Despite the most robust systems, users still experience issues from time to time. Failing hardware, misbehaving software, and those days where files vanish from your desktop are all set to aggravate and disrupt your day. That’s why it’s vital that you choose the right IT support for your business needs.
There are always upsides and downsides when choosing whether to outsource your IT or keep it in-house. It can be a minefield trying to decide the best course of action and one that you shouldn’t take lightly. Your business IT and technology solutions are now more important than ever due to flexible working and the increase in cyber attacks.
The experts at Matrix IT have created this blog to help you make an informed decision.
In-house IT
In-house IT support is whereby an individual or team of IT specialists are employed by you and work on your company premises.
Pros of In-house IT
- Knowing the business inside and out: In-house staff already know how the business operates and how the team works, meaning they can help solve the arduous tasks and make solutions that work for all parties.
- Responding fast and efficiently: A catastrophe has happened and a company’s whole system has gone down, in-house teams can get on the problem straight away after the call to inform them of the issue.
- Overall more control: In-house teams have more control over issue response time and the work quality coming from each team members. Businesses can also make sure the team receives training for the exact certifications they need while keeping the budgets low.
Cons of In-house IT
- Expenses: In-house IT is expensive because businesses always strive to stay ahead of their rivals, especially when it comes to payroll, staff training and keeping with the current technologies.
- Different availability: Different technologies and the internet have become such a big part of peoples lives, so much so, that they use them all the time including large industries meaning major problems can happen all the time especially out of the normal nine to five working day when everyone’s gone home.
- Work falling behind: Due to the high demand of IT support, work can pile up if you have a small team or someone’s away on holiday, this means more time working through support tickets and trying to fix the less critical issues for other team members.
Outsourced IT
Outsourced IT support is where you choose a specialist IT company to support your IT and technology needs. Whether you are in need of a completely outsourced, fully managed IT support service, or simply require extra support for your in-house staff.
Pros of Outsourced IT
- 24/7 availability: Where in-house IT support teams are only available during the normal working day hours, outsourced IT support teams can provide support and emergency services at all hours of the day. you won’t even be charged for nights, weekends or holidays.
- More cost-effective: In-house IT always have to think of the expenses of current employees, sick leave, raises and training, however, outsourced IT companies have fixed monthly costs and won’t charge you extra training or data outages after hours.
- Growing the business: By handing off the daily issues of technology to an outsource company you can then dedicate your time to shaping the future of your own business.
Cons of Outsourced IT
- Quality control: Despite all the benefits of outsourcing, it is only good if you’re receiving the quality you expect. You need to discuss the expected quality upfront and implement SLAs.
- Impact on culture: You need to consider the impact outsourcing your IT will have on your employees. You want to make sure that your employees don’t feel as though they are being replaced.
- Additional costs: Many outsourced IT companies may charge additional costs for extra project work, like migrating your server or when purchasing new equipment or software.
Combination of both
Some companies decide that combing both IT support methods benefit them better than just having one or the other. In-house IT is the most common form of support for larger businesses, however, after a while of constantly hiring staff for specific jobs, they find that they do not require their services any longer. Instead of constently hiring and firing it’s easier to hire out someone out temporarily if they’re needed, helping keep costs low and leaving more time to focus more on furthering their business.
Tips to make combining the two work smoothly
- Let your team figure out what they can do and what can be outsourced.
- Keep the communication flowing constantly so no issues arise.
- Make sure everyone knows what they’re doing and what’s expected of them.
- Let them know what success looks like if they work together. This will make them strive to meet those standards.
Next Steps
At Matrix IT, we strive to make IT effortless for you, helping your business to grow and succeed by providing the necessary information to help you make the right decision regarding your IT.
If you need further advice on your IT support needs, contact us by clicking the button below
Contact us
