Have you ever stopped to think about the IT responsibilities that need to be addressed daily? Storage, firewalls, backups, network management and more, in addition to dealing with applications and databases. Sure, it’s part of running a company these days, but what if you find out your strongest competition has hired a Managed Service Provider (MSP) to take these functions off their hands—freeing up valuable time and resources to apply to their business goals? Should you do the same?
Of course you shouldn’t do something just because your competition does—do it if it will be good for your business. Would an MSP improve your operations? Work well within your business structure?
Here are four benefits to outsourcing IT managed services:
- Service Without Interruption: An MSP can perform upgrades easily, usually without disrupting your daily activities, or at least providing a reasonable expectation of continued and seamless service.
- Specialized Knowledge: Your MSP will accrue a good working knowledge of your company and its needs over time. You won’t have to worry that institutional knowledge will walk out the door with any one employee.
- Easy Budgeting: After your upfront cost, you’ll pay a monthly fee. There shouldn’t be any unexpected expenses.
- Revenue and Engagement Generation: With your MSP taking charge of the common, everyday responsibilities, your IT department can 1) focus on tasks that increase your bottom line and 2) find greater satisfaction by being able to work on varied and interesting projects.
On the flip side:
- There’s going to be a learning curve: It will take time for your MSP to achieve that specialized knowledge by learning the details of your particular business
- Then there are those upfront costs and monthly fees: You’ll have to pay your MSP in addition to paying your employees, which can take away from your bottom line—unless improved revenue balances out. This will take time to determine.
- Delayed response: You may find that you’re not getting the response time you want, because the people handling your everyday IT responsibilities are not on the premises and have to help other clients, too.
So now you have the pros and cons, but if you still have questions or want to discuss this topic further, feel free to contact CSSvSource. We’ve been providing strategic workforce management programs and solutions to employers across the nation since 2007 and would be happy to help you make an informed decision.