If you ever made a decision to get IT resources, your first decision would be whether you have to hire one or more IT personnel to fulfill the role or if you will outsource IT solutions. In average situations, hiring local IT personnel is a good solution. But, you must weigh the pros and cons in both cases to help you determine which options will best serve your business IT needs.
Pros of In-House IT
One of the benefits of in-house IT is easy access. Tech support people can quickly address your issues. Some clients will not be competing for the time of your IT staff even if there could be some departments doing so.
Another benefit is cost control. The salary of your IT support remains the same no matter what the tasks undertaken. The cost remains steady even if your technology requires change. However, it could be a double-edged sword.
What’s Not So Good about In-House IT?
Hiring full-time IT personnel is a costly endeavor. Providing professionals with a telephone extension, desk, computer, benefits, and payroll account drives the cost much higher. For most businesses, having full time IT staff with full time salary is a bit cost-prohibitive to be considered as a viable option. Aside from that, the associated costs with ongoing training for IT staff.
Your IT professionals might be good with Excel and could be handy in terms of determining why printers are not working, yet might not be as savvy when it comes to troubleshooting the issues on network security and upgrading Exchange servers. It is also unlikely that an IT professional can provide expertise for each of your IT need.
What’s Great about Outsourcing IT Services?
According to Arinda IT Support Systems, “If all things considered, by outsourcing IT services, the cost is less expensive compared to hiring full time IT personnel.” Most of the costs are spread over some clients through an agency model. In addition to that, your business does not need to worry about the costs associated with certifying or training IT staff.
Majority of professional IT support companies provide 24/7 customer service through phone or remote computer access. It means that you will have somebody to walk you through resetting email passwords. Other than that, if your contact is sick, there would be a substitute that you could rely on.
However, outsourcing IT services has also some disadvantages. This is especially true when you are dealing with a global company. There could be cultural differences that could hinder you from getting your desired results. Other than that, you cannot control everything as you are not part of their team. But, you can always request for anything you want for your IT needs.
The Bottom Line
Whether you hire an in-house IT or outsource your IT needs, the choice is always yours. The reason behind it is that your final decision may depend on various things like your budget and your unique business IT requirements.
