IT has moved from the back office to the forefront of most business strategies. Companies large and small understand that they need to go digital-first or risk falling behind.
This, of course, leads to costs. The IT spending of small-to-medium-sized businesses will have a 4.2% compound annual growth rate in the next five years, according to Gartner.
Despite the demand, there’s a growing skills gap in IT. Companies are struggling to find candidates with the necessary skills to manage their networks and keep their data safe.
Small businesses must compete for employees with larger companies that have more resources. Outsourced IT support is now a vital part of the IT ecosystem. If your small business is still struggling between hiring an internal IT staff and outsourcing, here are 5 reasons to outsource.
1. Outsourced IT Support Reduces Overhead
Saving money on your IT services isn’t easy with an in-house IT team. When you compound technology costs, training, and employee overhead, the IT department becomes a business in and of itself.
Cost considerations are one of the primary reasons why companies outsource IT support. You get all the support you need at a fraction of the cost — and no overhead.
2. You Get Access to the Same Resources as a Big Businesses
One of the best reasons to outsource IT is to give your company access to tools that would otherwise be out of reach. Managed IT service providers assist every company with the same sets of comprehensive tools and expertise. The only difference is scale.
Cloud services, 24/7 business computer support, and voice over IP (VoIP) phone services are all expensive and challenging to implement on your own. With a managed IT services firm, you can get access to all these tools and more, immediately, for a fraction of the cost.
3. You’ll Get Around the IT Skills Gap
According to CIO, 43% of employers say IT and tech roles are the hardest to fill, yet 63% say an education in computer information systems is the most in-demand college major.
It’s getting harder and harder to find good IT talent, and not enough students are pursuing IT careers to fill the demand. If you want access to a range of IT professionals who are experienced and dedicated to the field, your best choice may be to outsource IT.
Outsourced and remote IT services are especially important for companies in remote and rural areas, where IT talent is harder to come by.
4. Your Data Will Be More Secure
Some small businesses believe they are safe from security threats because of their size. Nothing could be further from the truth. IT security threats to small businesses are actually more prevalent than those to large enterprises.
In fact, small businesses represent 58% of data breach victims, Verizon reported. That means the majority of breaches occur at small businesses, not large ones.
Many small business IT threats are based on “social engineering.” Rather than hacking a system, criminals will trick one of your employees into clicking a malicious link or downloading ransomware. Most often, these attacks come through email.
Managed IT services providers across the world have been updating their security services to meet today’s threats. As a small business, you need an entire team of professionals protecting your network. Your outsourced team can monitor your network and educate your employees about email phishing scams to keep your data safe.
5. Compliance Will Be a Snap
The GDPR reshaped how businesses use data in Europe. Even if you don’t do business in Europe, policymakers in almost every other country are considering using the GDPR as a model.
Given the number of high-level data breaches recently, you can expect to need to comply with new regulations in the future. An outsourced IT support firm makes it their business to educate themselves about these policies and help their clients comply.
Thousands of Small Businesses Outsource IT
Many businesses view the IT department as a cost center, but it doesn’t have to be. For small businesses, it is often too expensive and too time-consuming to keep IT services in-house.
One of the biggest concerns is fit, however. Some small businesses believe an outsourced IT support team won’t work well with their employees and their company culture.
At Pegasus technologies, we hand-pick your IT support team to fit perfectly with your business. Contact us today to find out how we can protect your systems and make your business technology run more smoothly.
