There are many functions within a business that are outsourced. The number of outsourced functions has only grown as businesses scale faster and the market for outsourced services thrives.
Most companies already outsource at least a few IT functions. Small and medium businesses, especially, depend on outsourced IT help to keep technology running smoothly. As more technology is required just to keep the doors open, staying ahead of IT tasks is a greater demand than most any small businesses can keep up with.
Whether or not a business should outsource IT and how much of it to outsource, however, is still a question businesses struggle with.
First, businesses must analyze their operational status quo to look for key signs that IT should be hired out.
Signs a Business Should Outsource IT
- Your IT system is outdated. This issue can be instantly remedied when your business outsources IT services. Updated systems that belong to the IT provider will keep your business more secure and help it run more efficiently as a result.
- Your IT systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks. If your company isn’t totally prepared for cyberattacks, outsourcing your IT will provide you with the best security solutions along with continual monitoring for threats.
- Your IT systems are causing regular headaches. If you’re taking too much time to maintain or troubleshoot your IT systems, you’re losing focus of your bigger business goals. Outsourcing your IT can take all the IT onus off you.
- No one to deal with specialized tasks. Maybe you have some IT wizards on staff, but if you lack a team with all the specialized knowledge needed in today’s fast-paced IT world, you won’t be able to fill the gaps without outsourcing at least some of your IT tasks.
How Much IT Should You Outsource?
Exactly how many IT functions your business outsources depends on the talent and IT budget that your business already has.
First, dive into exactly what IT services can be outsourced, then apply those that bring the biggest ROI to your team.
What IT Services Can You Outsource?
IT providers will each have their own areas of expertise. Have your needs and expectations clearly outlined when you start vetting IT providers.
The most common IT tasks outsourced include:
- General help desk and tech support
- App support and troubleshooting
- App maintenance and management
- Hardware, software and network management
- Website hosting
- Cloud services
- Telecommunications
- Email management
- Data center management
- Database management or development
- Incident response and disaster recovery
- Cyber threat protection and monitoring
Any combination of these IT functions could spell out why your business needs to start outsourcing some of its IT now.
If your IT requirements have become overwhelming, you’re already overdue.
Contact our team today to learn how Computer St. Louis can help.