Welp MagazineMost organizations depend on technology like software and computers for their growth. Hence, there must be personnel to manage and ensure the technology is at its best. While most companies hire in-house IT specialists to deal with IT-related issues, some opt to hire external IT service providers for reasons better known to them.
If you’re considering hiring an external IT specialist, consider the following pros and cons before concluding:
Pros Of External IT Service Provider
The following are advantages of hiring an external IT service provider:
1. Access To Improved Technologies
The IT arena is among the most evolving fields. Hardware and software experience evolution now and then. What’s current today can be outdated tomorrow; and of course, as a business, you need to work with the latest for business growth.
Unfortunately, in-house IT specialists might be unable to keep up with the pace given that they might have other obligations in the company other than dealing with IT only. That said, it might be hard for such personnel to do adequate research for the latest version, which means your company can fall behind in terms of growth and increasing revenue.
Fortunately, with the best IT services in New Jersey, you’re guaranteed access to improved technologies since these professionals are always on the lookout for newer visions. It’s also essential to note that these specialists’ primary objective is to enhance IT services. Therefore, they have enough time to research and implement what they’ve learned concerning IT as soon as possible.
2. Cost-Effective
Hiring external IT services is cheaper than paying a specialist an annual salary. With a managed IT service provider, you’re guaranteed reduced monthly outgoings with only a single predictable monthly cost.
Unlike relying on an internal IT specialist, which means new recruitments and training once the current IT specialist finds a greener pasture, outsourcing is cost-effective since the specialists come already armed with the necessary knowledge in IT solutions. Therefore, you don’t have to spend a dime on training them as they’re already qualified for the task.
3. Increased Focus
Outsourcing IT services allows you an opportunity to focus on other matters vital for business growth. For example, knowing that someone is dedicated to ensuring nothing wrong can happen to your IT system helps you concentrate on increasing revenue and customer acquisition, among other things. You don’t need to focus on everything—just what you need to—and leave the rest to experts.
4. Enhanced Security
Each business’s primary objective is securing its sensitive information. A tiny mistake in data security can lead to the failure of a company, especially if the data lands in the hands of people with ill motives. Unfortunately, an in-house IT specialist can only be alert during working hours. Past that, a hacker can quickly get control of the data without anyone noticing.
But with outsourced IT services, you enjoy full-time security since the specialists are always on the lookout for any malicious activity against our IT system, regardless of the time. They can easily identify a breaching attempt and respond immediately to stop the attack.
Cons Of External IT Service Provider
Here are some disadvantages of hiring an external IT service provider:
1. Less Control
Though outsourced IT services come with a fair share of benefits, the move requires a business to give up some control. Even if a business can request and be attended to, it might feel as if it doesn’t have the control it could have with in-house service.
2. Costly Improvements
Managed service providers (MSPs) might require additional costs to upgrade the existing system. For instance, if your switches, routers, or firewalls are outdated, the external IT expert will request you consider updating them to the current version.
While your business will benefit from using a fast-updated system, it doesn’t mean that it won’t be affected by the improvement costs, especially if the existing version requires a considerable amount of money for upgrading.
3. Data Security
Outsourcing IT services means giving an outsider access to your sensitive information, which might result in security threats. While outsourcing IT services equals extra data security, the fact that someone else outside the company has access to this information can work to your disadvantage.
4. Below Expectation Services
At times, you get the opposite of what you expected. In this case, your MSP of choice might fail to deliver the services you’re expecting, which can be devastating and risky for the business. Nevertheless, this incidence can be mitigated by involved parties studying and understanding a Service Level Agreement (SLA) and accepting the terms before signing.
Conclusion
IT is the core of most businesses, regardless of the size. It’s essential to have someone or people on standby to ensure your business is secured 24/7. While an in-house IT specialist could be perfect for the job, they might not be able to ensure the security of your data past working hours.
On the other hand, outsourced IT experts work day and night to ensure the same. Nevertheless, you must be ready to give up some management control with outsourced IT services. We hope this information will help you determine whether outsourcing IT services is right for you based on the advantages and disadvantages.
