To remain competitive, small and medium-sized businesses need to have IT systems that support their business goals. They have to do this cost-effectively and often with little in-house Information Technology (IT) experience. Maintaining a dedicated, full-time IT department is simply too expensive, time consuming and inefficient for smaller companies.
The answer to this predicament is to outsource the support and evolution of IT to a professional IT Services company. These firms offer on-demand talent, depth of experience, deep resources and huge economies of scale that allow their clients’ businesses to have both peace of mind and affordable IT support.
BENEFIT #1: GAIN TIME TO FOCUS ON CORE BUSINESS FUNCTIONS
People are generally happiest doing what they do best. And they get frustrated by distracting tasks that have nothing to do with their essential job functions. Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants, Architects, Engineers, Marketers, Executives, Office Managers and most everyone else are at their best when they focus on their core competencies. The time and effort spent on figuring out Information Technology has a very real opportunity cost. More often than not, researching solutions, implementing new technology and fixing technology problems are extremely inefficient for non IT professionals. Outsourcing IT frees internal staff to spend time focusing on revenue-generating opportunities and the business of the business.
BENEFIT #2: TAP ECONOMIES OF SCALE AND PURCHASING POWER
Technology services providers achieve greater efficiencies and economies of scale because they have a single focus on IT. They consolidate purchasing power and have access to deep and broad knowledge bases. They can therefore deliver better, faster and cheaper technology solutions and services. Using developed best practices, these providers simply complete tasks far more efficiently, often to an order of magnitude greater than smaller businesses can do on their own. All this translates into real cost savings in terms of both time and money.
BENEFIT #3: REDUCE COST AND CONTROL OPERATING EXPENSES
Predictable IT costs. Outsourcing IT goes well beyond the cost reduction of efficiency to provide very hard dollar savings. In almost all cases, small and medium-sized businesses will spend 25% to 50% less outsourcing IT over the cost of even a single full-time technology employee. Additional cost savings are realized since recruiting, training, vacation, sick days, turnover and other management issues are all taken out of the equation. When utilizing a professional technology services provider, costs are budgeted, fixed and controlled.
BENEFIT #4: ACCESS HIGHLY SPECIALIZED TALENT
The complicated nature and rapid change in fields such as legal, accounting and information technology are best left to the experts-if only due to the sheer amount of effort required to gain even baseline knowledge. Outsourcing IT allows businesses to draw upon expertise that would otherwise be too expensive to develop and maintain in-house. Many businesses cannot cost effectively achieve the human scale and flexibility necessary to properly support their technology environments. The truth is that no single individual can know all they need to know. Professional IT services providers offer access to teams of IT specialists that deliver the cross-sectional IT knowledge needed to support current and future business networks.
BENEFIT #5: OBTAIN ON-DEMAND RESOURCES
Many businesses find themselves with the challenges of growth or the burden of scaling back. Both cases present a genuine human resources dilemma when relying on in-house IT resources, especially when these events are unplanned. These all-too-sudden requirements rarely come in neat 40-hour blocks. Firms may need to selectively add or reduce administrative functions, strategic expertise or a combination of both. They need the agility of resources just for projects and the capability to rapidly adjust day-to-day support levels to cover vacations or at peak periods. By utilizing a professional IT services provider, this flexibility comes with ease and without affecting the livelihood or morale of employees.
BENEFIT #6: IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY
Technology improves productivity by enabling communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing that allows employees to innovate. These capabilities are delivered through a multitude of technologies including central file servers, databases, broadband connectivity, mobile platforms, email communications, and many others. However, the productivity and business benefits can only be realized when this complex technology is properly planned, implemented and maintained. The best practices and comprehensive experiences in planning, implementing and maintaining such systems allow IT services providers to successfully deliver these productivity improvements.
BENEFIT #7: REDUCE DOWNTIME
Even a few minutes of systems downtime carries an enormous business cost. Maximizing uptime must be a high priority. Companies can no longer afford issues with internet connectivity, email communications, corrupt data or systems failure-the cost of reacting to these events is just too high. IT services
BENEFIT #8: REALIZE A COMPETITIVE EDGE
Take advantage of new technologies that go beyond leveling the playing field to providing a true competitive edge. IT services providers keep up with the latest information technologies through ongoing training and real world experience. They know how to implement the latest hardware, software, and network applications available. As importantly they know which technologies are not worth the investment. Their capability to make rapid moves help speed time to market, offering a competitive advantage and increasing the ability to react to competitive threats.
BENEFIT #9: ATTRACT AND RETAIN EMPLOYEES
Employees want to work in an environment where their computers are up and running. Where down time is minimal and the software works like it is supposed to. Employees want to be competitive with their rivals and they want technology tools that really help them deliver. Employees expect to be up and running with current technology solutions that help them exceed, and not just meet expectations. Those entering the workforce today weigh a company’s technology prowess. Utilizing a professional IT services provider allows businesses to meet these expectations and increases their ability to attract and retain top talent.
BENEFIT #10: ACCESS TO OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE VENDOR SUPPORT
Access to manufacturers is crucial in effectively supporting complex technology. Technology manufacturers traditionally provide little direct end-user support. When available, this support is basic and often unreliable. This is exceedingly frustrating for small businesses that call customer support, but rarely receive it. Through a relationship with a well-established IT services provider, businesses enjoy the benefits of priority access to Microsoft, Cisco and thousands of other technology vendors.