IT outsourcing and co-sourcing are two of the biggest business trends right now. This article will take an in-depth look at what IT outsourcing is, why so many businesses are outsourcing their IT, and how you can do the same.
What Is IT Outsourcing?
IT outsourcing involves using external IT service providers to fulfil part or all of your IT processes, application services, and infrastructure solutions. You can outsource many business services — for example, IT technical support, cloud-enabled office and business services, business strategy and consulting.
An ever-growing number of companies outsource their IT services to boost the effectiveness and efficiency of their business, ultimately increasing their profits. Also, by having a professional IT company fulfil some of your services, you gain access to experts. These experts can help you reach your business vision, avoid technological and financial pitfalls, and help you reach your targets. At the same time, you will prevent the trial-by-error setbacks most businesses encounter when working independently.
Why Would I Want to Outsource My IT?
There are many different reasons why businesses opt to outsource, or co-source, their IT services. Below are several benefits you could potentially gain by outsourcing.
Simple Scalability
Big businesses can afford large-scale change projects, speccing out departments with the latest equipment. But small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have to be careful with their spending. They cannot afford to buy new equipment, hire new staff, and install new software every time they want to upscale.
But when you run your services through a professional IT services company, upscaling is simple. It is simply a case of selecting a level of service you want, agreeing to a new service deal with your outsourced IT provider, and voilà, your business is ready to meet your product’s growing demand.
Reduced Hires
The typical process for growing businesses is buying more IT equipment, more software, and hiring more technicians to manage it all. IT equipment is expensive, especially when considering the repair costs. It is even more expensive when considering the cost of hiring technicians to manage and maintain all your services.
But by outsourcing part or all of your IT services, you reduce the need to make large investments in IT equipment and hire so many IT technicians. It also means that the IT experts you already have on your team can focus their time on key business activities, such as developing new products or services. This will ultimately lead to a greater income for your business.
Increased Security
One of the biggest threats companies face today is getting hacked. With millions of viruses plaguing the internet, it only takes one employee to open the wrong page, and the effects are catastrophic. On top of this, the more employees, applications, and WiFi connections you have, the more vulnerabilities you have in your network.
A hacker only needs to exploit one vulnerability, and then they are in.
Nowadays, technology is growing rapidly, and it’s near impossible to keep up with all the changes being made. Every operating system, application, website, web app, programming code is vulnerable, and clever hacks exploit new vulnerabilities every day. Why? Because every software update fixes some problems but nearly always introduces new opportunities for hackers.
Staying on top of all the gaps in your security requires a team of experts.
When you outsource your IT services, you are accessing a company-wide, expert knowledge base. Your services will be checked over by experts in network security, software security, as well as general internet security. Every potential threat is identified and rectified, locking out the bad guys.
IT Outsourcing: How to Outsource Your IT
Outsourcing your IT is a straightforward process. There is a lot of flexibility regarding what and how much you can outsource, from co-sourcing individual processes to outsourcing whole departments.
To outsource your IT, read our advice below.
Think about Which IT Services You Want to Outsource
You must consider which services you want to outsource and why. Deciding which services to outsource can be difficult, and that is why it is always worth talking to an expert.
The other issue is that other services may need IT help and support within your business that are not obvious and are easily overlooked. These tasks and others may be suited to being outsourced, but identifying them all may require the assistance of an outsourced IT service company. They will help you to figure out your problem areas and explain how outsourcing can be beneficial.
Look for IT Service Providers
When you hire an IT service provider and outsource your IT processes to them, you are essentially hiring a business partner. You need to trust that they will carry out the work as promised because if they fail, your business fails. But by the same token, if they succeed, your business will too.
Therefore, you want to find the best and most reliable IT service providers. Look for organisations that:
- Have won industry awards
- Have elite status with leading IT businesses, such as a Microsoft Gold Partner
- Follow quality management protocols, such as ISO 27001, for added reliability.
- Provide all the services that your business needs, preventing the need to hire multiple IT service organisations and the risks and redundancies that come with that
- Have strong customer reviews and testimonials
- Can offer case studies and examples of their previous successes — the more relevant to you and your industry, the better.
Review Your Outsourced IT Regularly
As with any other business department, you must keep an eye on the progress of your outsourced IT services. A good IT services organisation will offer regular reviews, reports and provide new ideas on how to help your business succeed.
Good IT services companies also recognise that it is a two-way relationship, and by helping your business grow, everyone succeeds. Therefore, developing a good working relationship is vital, allowing the IT services company to recognise and provide exactly what your business needs to progress.
Outsourcing IT should not be a “set it and forget it” activity. Work closely with your provider, and you’ll get the most out of your services.
Is IT Outsourcing for You?
IT outsourcing can support businesses of all sizes. It can support individual business processes or fulfil whole IT departments. If you want to make your business more scalable, boost your profits, and make your teams, services and network security more effective, then consider IT outsourcing.
If you are interested in outsourcing your IT services and want the best support to enable your business to grow, then get in touch. Optimising IT offers a range of IT services designed to help businesses of all sizes reach their full potential. Through our business support, cyber security, managed IT, and other services, your business team will be able to focus on what matters most for your business.
