One important decision that growing companies are faced with at some point, is whether to bring the management of their technology in-house or outsource and have a managed services provider (MSP) take care of it.
There are important benefits to weigh with each option. But one thing that can’t be ignored is the need to have a professional handling your business technology systems. Most company operations are now intrinsically tied to the operations of its IT, so if technology is not running well, neither is the business.
81% of surveyed organization leaders say that IT is a strategic enabler of the business.
Technology now runs everything from accounting operations to customer support, and it not only has to operate efficiently, but it also needs to be secure. Just one successful data breach or ransomware attack can take a company down for days. Many SMBs never recover.
Knowing the importance of technology for your business wellbeing is one part of the equation, the other is how you’re going to decide to take care of your technology infrastructure.
Do you pay a managed services professional monthly to handle everything for you?
Do you hire your own in-house IT person or team of people that will be on-site?
We’ll go through a comparison of each model to help you make a more informed decision.
Pros & Cons of Internal IT Staffing
When a company reaches a certain point in its growth, leadership may decide it’s time to hire an in-house IT team that can be onsite when needed. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this method of IT management?
Pro: Near-Instant Response Time
While MSP providers can have fast response times, it’s hard to get quite as fast as someone already being in the building. When you hire your own in-house IT person or team, you have them on-site and available to respond at a moment’s notice.
Pro: An In-House IT Person Has Daily Knowledge of Everything Happening
An in-house IT person is going to be called whenever anything goes wrong, or a computer system needs to be evaluated. Because they work for your company and are there all day, every day, they have an intimate knowledge of everything happening with your technology and business.
Con: Costs Can Be Higher Than Outsourcing
When you hire an internal IT person or IT team, you’re not only paying their salary. As their employer, you’ll have other employee-related expenses, like worker’s compensation insurance, health insurance benefits, and paid time off.
Con: Your Technology Growth Could Be Held Back
When working with an in-house team or individual for your IT management, your growth might hit a roadblock based on that person’s knowledge, time, and initiative to learn “what’s coming in IT next.”
Other factors that can hurt your IT infrastructure include:
- When the in-house IT team is out sick or on vacation
- Lack of experience with other types of IT systems
- Lack of initiative to do more than asked
- Overwork, with no time to prepare IT environments for the future
Pros & Cons of Outsourced IT Management
Managed services providers combine multiple technology services into one monthly package and can take the burden of IT off your plate. What are the plusses and minuses of working with an MSP?
Pro: You Don’t Have to Deal with Employee Staffing Issues
Hiring your own IT team means going through an interview and hiring process and then dealing with the same type of HR management as you do for other employees. If the person doesn’t work out, you’re back to square one.
When working with an outsourced IT partner, you skip all that.
Pro: Have Access to More Knowledge & Experience
When outsourcing your IT management to an IT provider, you have the benefit of a vast range of knowledge and experience held by all those on our team. So, something we’ve learned from one company can benefit yours. You aren’t limited by the knowledge of one or a few people that only work on your systems.
Con: You Need to Trust a Provider
You will need to trust your IT provider with your sensitive business systems. This may be more difficult for some companies, that would rather keep their IT management in-house.
However, one trust factor is checks and balances. You have more checks and balances to ensure your security when working with a professional IT service company.
Con: Not Onsite All the Time
If you need someone on-site all the time, then it could get expensive to have an outsourced provider there 24/7. In this case, an in-house employee might be less expensive.
However, if you are mainly looking for a fast response to IT issues and having your entire infrastructure managed professionally, then you can achieve this by working with an MSP, and the cost will generally be less.
Additionally, remote support allows us to respond fast, and many tasks can be taken care of without an on-site visit being needed.
Learn More About Our Affordable On-Site & Remote Support
AhelioTech can sit down with your Columbus area business and create a custom managed services plan that meets all your technology and security needs, and is cost-effective.
Contact us today for a free quote. Call 614-333-0000 or reach out online.
