If you employ between 20 and 500 employees in today’s competitive marketplace, you recognize that your IT department is not what it used to be. A seasoned staff, legacy equipment, and yesterday’s processes will no longer support your business into the next generation.
Technology is advancing so fast that small and medium-sized companies often need third-party support that offers more economical choices, compatibility with the up-and-coming IT solutions, and experienced IT professionals.
Three Ways Most Companies Are Handling IT
Realizing that IT management is necessary for companies to be competitive in today’s marketplace, most are choosing between in-house and outsourced solutions, or a hybrid of these options.
Internal (In-House)
Some companies rely on one or two IT staff members for their information technology needs. While it is very convenient to have IT people in the office at all times, this route is not without its challenges.
IT is so broad and specialized these days that it truly takes a village for businesses to get good IT results. Handling all regular IT maintenance and end user support issues, plus projects and upgrades, is not feasible for one or two people to manage anymore. Not to mention the strategic planning and budgeting that is necessary to keep the company’s costs controllable and on the right technology path to achieve their goals.
For many companies, hiring the number of IT employees it would take to achieve the business results you want just doesn’t make sense.
Outsourced
Many companies are outsourcing their IT to a qualified team. A good outsourced arrangement enables businesses to get better service with lower costs and risks than are generally possible with an internal IT staff.
Outsourced managed IT services providers can handle all areas IT, including: strategy, budgeting, help desk, security, regular IT maintenance, business continuity, onsite IT services, etc.
Businesses should look for the outsourced provider who takes pride in being accountable and responsible for the entire IT management process.
Hybrid (Some Internal, Some Outsourced)
For some companies, a hybrid solution that blends both in-house resources and outsourced options is perfect.
Knowing that it’s not possible for one or two people to cover all areas of IT, some companies are keeping an IT manager on staff and are choosing to outsource many of the commoditized functions. That way, the internal IT staff can focus on the tasks that move the business forward, such as the core business applications, and the outsourced provider can manage and maintain many of the critically important, but commoditized, tasks like firewall and backup management.
They can also provide end user support, and can be a resource for the internal team if they are stuck on an issue or need extra hands for a project.
Which IT Option Is Right For You?
Choosing which type of IT department is best for your business comes down to what results you want from IT and how much you want to invest.
Business leaders these days generally find themselves most satisfied with an outsourced or hybrid IT department. Since IT is so broad, it’s hard for internal IT folks to keep up with end user requests AND fulfill all of the duties that management expects of them – a true no-win situation. But when expectations are set properly and when the right outsourcing arrangement is available, executives can get the business results they need from their IT investment.
Whichever route you choose, it should be a decision that aligns with your business objectives.
Want To Know More?
If you’d like to learn more about the different IT support options we offer, give us a call at 800-481-4369 or schedule a free IT consultation. We’d be happy to help you figure out which IT support model is best for your unique business.
