When the internet goes down, you lose your iPhone or you’re hiring new staff and need to set them up on your systems, who do you call? Your IT team.
But what that team looks like and how they perform will be totally different if they’re in-house or outsourced.
“But an in-house IT team provides the best quality and support, right?” Well, sometimes … and sometimes not. If you don’t know if you should hire your own team or outsource your IT needs, here are a few pros and cons about both.
The first major pro of an in-house IT team is that they know your business, your systems, and your people. Conversely, a big con is that, because they know your systems inside out, they’re less likely to think outside the square to streamline the way you do things using other systems.
What they know is what they know, and once they know it they’re less likely to experiment or research other systems like an outsourced IT company will. And while they’re experts at understanding how systems work best for your business, they might not have additional experience or perspective to see how they could optimise those systems in other situations.
Partnering with an outsourced IT team might sound counter-intuitive if you’re looking for dedicated support, but in actual fact, a remote team might be able to provide you with better support than someone who sits a few desks away from you. A company like Tech Help Direct, for example, matches one or two dedicated support technicians to each of the companies we partner with and puts in the necessary time and effort for those people to really understand the ins and outs of those companies. If those technicians aren’t available, there are always one or two backups. That means that if anything goes wrong, there’s always someone available who knows your business, systems, and people.
If you’re hiring an in-house IT support team, you probably only have the budget for, say, one or two people. This is a pro as they’ll quickly get to understand the inner workings of your business and your other staff will recognise them as their go-to IT guys. Conversely, with only one or two staff members your limited by the previous experience of your team, plus if they’re not privy to what’s going on in the wider business they might not be equipped to manage your future IT needs.
With an outsourced solution, you immediately have access to more resources than your average in-house team. Outsourced experts come with varying degrees of experience across a much wider range of systems, software and companies than just one or two IT gurus based in your office, which means by all of their powers combined they’ll be able to solve your problems quickly and efficiently, and set your business up for success in the future.
Another obvious pro of in-house IT support is that if something goes wrong or if you need them right now, someone is immediately available to help you. You literally have to walk across the room and talk to your IT manager.
On the flipside, if your IT team is small (say, just one or two people) but your organisation is large, they actually might not be able to help you straight away. While you might think your problem is urgent, they might have to rank their work in order of priority if they’ve got a long to-do list.
It might sound odd but outsourcing IT might give you quicker results than relying on an in-house team. Tech Help Direct is just a phone call away plus many IT issues can be solved remotely too; we simply log into your systems from our offices and solve the problems from there.
Professionalism
Some internal technicians fit a typical ‘IT geek’ persona and are unable to relate to other people. If they’re only dealing with the people within the four walls of your office, they may not have the personality or skills to relate to people outside of your organisation. Similarly, while they might really know their stuff, they might not be able to express it in a way that proves it.
Outsourcing your IT means you’re much more likely to work alongside a professional than a geek. Your IT partners will turn up to meetings looking and sounding professional, and they’ll have a way about them that’s friendly and relatable. They won’t speak in geek-speak; they’ll drop the jargon and make sure you understand everything that’s going on with your IT needs.
If you’re hiring someone under the umbrella of your business, you will have to pay for much more than just their salary. Superannuation, insurance, holiday leave, sick leave … By outsourcing your IT needs you’re simply paying for their services, nothing else.
The same applies to industry certification. When you hire a contractor, the onus is on them to remain certified for the appropriate platforms they work with. They’re also more likely to be certified for more platforms to broaden their skill set and make them more useful for more businesses. You’ll need to certify your own staff plus pay them while they undergo training, which is an additional cost.
As you can see, there are pros and cons of both forms of IT management, and you’ll know which will work best for your business. Keen to explore the outsourcing option? The team at Tech Help Direct are just a phone call away - give us a call today to discuss your options.