There comes a time in each business’ journey where the need for IT outsourcing arises. To outsource IT for small businesses can seem daunting and complicated at first. Over the years, TechKnowledgey has fielded many questions about outsourced IT services. In response, we have curated a list of 11 reasons why outsourcing IT is a good (and many times, the best) option for small to medium-sized businesses.
Outsourced IT vs. In-House IT
Many companies have a need for IT services, but not to the point of hiring full-time IT staff. The cost of a staffed IT professional can cost upwards of $42,000 a year, or $21 an hour, according to payscale.com. This does not include the cost of benefits such as health insurance, 401K, dental, paid sick days or vacation. By contrast, an outsourced IT provider allows you to hire a whole team of experienced IT professionals for a fraction of the price.
Risk Reduction
Every business operates under a certain amount of risk. The less risk a business has, the more profitable a business is likely to become. The same risk applies to your data and IT systems. If your business does not have an actively managed firewall protecting its network, chances are good you will get hit with a cyber attack like ransomware. With a wide range of tools and experience, and outsourced IT partner can harden your network against hackers (inside and out) and protect your business’ bottom line. Learn more about how our network security solutions can protect you.
Downtime is Expensive
An ounce of prevention goes a long way toward stability for your small business. Regularly scheduled services are a strategic management tool for preventing network downtime. Consider the cumulative cost of a single hour of downtime across your company, and the cost of proactive IT services looks like a bargain.
Lower Predictable Costs
To outsource IT for small businesses mitigates the heavy cost of an emergency IT project or a downed network. Companies will often call needing outsourced IT services NOW, which can get pretty costly, wiping out many IT budgets for the year. With proactive services and network monitoring designed to predict and prevent many such emergencies, IT spending becomes a predictable line item rather than a nasty surprise.
Enterprise-Level Expertise for Less
A large enterprise will usually have the full-time IT staff to handle any and all IT issues that arise. Due to scale, they can afford to invest in tools and systems to efficiently manage all parts of their network. Small businesses, on the other hand, often can’t afford that luxury. One of the benefits of outsourced IT for small businesses is having access to the same range of IT expertise and insights that larger companies have in-house. This can help level the playing field between you and your big competitors.
Access to Experienced IT Professionals
Your business’s data is one of your most important assets. Due to cost, small businesses often hire one young, inexperienced person with more book knowledge than field experience.  Without someone to mentor them, this can result in a trial-and-error approach with your business as the guinea pig. Outsourcing your small business IT puts you face-to-face with veteran IT professionals with wide experience who are dedicated to serving your specific business objectives.
Vendor Management
Another reason to outsource IT for small business is vendor management. You will no longer have to spend half of your day on the phone with various vendors. A managed IT service can handle your cloud storage, internet, managed print service, and network firewall so you don’t have to. This frees up your time to work on the business rather than dealing with overseas customer support agents.
Accelerate Through Innovation
According to a Global Outsourcing Survey from Deloitte, 35% of respondents stated that one of the key benefits to outsource IT for small businesses is the ability to accelerate their business goals through innovation. Outsourced IT providers help small businesses leverage emerging technology to scale up or develop new lines of business.
Efficient Tech Upgrades
Another major benefit to outsourcing IT is the quick turnaround time when implementing new technology. Experienced IT service providers can filter your myriad of choices when choosing upgrades, and help you come to a decision quickly. Working with you, they can coordinate equipment deployments and data migrations to avoid costly business interruptions.
Superhuman-Quick Response Times
Some outsourced IT providers can take DAYS to reply to a simple email request. Small businesses who rely on TechKnowledgey enjoy fast, personal responses to their service requests. Customers who use our proactive monitoring services often find their issues identified and resolved before they even knew there was a problem.
Business Focused. Relationship Driven
TechKnowledgey is the clear choice to outsource IT for small businesses in the Midwest and surrounding states. We bring people, technology, and solutions into balance through successful hybrid cloud solutions, integrated IT services, and managed print services powered by IoT.
Like a pilot navigating the skies, we keep our eyes on the ever-changing horizon, ensuring your technology needs are met as your business changes. We build relationships and stay prepared for whatever crosswinds may occur. Built upon a solid foundation of trust, integrity, and friendship, TechKnowledgey is solely focused upon creating success; for our employees, customers, and our community.
Chat with us today and see how the benefits of a managed IT services model can help your small business.