Your IT support department is another aspect of your business that you should not overlook. Basically, you will need to choose between two options: an in-house IT department or a third-party IT help desk. Which works best for your company depends on a number of factors, including cost, time, effectiveness, and even space.
A professionally managed IT company provides services to many industries that range from training personnel how to use the current system, putting out malware and viruses, protecting the system from data breach and corruption, to backing up company information to a physical drive or to the cloud. These all-important functions are the reasons why businesses must be 100-percent sure with their choice of IT support.
In-house IT Department
If you decide to build your own IT department, that means that you will be responsible for finding and hiring the right people, training and certifying them to keep up with the trends, provide a competitive compensation package (salary, sick leave, vacation benefits, insurance, and more), set up communication lines, purchase equipment, and provide ample workspace.
The main benefit of having an in-house IT department is that it is accessible. They are probably right there in your own office space. When you encounter an IT dilemma or emergency, someone will be easily available to correct the system or network. They are convenient and easily accessible, just like all your other employees.
However, since you hire these people to protect and manage your systems, you are going to pay them a fixed salary with benefits even if all they have to do the whole month is to defragment the computers. You will also provide an ample workspace for the personnel and the equipment, which could pose a problem if your office space isn’t really that big and spacious.
Outsourced IT Services
Outsourcing your IT support requirements means that you won’t have to worry about the people you need to hire and pay them a fixed amount every month. The cost reduction and cost effectiveness of outsourcing the IT support department is the number one reason why businesses prefer this over building their own team.
Do not worry about not being able to access the IT team when there’s a malfunctioning server in the middle of the night. Most IT agencies offer 24/7 client support, and someone will always be willing to address the problems you encounter. This is something that your employee cannot offer because making them work beyond your agreed upon hours would equate to overtime pay in an after-hours work rate.
The only problem with outsourced IT services is that the personnel handling the system or network will be deemed as “outsiders” by your own employees. Some of them may not feel comfortable dealing with people who are not part of the team. The communication will suffer between these two different teams—your employees and your IT support provider.
Weigh the pros and cons of building an in-house IT support team or outsourcing your business’ IT support services. These will all depend on the unique needs and requirements of your business. The best choice should be able to attend to your IT needs 24/7, advise you on emerging trends and technology, and keep your systems free from hackers, malware, and phishing scams.
