When it comes to making decisions about your company’s IT it can be a bit bewildering. We completely understand. While IT is expensive, it’s also the backbone of almost every organization. That’s why there can be a ton of apprehension about making the wrong decision.
Oftentimes, IT is one of those things that businesses tend to let linger because they can’t stretch their budget to purchase new equipment. So they put bandaids on their problems until it gets to the point where they have no choice but to buy new equipment in an emergency, rather than being able to do it over time and with a game plan in place.
With all of that said, the thought of outsourcing IT can seem a bit counterproductive to smaller organizations who don’t even have a formal IT department or employee. After all, we just discussed how things can be expensive - why would you want to add a monthly fee on top of it all?
The answer is simple. Outsourcing your IT services can actually save your organization money. Here are the top signs that will help you determine when it might be time to bite the bullet and do it.
3 WAYS YOU’LL KNOW IT’S TIME TO OUTSOURCE YOUR IT SERVICES
1. Your Day-to-Day Operations Are Affected
One of the biggest indicators that it might be time to step up your company’s IT game is that things are beginning to feel overwhelming.
All too frequently we see companies whose IT is handled by an employee with other primary responsibilities on their plate. This might work for a while, particularly for small businesses that don’t use their computers for overly taxing work. But eventually as your organization grows, things will start to get out of hand.
In organizations that have another employee handle their IT (such as Sarah the Office Manager or Jim from Accounting), it may become apparent that suddenly Jim just doesn’t have the time - either his actual job is taking up too much time (which makes sense!) or his IT responsibilities are overwhelming his primary responsibilities. In either scenario, as the IT responsibilities grow, day-to-day operations are going to be negatively impacted. Something’s gotta give, after all.
2. Emergencies Are Happening More Frequently
The next sign is that suddenly everything is an emergency. This might be a bit hyperbolic on the part of your employees who are stressed, or (and this is the worse option) it might actually be true. Here’s what we mean:
As your organization’s IT needs become more complex, the number of employees grows, or your equipment ages - or any combination of the three! - the people handling and using your IT will be taxed.
For example, if your network is constantly going down, workstations are moving at a glacial pace, or copy machines just refuse to work, your day-to-day operations are going to suffer, employees are going to get stressed, and one day (although we sincerely hope this doesn’t happen!) some piece of critical equipment is going to fail… and then what will you do? In those situations the only option is to call in someone to fix the problems - generally at a premium cost because it’s a last minute thing.
3. You’re in Over Your Head
Finally, the biggest indication that it’s time to call in some professionals - and also one of the easiest to spot - is that the issues cropping up are simply outside the wheelhouse of the person handling them.
Sarah and Jim might be able to handle simple issues like restarting a router, or running an antivirus program, and even slightly more complex issues like configuring a workstation to use the network. But at some point they’ll encounter a problem they don’t know how to fix, or something they don’t know how to implement.
Here’s another example. As your company grows and you take on more employees, they’ll be unfamiliar with the other.Therefore, there will be more high-level aspects of proper IT maintenance and protocol that need to be taken care of.
SAVE TIME & MONEY BY OUTSOURCING YOUR IT
Many smaller companies don’t have the funds to hire a full-time IT specialist. If you relate to this, it pays to have someone else handle your IT, saving you a host of headaches and cost.
As your business grows, things will start getting out of hand. You could end up spending thousands upon thousands of unnecessary (or avoidable) dollars on remediating problems or replacing equipment that, if it had been properly maintained, could have had a bit more life in them. Worse yet, you could face an IT disaster that could end up costing your business dearly in downtime and client dissatisfaction.
By outsourcing your IT, you’re solving three problems at once. Here’s how:
- You’ll get the IT care your business needs.
- You won’t be hiring a single full-time IT person that requires benefits, taxes, etc. Instead, you’ll be working with a vendor and they’ll be footing all those salary and benefits requirements.
- You’ll be avoiding the costly remediation and emergency work that will inevitably come up by ensuring that your systems are properly maintained and a game plan is in place.
There’s nothing more expensive than something purchased in a rush because you need it now and don’t have the time to research or price shop. However, when you’re working with an IT service provider they’ll put together an action plan for upgrading or adding equipment that will not only meet your IT needs, but will work with your organization’s budget to avoid those costly expenditures.
Deciding to work with an outsourced IT service provider is a big step for any organization. Learn more about the process in our new eBook What To Expect When You’re Expecting IT.