Back in March 2020, when national Covid lockdown measures shut down the country, being able to work remotely was of paramount importance to businesses. This meant that the demand for IT investment was greater than ever, with companies that hadn’t previously implemented remote working practices having to heavily invest in technology solutions in a short space of time, simply to continue to trade!
Despite being, in some ways, on the path to recovery, the world of working has changed and it’s vital that businesses ensure their ‘knee-jerk’ investments deliver significant rewards with minimal risk. Budgets vs measurable results are now the focus for attention, and businesses are having to balance fund management against an increased need for reactivity’.
In this new world of work, to ensure effective budgeting and scalable, strategic solutions, the role of a managed service provider has become key.
For IT teams in small businesses, one of the most common challenges is that the inconsistency of the amount of support required can be hard to manage. Often inhouse teams find themselves without much work, only to then be inundated with urgent projects that take up most of their time. This unmanageable workflow can mean that staff needs can take longer to address and inefficiencies occur due to being unable to effectively and continuously manage demand vs resource. With the new way of working following the pandemic, unpredictability of resource and needs has become even more of a strain.
By working with an outsourced IT support provider, you’ll have access to a team of IT professionals and specialists. These IT experts will be regularly undergoing training for new systems and solutions, plus, they’ll have relationships with all the key providers. This means that they’ll be the first to know about new updates and releases for the core software and hardware you use.
When you work with a managed IT solution provider, you gain specialist technical knowledge, along with additional highly trained resources. Acting as an extension to your business, you’ll have unlimited access to expert advice, assistance, and labour to get your projects and work done.
Your chosen managed service provider can work in a manner of ways. These include:
With a flexible contract, as requirements change, you can pause any outsourced work, which in turn removes the need for hiring short-term resources to meet any sudden demand.
Maintaining an in-house IT team does bring many benefits, your internal IT team will know your business, your budget, your needs, your processes, and your restrictions. By being on-site they can provide immediate hands-on support as required and will understand your culture, limitations, and expectations. They are immediately available to undertake fixes, or to plan and action project work they will also have a clear understanding of your business expectations.
But…
It’s also expensive.
By outsourcing, your business only pays for the services and solutions you need. Your IT provider can be called upon for any imperative requests, and can provide support by the hour, day, or project. You manage the support you need, when you need it. Also, by working with an external IT partner, you can better manage expenditure, freeing up what would have been salary costs, to invest in your growth, better tech or training.
The flexibility of outsourcing your IT means that your business can build enduring partnerships with your MSP, who can in turn ensure an effective, measurable, and flexible IT strategy is implemented and managed.
With the recent increased requirement for business and tech transformation projects expedited by the pandemic, outsourced IT is booming. YouGov.uk reported that 34% of UK businesses outsource their IT support. More and more UK SMEs are turning to managed service providers for services additional to their contract, they’re also requesting individual requirements rather than just support emergencies or unexpected IT requirements. Outsourced IT providers are being called upon for much larger projects, relocations, implementing remote working practices, staff training, cloud migration projects and much more.
Another benefit to outsourcing IT, is that in a pitch situation, those companies able to call upon the professional services of an incumbent IT solutions provider have an advantage. By working with a professional company managing your IT and cyber security support, your business will be set above competitors with just an internal IT resource.
Another benefit to working with an outsourced IT provider, is that your business is provided with a greater chance to grow. With a larger pool of technical resources at your fingertips, your business is better equipped to undertake more involved projects and go after larger clients.
It goes without saying that cyber security and compliance are substantial requirements for businesses in general and especially for IT Managers. With an IT support provider by your side, compliance and cyber security is taken care of. Solutions and systems, alongside user training and testing will all be managed for you.
With all your technical requirements in professional hands, business owners and staff can rest easy in the knowledge that their systems are well managed, and that their productivity won’t be impaired.
If you’d like to know more about outsourcing your IT solutions, get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.
