Outsourcing IT makes business sense
Reading Time: 2 minutes10th November 2018 | Modified: 19th December 2022Categories: Outsourcing
Outsourcing IT can save businesses in the South East substantial sums of money every year and ensure technology and applications are always up-to-date.
For small and medium-sized businesses in particular, there are a number of key advantages to moving IT to an external managed services provider (MSP). These companies are often less likely to have a lot of in-house IT expertise and aren’t in a position to negotiate the best deals for network services.
Outsourcing helps control and reduce IT costs and enables a sharper focus on core business objectives. It also helps to avoid unforeseen expenditure in the future as IT costs will be much more predictable. An MSP can provide all the latest technology and applications, full back-up for all systems and data plus reliable monitoring.
Gary Jowett from Computer & Network Consultants in Brighton said: “An MSP can help you to minimise security risks and automate many processes to make your IT more efficient and do regular audits to ensure the technology is cost-effective and equips you with the tools needed to be more successful.”
Choose wisely
Choice of an outsourcing partner needs to be done with care after a thorough analysis of the specific needs of your organisation. Remember there can be pitfalls if you make the wrong choice. Cost alone cannot be the only measure.
For example, if you choose to use an off-shore solution, this needs to be fully evaluated before making the move. Certain off-shore services can offer significant savings in labour costs but the savings on the balance sheet need to be weighed against the quality of the service being provided by an overseas provider.
Quality outsourcing definitely removes the headache of managing your own IT when it isn’t your area of expertise. It also means the in-house IT team you retain has more time to concentrate on the strategic priorities, aligning the IT estate with the organisation’s long-term goals.
Gary added: “There’s clearly no sense in a solicitor, accountant or engineer who has trained for years in their profession being waylaid by an IT problem because the network isn’t properly supported. With an MSP you establish service level agreements that impose penalties on the provider if they don’t support you as was originally agreed. This is a big incentive for the provider to ensure things run smoothly otherwise they won’t gain the profit margin expected from the deal.”
