Every business understands the benefits of outsourcing. It frees the business to focus on the aspects that contribute directly to the profitability of the business. One of the aspects of your business that you can safely outsource is IT operations. But most businesses struggle with when to outsource their IT operations. When is the right time to relinquish the reigns of your IT department to a Managed IT company?
The timing will depend on your business’ particular situation and processes. But the following questions should help you determine if your business is ready to outsource IT operations;
- Does IT Directly Contribute to the Value of Your Business?
The decision to outsource IT operations or keep them internal takes more than just figuring out the costs involved. It has more to with understanding the economics of your business. If IT operations don’t directly generate value for your business, you should consider outsourcing.
- When is the Right Time?
The truth is you can outsource IT operations even if your business is less than a year old. As long as IT doesn’t directly influence the value of your business, you can outsource at any time. You may even find that letting someone else take care of your IT needs will free your company, allowing you to be more productive and hence increase ROI.
- Does Outsourcing IT Enhance Your Business?
You’ve heard that by outsourcing, your business operations experience less disruption and you are able to focus on more profitable pursuits. That is very true and often may even enhance the profitability of a business. But as a business, you need to determine if outsourcing IT will enhance the business how. Knowing this will help you select the right kind of IT support for your business. For example, you only need to hire IT support or move to the cloud or both, depending on your business needs.
- Will Outsourcing Free Up Time for More Development?
It may also be the right time to outsource your IT operations if doing so will provide you with more time to focus on a current project. For example, you may want to free up time for a new product development project. As long as IT is not a value adding aspect your business, you may choose to outsource IT operations to make time for the new product.
- What about Data Security?
One of the major benefits of outsourcing IT operations is that data security is enhanced. When you hire an IT support company, they often come with increased experience of data security for the size of business and industry you need. If data security has been of concern to your business, you may need to outsource IT operations. This is because IT professionals will know exactly what needs to be done to keep your data safe. They will know the latest trends in data security and how to deploy these resources to maximum effect to protect your data from internal and external threats.
