The debate about outsourcing your IT Support or keeping it in-house has been ongoing since businesses started using technology more and more. Some business owners think that by keeping their IT department in-house they have more control over the IT infrastructure. Whereas others see IT Support as a service, the same as an accountant and it is best left to the professionals.
In this article we take a look at what services an Outsourced IT department offer and if these services would benefit your business.
What is an MSP?
IT managed service providers (MSP) offer a multitude of services to help businesses with their IT. Most MSP’s offer packages to suit all of business’s IT needs. Services include day to day IT Support, Consultancy & IT strategy planning, cybersecurity, VoIP telephony, backups & disaster recovery and licensing. These packages are tailored to the business’s requirements to cover all or some of their needs. MSP’s tend to be more proactive than reactive which means you will encounter less IT issues overall.
IT Support services on offer
IT Support
Day to day IT support will cover most situations such as, printer issues, software support, connectivity problems or hardware troubleshooting. Despite what you might have heard, a lot more goes in to IT support than ‘turning it of and back on again’.
Consultancy and IT Strategy Planning
Planning out the future of your IT infrastructure is a daunting task for those without the knowledge of what technology is available and how it will be implemented to integrate with your existing IT network. An MSP will have a team of experts, up to date with the latest tech to advise and implement any IT project.
Cybersecurity
Knowing what the risks are and knowing how to protect your business from threats could be the difference between an successful business and an unsuccessful one. Keeping yours and your clients data safe should be priority number one for any business.
VoIP Telephony
Telephony is a new area for IT MSP’s since the rise of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Not using the old PSTN lines, VoIP uses the internet to host and manage a business’s phone system. There are plus points to this. Hosted VoIP phone systems are cheaper than their predecessors and more flexible for businesses that adopt a remote workforce.
Backups & Disaster Recovery
Having a plan in place in case the worst should happen is the smartest move a business could make. Having the right data backed up to the right locations, with a plan on what to do if a system is compromised can save a business time, money and reputation.
Why not hire an someone?
If you’re a small business hiring an IT professional to manage your IT could be quite costly. Not only do you have to spend time and money on recruitment, you then have to pay them. An IT professional that could deal with all the requirements of a business’s IT infrastructure would be very expensive. Whereas an IT MSP have a team of professionals at a fraction of the cost. Hiring an MSP would also negate the need to find cover should your in-house IT professional take a holiday or get sick.
If you’re large business that already has an in-house IT department, retaining an MSP could also benefit your business. MSPs work alongside your existing IT department to broaden their knowledge, provide high level IT support and pick up slack should you need to cover holidays or sick leave. Getting a different perspective from an outside impartial source is an excellent way to make your business IT more diverse.
What does IT support cost?
On average most IT support companies breakdown their prices to a cost per user they have to support and the level of support they provide. For a standard remote support and troubleshooting contract you can expect to pay between £35-£50 per user. I would expect this to include device monitoring and security checks. Some also throw in anti-virus in that figure.
If you’re looking for more of a fully managed contract you would expect to pay somewhere between £80-£125 per user. This will include all of the above support plus some on-site time, backups, licensing and more. In this case you hand over your business’s IT to the MSP who create and implement your IT policies and procedures. If you are not an IT expert this might be the best option.
Pros and Cons of an Outsourced MSP
Pros
- Wider knowledge of IT issues and technology
- Cheaper than hiring a professional.
- More proactive than reactive support.
Cons
- None
There a no cons to outsourcing your IT. 99% of IT support is done remotely. Yes it would be nice to have someone physically unplug that printer, but is that worth the cost of hiring in-house?
Is it time to outsource your IT?
The real question; is planning, maintaining and securing your IT taking you away from the business you’re getting paid to do? If the answer is yes, then outsourcing your IT Support to an MSP could make all the difference.
Thinking about outsourcing your IT to an MSP get in touch with us to discuss your requirements and how we can help.
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