Outsourcing IT Services vs. Hiring In-House IT Technicians: What’s the Best Option?

Outsourcing IT services is a popular course of action for many business owners. More than 44% of CIOs say they are more likely to outsource than they were just five years ago. Over half of all technology executives currently outsource application and software maintenance while 40% of technology executives outsource data centers.

Is outsourcing the best course of action for all business owners, or should companies manage their IT set-up in-house? There is no easy answer to the question. A company’s size, geographic location, industry, and a host of other factors must be taken into account when deciding how to best manage an IT department to ensure it operates at optimal speed and performance. Following are some pointers executives and business owners will want to keep in mind when determining the best course of action for their business.

Outsourcing IT Services: The Pros and Cons

Outsourcing IT services comes with numerous benefits that can’t be matched by an in-house IT department. These include:

• Cost savings. The average salary for an IT technician in the United States is $74,713, and this sum doesn’t include the cost of benefits such as paid leave, loan repayment assistance, and medical insurance. Companies that need specialized services should be prepared to shell out between $45 to $55 an hour for a programmer, Java developer, network engineer, or storage manager. IT managed services, on the other hand, offer all the IT expertise one needs for a flat monthly fee. What’s more, the services are scalable to keep costs to a minimum while ensuring a company has access to all the IT help it needs, when it needs it.
• Specialized IT assistance. Do you need custom-made software for your business? Are you looking for an IT consultant who can offer industry-relevant advice regarding IT upgrades, data collection and analysis, and/or the creation of a business continuity plan? If so, partnering with an IT managed service is the easiest way to get the specialized expertise your business needs. What’s more, working with an IT managed service ensures that you have an expert managing every single aspect of your IT set-up. Cybersecurity technicians will keep your set-up secure 24/7 while cloud service experts proactively monitor and manage your cloud set-up. Your VoIP services will be set-up and managed by experts in the field while your business continuity plan is created and regularly tested by experienced consultants.
• Scalable services and assistance. Does your business need extra IT services and/or storage space at certain times of the year? Are you opening new branch offices and need help setting up new IT departments? If so, your IT managed service provider can provide timely assistance as needed so your business does not have to hire a full-time IT professional to do part-time jobs.

On the other hand, outsourcing all your IT operations does have its disadvantages. If your IT managed service isn’t familiar with your industry, you may have a hard time getting customized IT help you need to fully optimize your IT department. Additionally, you may feel uncomfortable handing control of your entire IT operation to a third-party service, especially one that offers only virtual assistance.

In-House IT Services: The Pros and Cons

An in-house IT technician will be familiar with your industry, way of operating, and technical needs. He or she will know how your business operates and so can anticipate future needs and requirements. What’s more, the technician is always available to deal with problems and fix issues as they arise. If you need an immediate answer regarding a technical matter, your IT expert is on call, ready, and able to answer questions and offer advice. If you would like to get IT-related insight during a business meeting, you simply need to call your resident IT technician into the room to provide needed insight. For many business owners, having one or more full-time IT employees is simply the only conceivable option.

The problem with sticking to an in-house IT department is that you limit yourself to the services and expertise your IT employees can offer. If your in-house IT department doesn’t have the time or expertise to handle a particular task, you’re stuck. If your IT technician is so busy managing your IT network that he or she can’t spend time keeping up with IT trends and technological developments, you could be missing out on cutting-edge IT improvements that would propel your business forward. Furthermore, your company could experience serious issues if your IT technician gets sick, goes on vacation, or leaves for a new job.

Get the Best of Both Worlds by Outsourcing IT Services to ECW

ECW Network and IT Solutions offers IT managed services to companies throughout Southern Florida. We specialize in working with engineering companies, healthcare and medical organizations, law firms, and manufacturing companies to offer the specialized, personalized IT services you need at any given time. Our firm has more than fourteen years of experience in the IT industry and we partner with leading technology companies such as Amazon AWS, Microsoft, Dell, SonicWall, and VMware to provide you with the best tools and technologies on the market.

ECW offers not only outsourced IT services but also co-managed ones. We partner with your in-house IT expert or department to offer the IT services and expertise they need to fully meet your IT needs. Alternatively, we have the tools, resources, and expertise needed to handle all your IT needs if you opt to fully outsource your IT services. Our services include:

• Managed IT services
• Managed help desk services
• IT cybersecurity
• On-site support
• Business continuity planning
• Cloud hosting
• Microsoft Azure support
• Microsoft Office 365 support

Are you looking for top-tier IT assistance that will help your business save time and money, improve customer service offerings, empower you to make data-driven decisions, keep your IT systems fully secure at all times, and proactively monitor your IT set-up to prevent downtime? If so, give us a call at your convenience. We would be happy to personalize our services to meet your needs so you can be free to focus on your core mission and business goals.

Click here to get started or call us at (561) 306-2284.