Why Hire Outsourced IT Services for Your SMB

If you are running a small to mid-sized business today, you are using technology, including desktop and laptop computers, communications devices, and software of all types. If you are like most businesses, your employees range from highly technologically proficient to barely comfortable. Security is also a major consideration as studies reveal that the number one cause of cyber intrusions that leads to ransomware attacks and data breaches is employee error. As your company grows you are faced with the reality that you need outsourced IT services for your people to call upon when they have questions, when problems arise, and when it is time for employee security training.

3 Ways to Handle IT Services

When it comes to managing IT services for your business, you have three main options.

• You can hire an in-house team, although that “team” may start out as a single person. While this is usually a good option for larger companies, as a small to mid-sized business, your expensive IT employee (and technical employees are expensive) may find him/herself only using a small portion of his/her time actually performing the tasks for which he/she was hired. And what about the times when that employee is not in the office, like weekends, sick time, vacations?
• Another option can be to call in help when it’s needed. Then you are at the mercy of an outside person’s schedule…a person who may not even be all that familiar with your hardware or software, nor your business operation.
• The best option is to retain outsourced IT services from a company that has the breadth of experience and the depth of personnel to handle your employees’ questions, problems, and security concerns.

You will often find that outsourced IT services are less expensive than employing your own IT department, even a department of one. With the right company, you will also receive support around the clock, 365 days a year. No worries about vacation time, IT people resigning unexpectedly, or supporting your team when they are on the road, working from home, or pitching a foreign client six times zones away.

What’s Included in Outsourced IT Services?

If you are going to be paying a third party for outsourced IT services, there are many services you can and should expect, but just a few of the major ones are:

Proper Documentation and Routing of IT Support Tickets

If the problem isn’t explained properly, it may not get fixed. If it isn’t sent to the right person, it may not get fixed. Escalation should also take place when appropriate. If you are limited to service from your in-house team, they probably don’t have anyone to escalate to.

IT Training

IT today is a moving target and ongoing training is essential. The problem in most SMBs is that this ongoing training usually doesn’t take place. Employers don’t want their IT people away from the office and, frankly, aren’t willing to pay for the training. A qualified managed IT support company will have ongoing training and updating for all its technicians.

Password Resets

Password security these days is critical. If your in-house team isn’t consistently updating password strategies and employee training, they are not providing you with the level of service you need.

These are just a few to the considerations in determining how to handle your helpdesk needs. If you want a more complete presentation on how to make this decision, we suggest you read our recent white paper, Why Outsource Your IT Support, or even better, since we have been servicing the small to mid-sized business community since 1992, give us a call today at770.629.9615.