What Are Outsourced IT Services?
The days of companies confining themselves to a traditional staffing model are over. Outsourcing important business functions has risen to the point where the market volume is set to reach $450 billion by 2027. But despite the success outsourcing IT brings, some may be hesitant to send their IT off campus.
Yes, it may be possible to exercise more granular control over your IT if you keep it in-house. But with modern communications tech and the flexibility of outsourced IT services, it can be easy to find a solution that saves you time and money while delivering high-quality IT for your company. Here’s a breakdown of the different IT solutions you can outsource, the benefits of outsourcing IT, how it differs from in-house IT, and how to go about choosing the best outsourcing option.
What IT Solutions Can You Outsource?
You can outsource all aspects of your IT or just a few pieces of your computing puzzle. Either way, you’re in the driver’s seat and can decide what you outsource based on your business’s needs. As you evaluate IT outsourcing companies, you should choose one that offers a range of outsourced services, such as:
Cloud communication
By outsourcing cloud communications, you broaden the horizons of your interactions with customers and team members. For instance, you can combine email, texting, file-sharing, and video conferencing in a single solution.
Networks
By outsourcing your network management, you can spend less time configuring and tweaking your network and more time managing your business. With network experts managing your infrastructure, you can minimize downtime and maximize throughput.
Internet
By outsourcing your internet management, you get more reliable connections with customers and teams. You also get a customized internet setup, such as a hybrid- or SD-WAN, that enables smoother, more reliable operations.
Cybersecurity
You can choose to outsource some or all of your cyber defenses, which gets you top-of-the-line endpoint security, managed detection and response (MDR), disaster recovery, security advisory services, training, and managed firewalls.
While many IT outsourcing companies offer one or some of these services, choosing a single provider for your needs has several advantages. For example, suppose you’ve already invested in an on-premises network and had it installed and configured according to your needs. But you still need a cyber defense system to safeguard your valuable assets. While you may not choose to hire an outsourcing provider for network management, getting one that provides cybersecurity services would be a smart move. In this way, you protect your infrastructural investment and pave the way for more uptime as your business grows in the coming months and years.
According to IDC’s 2022 Global DNS Threat Report, seventy-three percent of IT leaders are also aware that DNS security is critical to their business. However, cybercriminals target DNS, making domain name security a critical component of network protection. Without it, cybercriminals can target security vulnerabilities and easily redirect a domain name to their own location with malicious intent.
Benefits of Outsourced IT Services
By using outsourced IT services, you gain a range of benefits when it comes to controlling expenses, boosting efficiency, cybersecurity, and productivity.
Save Money on IT
Often, when a manager sees an IT hole that needs to be filled, they hire more staff, often it’s someone who specializes in that needed discipline. With a current shortage of skilled IT professionals, hiring individuals in-house can become costly especially when you account for ongoing certifications and training. But with outsourced IT, you don’t have to. You get IT services without any knowledge or skills gaps.
If you have to add services, you don’t have to invest in hiring and onboarding new talent. You just let your provider know about your need, and they take care of it for you. Outsourcing IT saves a lot of money, both in the long and short term.
Boost Efficiency
Often, when an IT team has to tackle a new problem, they end up doing a ton of research to learn more about the issue, what causes it, and how to fix it. On the other hand, with outsourced IT support, you get experienced pros who can provide solutions quickly.
In many cases, IT outsourcing companies have already dealt with the issues your organization is facing, so providing a solution is relatively quick and easy. If someone hits a snag, they can reach out to another experienced pro for help and quickly get to the bottom of the issue. This kind of comprehensive, deep knowledge makes your IT operation far more efficient.
Increase Productivity
When you have some of your brightest minds tackling mundane, repetitive IT issues, you often end up misallocating your most valuable resource: your people. But by giving these responsibilities to an IT outsourcing firm, your in-house talent is free to address the stickier issues that, once solved, tangibly improve your bottom line.
