Why You Should Outsource Your IT Department

Let’s face it, if your business uses computers and software, it needs tech support. Computers break down, they lose connectivity, and they can become infected with viruses despite our best efforts. Users forget login passwords, especially after long weekends, and networks go down for no reason. And then there’s the learning curve that happens whenever you install or upgrade software. When computer problems hit, you need someone on hand to fix them before they completely disrupt your business. Unfortunately, not everyone can have a dedicated, on-site helpdesk, which is why outsourced IT support is so important. Here are several reasons why an outsourced IT support might be the best option for you.

1. Lower cost

IT departments require a lot of equipment to run smoothly; this includes computers, software, tools, office equipment, and office space. If your company is running on a tight budget, an in-house IT department could be an expensive proposition, even if it’s just one guy. Outsourced IT departments generally provide their own equipment and tools, and it’s usually included in the cost of the service. Also, because the outsourced IT company has multiple clients, the cost is spread over all clients and is minimal as compared to what you would pay in-house, just to support your company alone.

2. One-stop assistance

When you buy or lease computers, you have the option of purchasing a service contract; but that contract only covers issues with the computer, and not necessarily the software or your network. By the same token, software vendors offer support for their products, but don’t usually support the computers on which their products are installed. This means that you might have to call multiple support desks to get the help you need, and that can significantly slow things down. Outsourced IT departments are designed to handle multiple issues, from hardware glitches to software bugs, even for proprietary software.

3. 24-hour / seven day assistance

Outsourced helpdesks are generally open 24 hours a day and seven days a week, and have toll-free numbers that clients can call at any time, from anywhere.

For example, Firewall Technical’s Ottawa IT Support desk supports companies in Ottawa, Canada. However, if an employee of one of those companies is on company business in Bangkok, Thailand, or New York City, New York, he can still get help if his computer fails, or if he is having trouble connecting remotely to the company network.

It also means that there is someone on-hand to monitor your systems 24/7, so that a mail server outage, or a loss of data at 5:00 AM Saturday, during a long holiday weekend, won’t shut everything down until Tuesday morning.

In-house IT departments are usually only available during regular business hours, unless you want to pay a lot of money in overtime and double-time for IT staff to work during off-hours and holidays.

4. Consistent service

Outsourced IT departments have years of experience screening their agents to ensure that they have the appropriate technical skills and experience to provide consistent service. When you hire your own IT people, you will either need to get someone who has the knowledge to properly screen people, or you will have to screen them yourself. Even if you consider yourself pretty technically savvy, you might not have the information you need to pick the right candidates, and that can negatively affect your quality of support.

5. It’s the wave of the future

More companies are looking toward inexpensive and efficient ways to handle their IT support needs, and outsourcing is becoming an increasingly popular solution.

Why You Should Outsource Your IT Department