A Comprehensive Guide to IT Outsourcing
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While many parts of business are best kept in-house, information technology (IT) usually isn’t one of them. With ever-changing technology, strict industry demands and unpredictable costs, numerous companies opt to have outsourced experts take over their IT departments. An IT business partner can lower costs, minimize risk and help you focus on core business processes, along with providing many other benefits.
Let’s take a closer look at partnering with IT providers and how to outsource your IT.
Why Do Businesses Outsource IT?
From resource allocation to budgeting and team expertise, the benefits of outsourcing IT can reach many parts of a company.
1. Reduce and Stabilize IT Expenses
One of the main motivators for outsourcing is cost — in a 2021 report, it was the top objective for 70% of companies looking to outsource.
An outsourced team puts together the expertise of different professionals for a much lower cost than hiring them in-house. These teams have professionals who specialize in areas like networking, security and help desk support. Getting such a high level of skill in-house calls for several expensive hires.
With outsourced IT, you can also enjoy cost-savings for hardware. The capital it takes to fund a robust IT system is considerable, but outsourcing allows you to bypass them and reap similar benefits.
Another way outsourcing IT helps with expenses is through more predictable pricing. IT costs can be highly variable, with large upfront costs and potential surprise expenses. Consider the sudden costs when a server is damaged and you need to replace it — outsourcing your IT services makes budgeting much simpler.
2. Expand Your Talent Pool
While finding good help isn’t always easy, outsourcing your IT allows you to pull from a much larger team with more experience. Members of an outsourced IT team have worked with many businesses and are highly qualified. Some teams even specialize in certain areas of business. Here at Kirbtech, we focus on the needs of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and have plenty of hands-on experience in said environments.
3. Free Up Resources
No matter how versatile your business is, chances are, you didn’t go into it to manage all of the little details regarding IT. An outsourced team can take care of every related demand, leaving you and your team to focus on the core objectives of the business.
Having an IT business partner doesn’t mean you need to offload all of your IT demands, either. If you simply want to reduce the responsibilities of your crew, an outsourced team can work alongside your in-house team and offer additional support and expertise. This lets you keep your team small so they can focus on furthering your business goals.
4. Quickly Implement New Projects or Supplement a Team
As business needs change, you may want to deploy new tech or add more people to your support team. Adding such capabilities to an in-house team takes time, as you need to buy equipment and hire staff members — but outsourced IT companies are ready to quickly jump into action. From beefing up your hardware to helping you support the rollout of a new project, an IT business partner can be a valuable component of an agile approach.
Specifically, outsourced teams can be useful in volatile or fast-moving business environments. These teams are more scalable and can adjust according to demands. If you have a busy season, outsourced IT support can supplement your team when needed.
What Can Outsourcing IT Do for an SMB?
SMBs are unique from large enterprises, and outsourcing usually makes the most sense for them. In particular, you may not have a lot of excess capital for the variable costs of in-house IT or the expenses associated with getting the expertise you need. While SMBs might be more limited by size or budget, they still have security and technical demands similar to larger companies — customers still need dependability, employees need high uptime and the entire business needs trustworthy security.
Outsourcing leverages the resources needed to achieve these results with a cost structure that’s more attainable for SMBs. It can level the playing field and help SMBs stay competitive. Outsourced IT is especially useful for helping these companies reduce risk through reliable security that meets industry standards and best practices. With plenty of experience and understanding of industry demands, these teams can help limit security risks for SMBs, which are often targeted because of their limited IT resources.
Another benefit that’s especially useful for SMBs is flexibility. As an SMB grows, an outsourced IT team grows with it. You can stay flexible and know that you can meet increased demand without the complexity or risk of adjusting your in-house team.
How to Start Outsourcing IT
Before you outsource your IT, you need to be sure to do it right. With 48% of businesses looking to spend more time on the provider selection process, it’s clear that this is an important part of learning how to outsource IT. Without a good IT partner, you may end up with security risks, poor performance and an overall frustrating experience. Finding the right partner ensures that you’re working with someone who has your company’s best interests in mind and has the capabilities to meet your unique needs.
Here are some tips for outsourcing IT:
- Define your goals and the context of your business: Clearly lay out and identify your goals and business needs before you start your search. This will help you quickly identify partners that have expertise in these areas and align with your needs.
- Look for a history of success: Make sure the company has proven itself with many satisfied customers and businesses like yours in their portfolio.
- Protect your data: You’ll likely be sharing some sensitive data with your IT partner. Make sure it’s secure by signing a non-disclosure agreement if necessary and ensuring the company abides by industry best practices to keep your data safe.
It’s also crucial that you have buy-in for outsourcing at all levels of the company. This means making sure your in-house employees work with your outsourced team and don’t cause friction. Take some time to educate employees on what the outsourced team will be doing and how it will impact their day-to-day activities. This helps everyone stay on the same page and work toward the same overarching goal.
Outsourced IT Services With Kirbtech
SMBs are the perfect candidates for outsourced IT and can take advantage of its easy growth, technical expertise and simplified cost structure. With the right partner, this solution can help you find cost savings and trustworthy performance.
If you’re in southern Pennsylvania and outsourcing IT sounds like a good fit for your organization, Kirbtech can help. We focus on the needs of small businesses, with competitive pricing, a breadth of capabilities and high scalability. Our services include managed IT, 24/7 support, networking and IT help desk outsourcing.
Learn more about Kirbtech’s capabilities online, and reach out to us today!
