT requirements to a managed IT services provider gives businesses a crucial and sustainable competitive advantage over others. At Sea To Sky Network Solutions, we understand our clients’ business requirements and help them succeed accordingly. Contact us today to learn more about our managed IT services and how we can assist you.
