In-house or Outsourced IT Support: Which is Right for Your Business?
Published on: 25th May 2023
Unless you’re selling stationery, long gone are the days of pads and paper as the primary vehicle in driving business. We’re becoming increasingly dependent on technology across all operations, and efficient and adaptable IT support is an essential part of ensuring smooth business to organisations of any size. This begs the critical decision of whether to go for in-house or outsourced IT support. In this blog post, we’ll explore the key points to consider when making this decision.
1. Cost – The first and most obvious consideration is cost. In-house IT support may seem like the more affordable option, but costs such as salaries, benefits, training, and hardware and software accumulate quickly. If you’re a larger company or looking to scale up your capabilities and operations in the long term, then you may find economies of scale to providing your own IT support. Outsourced IT support, on the other hand, involves a predictable monthly fee that covers all costs, which can help with financial planning and predictability, particularly for SMBs who might lack that upfront investment.
2. Expertise – In-house IT support may be more knowledgeable about your business’s unique technology needs and can offer tailored solutions to your complex problems. However, outsourced IT support providers often have a team with a variety of expertise domains, which can provide both a broad and a deep understanding of the IT landscape. This can provide competitive advantage when your counterparts are juggling responsibilities in-house.
3. Availability – When it comes to technology, it’s not a case of if something goes wrong, it’s a case of when. And, in that situation, a quick resolution is essential to minimise downtime and ensure your business continuity. In-house IT support may not always be available 24/7, whereas outsourced IT support providers often offer round-the-clock support.
4. Scalability – Along with customer demand and the competitive environment, businesses are constantly evolving, and their technology needs change as you do. Outsourced IT support is designed to quickly scale to meet your needs, whereas in-house IT support requires significant investment to accommodate growth and change. In-house, change management can be met with resistance, lack of buy in and executive support. Outsourcing the issue means that your changing needs can be met by an objective and expert third party.
5. Security – Data breaches and cyber-attacks are an increasing concern for businesses of all sizes. In-house, training, procurement and management of security measures can all be resource intensive. Often without such investment it falls by the wayside in a show of diffusion of responsibility; since it is everyone’s job, no body steps up to do it. Outsourced IT support providers often have access to the latest security tools and techniques (https://communicate.technology/services/cyber-security/) and can offer enhanced protection against these threats.
6. Accountability – In-house IT support may be balancing demands from different departments, which can impact your workflow and relationships. Although in-house IT support may be invested in the success of your company, outsourced IT support providers, are typically contractually obligated to meet service level agreements (SLAs) and are held accountable if they fail to do so.
In conclusion, the decision to go for in-house or outsourced IT depends on several factors. While in-house support offers a more personalised touch, it requires a serious amount of continual investment to manage business operations effectively and securely. Outsourcing provides several advantages such as specialised expertise, round the clock availability, scalability at the drop of a hat, and accountability to SLAs. Ultimately, the best solution depends on your needs and goals, and how your budget can best meet them. If you’d like to chat with us about outsourcing IT support, please get in touch.
