It Support Cost Management: Better Bang For Your Buck

Stick to the knitting! The well-known book by Tom Peters, “In Search of Excellence” advised businesses to stick to their core business. This concept has become a cornerstone of the outsourcing industry, which is gaining increased acceptance and support, according to recent forecasts from the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals. Outsourcing is strong in the information technology industry, where IT cost management is the foremost reason for companies to find alternatives to in-house management of their systems.

Reasons to Outsource

To outsource IT support for information technology needs is critical to enable small and medium sized businesses to enjoy efficient systems without hassle. Unless your business is large enough to sustain a full-time, qualified person to manage the systems, the daily issues that arise can hugely impact staff productivity, as well as your IT cost management.

If your business has two workstations and a printer, the last thing you need is to spend a day trying to find someone to reconfigure your laptop at a hefty price. For a business with 12 to 20 workstations, however, chances are that your full-time, mid-level IT support person is not going to be able to resolve every problem you experience. He may be capable of installing software, but server monitoring and networking could be beyond his abilities. It’s expensive to employ a top-level person who can do the advanced work, just for the few hours a week needed for those tasks.

Benefits

The primary benefit of outsourcing your support needs to managed IT services is improved IT cost management, and the savings in time and money that you can realize by doing so. Whether you decide on a managed service contract or ad hoc services, outsourcing enables you to avoid a large cash outlay when something goes wrong. Speedy service is another benefit, as is having help a phone call away when problems occur.

Under a service contract, IT support companies monitor the server on a regular basis, running diagnostic software from a remote location to identify and address any problems proactively before they affect your system. The IT cost management contract covers all regular maintenance tasks such as security and software updates, data backup, and the provision of first-level support for your staff using phone and email. Ad hoc services include sending a qualified technician to fix problems, and you pay only for services rendered - not for the time it takes for the technician to familiarize himself with your setup.

Risks

As with most choices, there are pros and cons to outsourcing. While the advantages are plentiful, especially in terms of the IT cost management, a few risks do exist that you must take into account. These mainly revolve around accessibility to services, such as an external contractor needing unrestricted access to your premises. Although most IT support companies employ staff that are bonded and insured, if your core business is something highly confidential this may be a problem for you.

Additional risks include timing, which can be a problem if you are in the process of critical work when your system goes down. You may need to wait several hours for your busy technician to finish at another site and arrive at your premises. Remote access by the service provider is dependent on internet connectivity, and if this is down the technician may not be able to carry out his tasks when they are due.

As a small or medium sized business owner, outsourcing your computer support can only benefit you in terms of your IT cost management, improved efficiencies and increased productivity for your staff.