Why Outsource Your IT Outsourcing is an option that many organizations have explored over the years as a means of reducing the expenses and hassles associated with one or more important business functions. Given the growing prominence of information technology (IT) in the business sector, it was more or less inevitable that this, too, would become increasingly subject to the outsourcing trend. In fact, the statistics clearly show that this trend is likely here to stay: The year 2012 saw a 23% jump in expenditures related to outsourcing IT services to a third-party provider, compared to the previous year. Even so, not every business has elected to hire a managed services provider to handle IT functions. Partly this is due to organizational inertia—companies that have traditionally maintained in-house departments may be understandably reluctant to change established procedures. But what many business owners and managers may not realize is that the benefits of outsourcing IT services can far outweigh any short-term inconvenience. Let’s take a look at the advantages of using a managed service provider for IT. Lower Personnel Expenses This is probably the foremost benefit of hiring a managed service provider. An in-house IT team can seem convenient, as this option provides the business with tight control over the activities of its own employees. But in-house employees may be prohibitively costly, not simply due to wage expenditures, but also because of related expenses, such as payroll taxes and health insurance fees. For these reasons, small businesses often find it difficult to maintain an in-house IT team of adequate size. Overall, managed service providers perform these important functions at substantially less expense. Reduce Infrastructure Costs Instead of purchasing expensive software and hardware packages, companies can save money by allowing their managed service provider to supply these things. In many cases, the business needs only to be able to access the Internet to be able to benefit from outsourced IT services. As a result, the business can dispense with the need to purchase software; it can also free up valuable floor space that might otherwise be devoted to a suite of computers and various related devices. Access Up-to-Date Software In today’s ever-changing high-tech world, it’s not enough to simply purchase a few software licenses. New viruses, Trojans, and similar threats emerge all the time. So-called “zero day” vulnerabilities can suddenly come to light, providing a tempting target for hackers. What this all means is that an IT department must stay abreast of developments in the tech world—but not every company has the resources to manage this. A managed service provider, however, is
dedicated to IT, which means that all aspects of their services are kept as up-to-date as possible. These providers can apply emergency patches, update firewalls, and address other security problems in a prompt fashion—sooner than the average in-house IT squad can. In addition, there is no need for a business to struggle with old, outmoded software programs that may lessen productivity. Manage Unpredictable IT Expenditures As previously noted, the world of computer technology is a constantly evolving one. This can make it difficult to calculate future IT-related expenses. For instance, software and hardware often become obsolete sooner than expected. Sometimes an expensive computer can crash unexpectedly. Instead of paying for all these upgrades, a business can allow their managed service provider, like CyberlinkASP, to take responsibility for these matters. Often, these providers operate on a pay-as-you-go model, allowing businesses to purchase only those services that are needed at any particular time, as opposed to paying for hardware that may end up sitting idle.