Outsource your IT or hire internally

As more companies move towards a managed IT services model to service their technology needs there are still questions on how best to implement that technology. Some companies struggle with the decision whether to outsource their IT or hire someone internally. We’re sharing a few of those concerns below to help you decide your support future.

What are some benefits of outsourcing your IT vs. hiring an internal team?

IT hiring can present a company with some rather unique challenges, many of which are accomplished by working with the right managed services provider. These include:

• In cost comparisons, companies found that outsourcing their IT staff saved money over full-time employees. The cost to hire, train, and reimburse for certification programs outweighed any contracts. There are no soft costs or taxes involved with managed services contracts either.
• Training internal IT staff to support your network also takes considerable time and effort. If any member leaves, there is a gap that comes where that training and the knowledge exchange occurs. A managed services organization builds out a repository of documentation surrounding your environment so that each member can pick up where another may leave off.
• Managed service providers also staff a deep bench of talent that is skilled and experienced in different areas of network support. Hiring an individual with skills in every network environment is unlikely or going to be very expensive.

“Won’t internal IT support respond to my requests for support faster?”

It is a common misconception that having someone on staff will respond quicker to technical issues than a remote staff. A good managed services partner will have monitoring tools that will detect and correct or create a ticket automatically to address issues with desktops and servers. Often before an end-user is aware of the problem. When several issues occur at once, they are also able to delegate resources to multiple issues rather than tackling one at a time.

“What if my managed services contact cannot resolve the issue?”

Much like internal IT staff, any single technician will not have all the answers. Sometimes technology will be outside their realm of understanding or expertise. A managed server partner with a larger support staff will often have the leverage to escalate issues to techs or engineers that have the experience to resolve the issue.

The alternative would be to hire expensive consultants to come in and resolve the issue if the internal staff is unable to resolve.

“If I outsource my IT, will I have to dissolve my internal staff?”

Even if you go with a managed services model, there are several reasons to keep part of your internal staff. Resolving issues that don’t require specialized knowledge of a certain technology and acting as the point of communication between the managed services team and your staff brings great value to the relationship.

We leverage internal staff to handle low-level calls and escalate issues outside of their understanding to our teams. We get a great synergy and bring a huge value to having not just an onsite resource that aligns your IT plans with your business objectives, but it gives your organization the leverage of technology experience and capabilities while controlling overhead costs.

“If I outsource IT will I be introducing risk in an environment where we have strict compliance and security policies?”

If you take the time to find a reputable managed services organization you won’t risk non-compliance. With the ability to share costs among several organizations, managed services organizations can leverage the economy of scale to offer HIPAA, PCI, and Security monitoring and compliance at a fraction of the costs for companies to purchase directly. Technicians are screened and monitored just like any other job.

Determining those security concerns up front allows the provider to set controls for accessing certain information or systems without supervision. With monitoring and feedback systems the outsourced, IT team can detect anomalies within the network and report on end-user behaviors, logins, and what individuals have access to network locations and devices. Reporting on any activity can be tracked and delivered to your organization on a regular schedule.

There are benefits to outsourcing IT, but it’s important to spend time finding the right organization with the right staff and abilities to leverage success with your business. Rx Technology has been in the support and technology field since 1995, offering best in class solutions, with certified and seasoned engineering staff to meet your goals and objectives.

Contact us today for a network assessment and discover how we can help your organization.