Outsourced IT support has been common in business for many years and any business that wants to remain competitive in the future will need strong IT support. As a business owner you may think that an in-house IT department for all technical support and services is the way to go however, there are many reasons why a business would benefit from outsourced IT services.
So here are my Top 10 benefits of taking on outsourced IT support:
1. Lower operational and labour costs
It may seem to to be counter-intuitive but outsourcing your IT services can reduce overall costs. If this is executed properly you can reduce costs directly and indirectly through staff and investments in technology.
2. Increased expertise
Many service-based IT outsourcing partners have continuous training and development programmes that allow you to take advantage of additional skills you may not have internally. These could include; network, telephony, software support, and web development.
3. Improved business focus
Organisations that outsource their IT support, consultancy and system maintenance can focus management time on core business issues including business development and growth.
4. Risk
By utilising an outsourced IT partner, businesses can reduce the risks associated with technology. Outsourced partners typically have industry certifications and standards that aren’t easily achieved inside a business that is not IT focused.
5. Expand resource
IT support and outsourced technology partners predominantly have more resource available to provide support and consultancy. Rather than a small internal team, an outsourced IT partner could have 10 / 15+ consultants allowing you to expand and contract your support as the business dictates.
6. Efficiency
Reduce the need for an internal resource to manage day to day IT issues and allow staff to focus on their real job. Your outsourced partner should be able to provide management services as well as transactional frontline services.
7. Agility
A technology partner should be aware of current technology trends and what is available in the marketplace. Make use of the expertise and embrace new ideas and ways of working. Re-engineering systems and workflow, quickly and efficiently rather than the traditionally time-consuming process.
8. Compliance
Offload the burden of compliance to an experienced support provider. If chosen correctly they should be aware of Cyber Essentials and ISO standards around data and security management helping you keep tight control of your environment.
9. Improved response times
Utilise the providers IT helpdesk to improve support response times.
10. Supplement your IT department with outsourced IT support
You may just need additional skills and expertise to compliment an IT function in your business if full outsourcing is still something you aren’t sure about.
In summary, organisations will look to outsource IT services for varying reasons depending on their requirements. This will vary from business to business but many of the advantages of outsourcing are applicable to all and are a core component in any business strategy.
For further information on outsourced IT support for your business or to discuss your requirements call our IT partner HW Technology on 0845 504 8989 or visit www.hwt.co.uk.
Part of the Haines Watts Group, HW Technology provides strategic business IT Support to an array of different service-led businesses.
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