- Toyna Chin, San Francisco, CA
In-House Vs. Outsourced IT Support
If there is one question that many modern businesses struggle with it is which is best: in-house IT support or outsourced IT support. The fact is that when it comes to IT support, there is no one-size-fits-all approach, and what works for one business may not necessarily work for another. That is why there have been so many endless debates about which option is better: in-house or outsourced IT services.
The fact is that there is no right or wrong answer here because each business has different needs when it comes to the IT support that they have in place. The truth is that it can be hard to decide what is right for your business when it comes to IT support, however, if you take the time to weigh up the options, you should be able to determine which route is likely to be best for your business.
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To help make the process of determining which type of IT support is best for your business, below we’ve put together a handy guide to have a read of.
In-house IT support
For many businesses, having an in-house IT support team certainly has its benefits. With specialist training and all of the right tools, having an in-house support team can make running a business much easier, especially as your team will have an in-depth knowledge of your company’s specific IT solutions.
If your business works with bespoke solutions, having an in-house team could help to make managing them much easier and less stressful.
Then there is the fact that if your IT team is based on-site, they should be able to solve IT issues more quickly and effectively than if they aren’t based on-site. This is something that, when every minute counts for your business, can be vital.
Of course, there are also downsides to having IT support in-house, such as having to pay your team a salary regardless of the work they are doing. Your computers won’t constantly be breaking down, which means that paying a team of IT specialists a full salary may not be worth doing, as it could be seen as a waste of money.
Then there’s the concern of what happens when a member of your team wants time off for a holiday or is sick. Who do you have on-hand to help you with your IT support then?
Outsourced IT support
For a lot of smaller businesses, outsourced IT support, is seen as being a great option. This is because it tends to be a much more cost-effective option than on-site IT support, and most small businesses are on a budget. Using specialist IT consultants instead of having a team on-site can help to make managing costs easier, and ensuring that your business remains affordable to run.
Another major benefit of using outsourced IT support, as a pose to in-house support, is the fact that you would have access to a wider range of specialists. Instead of only having access to a small team, you could search for certain specialists to use.
Then there’s the fact that outsourcing these kinds of tasks means that you are free to bring in on-site teams to your business that can make a daily difference. Whereas, IT support doesn’t tend to be needed on a daily basis, which can make on-site support a waste of funds, which could be better spent on another in-house team.
Many businesses argue that having on-site IT support means quicker fixing times when errors occur, but that isn’t always the case. Many IT specialists can deal with computer and server problems by accessing computer remotely, meaning that not being on site is not a problem.
There are always going to be pros and cons to each option, which means that the one your business opts to go for, should depend on your individual business, and what it’s specific needs are.