Internal IT Vs Outsourced IT - What's Better For Small Businesses?

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Information Technology is imperative to your small business’ success. With the right IT tools in place, you can reduce everything from bounce rate to downtime while boosting employee productivity levels. Plus, your company will be incredibly secure.

Entrepreneurs understand the importance of investing in IT, but the tricky part is figuring out how to invest. Do you outsource the job to a third-party, or do you hire in-house IT technicians? The option you choose should depend on your circumstances as every business is different.

However, here are the general reasons why entrepreneurs tend to prefer outsourced IT to internal IT services.

Outsourcing Is Cheaper

Although IT and everything it offers is essential to success, it’s sometimes hard to look at the costs and validate them. After all, it’s not as if the expenses are redeemable, which makes it tempting to see the fees as unnecessary. Let’s face it - you could better use the resources elsewhere. Thankfully, hiring a third-party means that you never have to choose between IT and a limited operating budget as these experts can provide all the services you require at half the cost of doing them yourself. The average salary for an IT manager alone is upwards of £40,000.

You Can Maintain Control

Part of the problem associated with outsourcing is that you lose control over the process. Once the task leaves the safety of your workspace, you have to work harder to ensure the standard doesn’t drop. Plus, you must trust the company that you hire. Still, this doesn’t mean that you need to have faith in their abilities. Instead, you merely have to check-in more often and communicate regularly. By doing this, you can make sure that deadlines are on course and procedures regulated. Since the advent of video-calling software, it’s never been easier to communicate with outsourcers.

Outsourced IT Is Compatible With Internal IT

Typically, business leaders wrongly assume that a company has to choose between outsourced and internal IT systems. However, once you get answers to commonly asked questions from industry professionals, you will realise that this isn’t the case. If anything, outsourced IT solutions are pretty much always compatible with already-existing information technology programs. All third-parties have to do is create a customised service plan that integrates seamlessly. When they do, you can enjoy the best features of each method and enhance your company’s ability to communicate and respond effectively.

The Boredom Risk Is Lower

Unfortunately, there’s a high chance that your IT team won’t have enough work to keep them busy since you’re not a massive conglomerate with a tonne of IT issues. As a result, it’s not uncommon for employees to get bored and become less productive. Also, you’ve got to factor in the financial problem - you’re paying them to work and they’re sat at a desk twiddling their thumbs. With outsourced IT solutions, you never have to deal with this situation as you only pay for services that you require, while your in-house employees focus on the jobs that motivate them.

Which IT method do you think is the best option for your business?