Outsourced IT Helpdesk vs Employed IT Support Manager

Many small businesses across are beginning to revaluate their day to day processes, taking advantage of new technology to help speed things up and make the office and their employees more productive. The debate is currently centred upon whether companies should outsource or employ an IT manager onsite.

The business buzz for the last few years or so has been around outsourcing. Whether it’s marketing or IT support, companies, particularly SMEs who subsist on a limited budget, are making the move to buying in their expertise as and when they need it. If your business is looking to employ an individual to come in and provide IT support on a salaried basis you may like to take a look at the advantages of outsourcing before you come to that important decision.

The Advantages of Outsourcing

First of all one of the overriding benefits of outsourcing your IT supply is that it comes at a cheaper price. You don’t need to employ an individual with a salary and you can tailor the provision exactly to your needs. If you are a start-up then you can keep IT support small but if you are bigger you can add on technology to make the lives of your employees and your customers better. The great news is that a good outsourced IT support can grow as your business develops.

Secondly, you get access to a broader range of expertise that can help with almost any problem. Actually, most IT problems nowadays can be solved remotely, especially now that many of us are moving to the cloud. That means if you have an office in Brighton your IT solution can be provided by someone in Horsham just as easily.

You don’t have to deal with any upfront costs which means money can be kept for more important things like developing your business and building your clientele. Outsourced IT usually comes at a monthly fee and is generally all inclusive with often far better and up to date security than you could possibly expect in house.

Even if you live out in the sticks of East Sussex you want access to all the best technology and that’s not always possible if you settle for an onsite provision. Your IT manager may well be competent but are they keeping up with the latest technology which means you’re getting the best out of your software? Whilst there may well be plenty of capable IT specialists in Brighton, do they want to commute to your office in Horsham every day? A hosted IT support takes all that worry away and you get access to not just one but several areas of hi-tech expertise.

The Downside of Outsourcing

Of course, one of the downsides is that you could well be locked into a long term contract with a provider who isn’t worth their salt. That happens across all industries and is a matter of being careful in your selection. You also may find it more ‘human’ to employ someone directly with whom you can build a relationship based on trust. This is a valid argument but it ignore the fact that IT support and provision is a lot more complicated than it used to be – you’re expecting a lot from a single individual if you expect them to be up to speed on everything.

Outsourcing using a reputable supplier provides far more pros than cons when it comes to IT. From reduced costs to more access to better technology, the benefits of moving away from an employed IT manager to an outsourced, tailor made provision make sense. For companies in South East towns such as Brighton or Horsham, that means they can get access to the kind of service that large corporations in the big cities do, at a fraction of the cost. And that can only be good for business.