For many companies, the cost of a fully specced IT department is generally out of reach. As a result, outsourcing IT management is the preferred way of keeping systems working whilst you and your staff concentrate on running the business. If this is a consideration for your organisation, here are some of the points you should consider when asking “Should I outsource IT management?” and “How much does it cost to outsource IT support?”:
“Should I outsource IT management?”: Benefits of outsourcing
Clear cost savings
Outsourcing your IT drastically reduces your payroll costs and saves on the associated NI contributions and pensions. By going a stage further and embracing cloud computing, you can significantly reduce the money spent upfront as capital expenditure by paying smaller increments as part of your operating expenditure. Outsourcing IT allows you to reduce your fixed costs and manage your variable costs far more effectively.
No staffing headaches
By outsourcing, you won’t have to hire dedicated IT staff – saving you money on salaries, training and associated staff benefits. Furthermore, sickness and holiday cover become a thing of the past, as does future recruitment should your IT employee decide to move on. So if asking ‘Should I outsource IT management’, ask how much time you’ve dedicated
IT that never sleeps
Many IT providers will offer 24/7 support meaning that you are supported around the clock. That means that key updates and patching can take place in your downtime.
Increase your competitiveness
Companies with their own IT department will be spending a lot of time and resources on keeping their systems up to date, something usually reflected in the costs for their customers. When outsourcing, you can provide customers with a more competitive offer and are in a better position to attract more business.
Improve systems
Outsourcing IT services effectively puts your system under the care of specialists leaving you to turn your attention toward your daily operations. With access to professional guidance, your outsourced team will be capable of recommending the most appropriate solutions and implementing these with minimal fuss.
Flexibility
One of the key benefits of outsourced IT management is the flexibility to adjust the services as required. For example, with outsourced IT management and a cloud computing solution, companies only pay for what they need and the precise number of users they have. There is no need to purchase an expensive server with built-in redundancy for growth which may not occur.
Professional Support
With the IT industry evolving so fast, it is increasingly difficult for internal IT teams to remain up to date. By outsourcing to specialists you don’t have to worry about sending staff on endless training. For example, Akita supports several hundred clients using different systems and applications. This exposure, plus the added benefit of a large multi-disciplined team of IT engineers, ensures an excellent and continually-updated knowledge base for clients to benefit from.
Service Level Agreement
By engaging with a professional IT provider, you will have the added peace of mind of guaranteed service levels. This ensures that the service you need is guaranteed by the provider, with response times to fit in with you business requirements.
How Much Does It Cost To Outsource IT Management?
The cost of outsourcing IT management will vary widely depending on factors such as the size of your organisation, the complexity of your IT infrastructure, the specific services you require, and the location of the outsourcing provider.
However, generally speaking, outsourcing IT management can be more cost-effective than hiring and maintaining an in-house IT team. Typically, Akita is able to deliver cost savings of 30% against in-house IT teams. And the depth of services available from outsourced IT management easily out-competes in-house solutions.
To find out how cost-effective IT outsourcing can be for your company, request a no-obligation quote:
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