Strengthen Your Cybersecurity
Staying on top of the latest cyberattack techniques and technologies can be laborious for an in-house team, especially because they have so much else to do. By outsourcing IT to seasoned professionals, you instantly get a team that has already notched out time for keeping up with recent trends and attacks and can help you with cybersecurity preparedness.
You also avail yourself of the cutting-edge tech you need to keep a step ahead of attackers. Outsourced IT support services make sure they have the latest technology and know how to get the most out of the various cybersecurity solutions available.
For example, you may have a good assortment of firewalls spread out across a strategically segmented network. But are you getting the most out of machine learning in your cyber defense system? Does your cybersecurity pair AI with human intelligence?
Many organizations don’t have the time or human resources to pursue the most recent top tech. This is when outsourced IT services can make a big difference. You get a far more robust array of services and tools — both of which keep you ahead of attackers and your competition.
In-House IT vs. Outsourced IT Services
For some companies, outsourced IT management is necessary, while for others, it simply adds a little extra efficiency and cyber safety.
When to Use Your In-House Team
In-house IT can work well for companies that are loaded with IT talent in a range of disciplines. Also, if your team doesn’t mind working weekends or overtime — and that fits within your budget — an in-house solution can be a good fit.
In-house IT also works well for companies that are unlikely to scale in the future and have the budget to purchase the latest IT tech as soon as it comes out. If your company isn’t likely to grow, you can invest heavily in an in-house IT team upfront and use them for several years.
If you have the financial resources to source and acquire the latest technology, you may be able to purchase tech similar to what an outsourced company works with.
When It’s Best to Outsource Your IT
On the other hand, if saving money is a priority, it’s typically best to use an outsourced IT solution. This is because you can cut down on what you spend acquiring IT talent and purchasing the latest tech.
It can also be time-consuming and logistically difficult to identify, hire, and train new IT staff. For companies that would rather invest that bandwidth in revenue-generating activities, going with an outsourced IT service is a wise move. But there are other advantages to using IT outsourcing companies other than cost savings. As we mentioned above, they can help increase productivity, boost efficiency, and fuel your IT strategy.
Where Are Outsourced IT Services Near Me?
Even though you can go with a local office to support your IT needs, using a nationwide managed services provider can give you:
- More access to cutting-edge technology
- Better pricing
- More expertise across a wider range of IT disciplines
A nationwide IT services provider has a deeper pool of talent they can bring to the table to support your success. A local service may have some gifted individuals, but they may lack the people power to solve some of the trickier challenges companies encounter.
How to Choose IT Outsourcing Companies
Choosing the right IT outsourcing company comes down to the company’s experience, support model, and technology. Your selection process should begin with asking, “What is outsourced IT in terms of my company’s needs?” You can then stack your options side-by-side and ask questions such as:
- Does this company have a history of experience in the outsourced IT space, or is it relatively new to the game? The more experience you have on your side, the more efficient your service delivery will be.
- Does this company have a support model made for small business IT outsourcing, or is it designed for a different clientele? A support model should be flexible enough to address even relatively minor adjustments or issues in a cost-effective manner. At the same time, big-ticket challenges, like network design and deployment, should also be available.
- Does this provider have the most recent technology at its disposal? The tech portfolio of a successful outsourced IT provider should be stocked with up-to-date cybersecurity tools, networking devices, and cloud-powered resources.
TPx Can Help With Your Outsourcing IT Needs
TPx has 25 years of experience filling IT gaps and managing entire infrastructures for winning companies. TPx’s team of engineers, architects, and support experts have more than 120 technology certifications. This means that when you team up with TPx, you get a vast body of deep expertise on your side, making it easier to drive your business forward.
TPx also gives you an expansive suite of the latest products, thanks to partnerships with some of the most dominant brands in the IT space. As a result, you get the cybersecurity, networking, cloud communications, and managed IT services you need — customized according to your business model and goals. To learn more, get in touch with our IT experts today below.
Ready to learn more about outsourcing your IT needs?
"*" indicates required fields