We’ve found that for many smaller businesses, the technology is managed in-house by the Owner, Managing Director, or whoever oversees Operations or Finance. There's rarely an IT Manager, instead, IT is covered by the person who knows their way around an Excel spreadsheet, or knows how to export a Word doc to PDF. While the business is starting out, it works.
But as a business grows, and its reliance on technology increases, IT can’t be passed on to someone else. Businesses have two options — hire an in-house team or outsource their IT to an MSP.
The question is, how do businesses know when to consider outsourcing their IT? And when is an in-house team the right choice? We’ve put together five key questions business leaders should ask themselves to help them decide.
Is my current IT causing business downtime?
When you don’t have a dedicated IT team – internal or outsourced – you’re not giving your technology the attention it needs. Without a dedicated team, your IT isn’t as optimised or efficient as it could be, and things get forgotten. Hardware is outdated, software isn’t patched, and processes become stagnant. All of this causes wasted time and significant downtime.
With a dedicated, outsourced IT team, you have experts on hand to make sure your network, devices, and software are up and running — keeping your business ticking along smoothly.
Do I have frequent security issues?
Cybersecurity threats are only going to increase. If you have limited staff and specialist skills, it can mean that your security isn’t as robust as it should be. Cybersecurity threats need to be taken seriously, and that means relying on a dedicated cybersecurity provider if your team isn’t equipped.
Sometimes, businesses don't know that they've been the victim of a cyberattack. If no one is keeping an eye on things, it's really easy for attacks to slip under the radar. This is more concerning, as you don't the extent of the attack and what data has been obtained. Getting started with a cybersecurity partner will help to lock you systems down and reduce any potential damage.
Is my IT stopping me from growing?
Good tech works for the size of your current team, while great tech works for any size team. It must scale with your business, or it’ll risk holding you back.
Some signs that your IT is stopping you from growing could be:
- Your systems don’t integrate with each other
- You have to make workarounds when tech isn’t working
- Data insights aren’t available
- It just doesn’t seem worth the cost.
As with many business areas, you need to invest in it to witness growth. Cutting costs by making do with old technology will cost you more in the long run.
Is IT a core area of my business?
Have a think about what part IT plays within your business. If IT is a core part of your service/product or Intellectual Property, then you may want to keep your IT in-house to preserve competitive advantage and secure your IP.
But, for the majority of companies, IT is an enabler. It enables your team to do their work more efficiently, and to innovate, automate, modernise, accelerate, and transform. IT is now a core part of every business — we’re in the 21st Century, after all — but if it’s not part of your IP then there’s no reason to keep it in-house.
Is it more cost effective to outsource my IT?
This is often the deal-breaker — which option is the most cost effective for your business? Let’s have a think.
The average salary for an IT Manager in the UK is £50,000. That’s base salary, without any benefits or insurance included. The IT Manager only has one brain, one set of hands, and can only be in one place at any given time (I know, we’re stating the obvious here) and they take 28 days annual leave per year.
Outsourced IT costs vary based on the provider and the service level, but when compared to the cost of hiring, managing, and supporting an in-house team, it often comes out as the more budget-friendly choice for SMEs.
You can access to a whole team of people and benefits, insurance, and holiday cover are managed for you. With a customer-first MSP, the Support Engineers are deeply engrained within each company, so it feels as though they’re a part of your team, too.
Of course, there is a middle-ground — co-managed IT. This is when you get the best of both worlds. You can have an in-house IT Manager, who focuses on your overall IT strategy and knows your company like the back of their hand, but then you get access to an external IT team for break-fix tasks, monitoring, maintenance, and other repetitive or mundane tasks.
Still not sure whether to outsource or focus on an in-house team? Contact us to help you make an informed decision.
