The Benefits of Outsourced IT Support
What are the real benefits of outsourcing your IT? Is it worth the cost? Could it actually save your business money in the long term?
We’re often asked questions like this here at Acronyms and we completely understand that for many business owners, moving to outsourced IT support can feel like a big step. Budgets are tightening for lots of organisations, so any service that is bought in needs to deliver a substantial return on investment (ROI). Although outsourced IT support may feel like an extravagance, the value it offers far exceeds the cost in many different ways. Especially when you consider the financial implications of digital downtime, data loss and daily IT glitches that eat up precious time and resources.
We’ve been supporting businesses of all types, sizes and across all industry sectors since 2003 and over the last two decades we’ve seen more and more companies benefit from the value that outsourced IT services can offer.
To help you understand more about outsourced IT services and to explore the ways in which they could enhance, support and benefit your organisation, we’ve outlined some of the essential information you need to know.
What is Outsourced IT Support?
Outsourced IT support is when your business employs an independent IT services provider, sometimes referred to as an MSP or managed support provider.
The MSP will support your business by providing whatever level of IT assistance you require. Every company is unique so this arrangement will differ depending on the specific needs of a particular organisation.
Typically IT support services include:
- All technology and hardware requirements
- Updates, security patches and cyber security
- Regular and reliable physical or cloud-based back-ups
- Data retrieval
- Day-to-day troubleshooting
- Digital infrastructure management and updates
- System maintenance and monitoring
MSPs employ specialist IT experts with experience in supporting a broad range of businesses and sectors. They are able to offer support either remotely, usually by phone, email or instant messaging, or in-person for more complex issues that require a site visit.
For SMEs with no in-house IT staff, the role of the outsourced IT support provider is clear. An MSP would simply take on board all the technology and digital infrastructure concerns so that the company can operate smoothly and without interruption. Essentially providing an instant, fully staffed IT department available on call, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Experienced and well established IT service companies will also usually provide a dedicated account manager to act as a first point of call and who will understand the needs and structure of the client’s business.
Many larger organisations have designated IT staff or a whole department dedicated to keeping the company’s digital systems running smoothly. It may seem implausible for these types of business set-ups to benefit from outsourced IT support but in many instances companies with their own in-house IT team can be assisted with more complex or larger projects by a specialist IT services provider.
What are the Benefits of Outsourced IT Support?
Whether you have dedicated in-house IT staff or not, there are a wealth of benefits to employing outsourced IT support from an experienced provider.
Most established and experienced IT support providers will be able to offer your business a bespoke set of services to suit your specific needs and requirements. For example you may have a business that works outside of traditional business hours, in that case you’ll definitely need support that is available 24/7. You may have a large central office and multiple satellite offices, which means you’ll need an IT support company that can offer both remote and in-person assistance. The best outsourced IT support is the kind that is responsive, forward-thinking and can provide solutions to suit your unique business.
In this way you get a tailored response to your current set-up which also takes into consideration any changes you may want to make in the future.
The benefits of outsourced IT support can include:
- Professional expertise and service – Expert IT technicians on hand to answer any day to day questions and ready to solve larger, more complex problems with the latest software, tech and knowhow.
- A cost-effective answer to IT issues – A ready made IT department at your fingertips at a fraction of the cost of employing a full staffed IT team in-house.
- Round the clock support and help – 24/7 assistance available when you need it, with a dedicated account manager ready to support your team with all their IT queries.
- Robust data storage and back-up solutions – Better, more secure data management systems, designed to protect and preserve your company data, enabling rapid retrieval should your company fall prey to cyber attacks and/or data loss.
- Future planning – IT support that helps your business today and also allows you to plan for the future. Whether that means more staff, different software solutions or simply moving office space.
- Predictable costs and budgeting – Business planning relies on knowing your outgoings. Using outsourced IT support allows you to plan effectively knowing that the vast majority of IT issues will be covered by your monthly contract.
Whatever your business type, size or sector you could benefit from outsourced IT support. Whether it enhances the work of your existing IT staff or you use it to cover all of your company’s technology needs. Having experienced IT professionals just a click or phone call away, offers you the reassurance and peace of mind that every issue from forgotten passwords to lost data or system crashes can be dealt with efficiently and skillfully by a team who understand your business.
Professional, experienced outsourced IT support
Acronyms IT support has been providing expert, outsourced IT support to businesses across the South West since 2003.
We have a team of experienced and very knowledgeable technicians, engineers and consultants on hand to offer you and your staff expert solutions without complicated jargon.
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about our outsourced IT support services, then please contact the team for a no-obligation consultation.
Alternatively, you might find the following resources useful:
Our IT Support Services
Cattewater Harbour Commissioner’s Case Study