Businesses are adjusting to a new world … and some are doing creative things as they rethink how their business operates. Now, smaller mid-sized businesses are changing too. They have an opportunity to rethink conventional wisdom regarding business strategies.
So, let’s rethink the choice for delivering IT service to employees and staff.
For years, smaller mid-sized businesses have had an in-house person or a small team supplying IT services to the organization, though some businesses outsourced some or all of the IT duties to a third-party support organization or vendor. There are benefits to both:
In-House IT
- IT staff who knows your business
- A trusted team who is dedicated to solving problems for that organization ONLY
- Basic software tools to manage each user and computer
- Personalized service from people who know everyone in the company
- Timely help from the guy down the hall. People like knowing he is there when they need him
- Knowledge about the network and how it works. The team keeps it running most of the time, but lacks automation and best practices
- Ability to learn the basics about cybersecurity protections and the available tools
- Saves money for larger companies
Managed IT Services
- Service department that is familiar with your business and others with similar issues
- A team of specialists able to solve more types of problems
- Advanced-level, enterprise-scale tools to help manage computers and users
- Use of advanced software to keep logs of system issues and support needs of each user
- Available help 365 days per year, no vacation, no sick days. Deep bench to handle periods with high demand
- Implementation of industry-standard best practices. Strict adherence to documentation needs
- Specialists in cybersecurity with a complete suite of tools
- Improves service and saves money for smaller firms
We believe it is time to rethink the choice because the world has changed. Today, some in-house IT departments have a new problem … the staff is either working remotely or working in shifts at the office. Not only that, but most of the end users are using different and unstandardized internet services, unsupportable home network configurations, and more types of home computers … with all sorts of various software on them that would be blacklisted in a managed environment. What your IT staff needs to realize is that cybersecurity threats increase with more and more endpoint devices – especially devices that have a mish-mosh of vulnerable software installed. The home users are introducing a minefield of possible new threats into your otherwise protected environment.
The new option is to rethink the decision of choosing in-house IT vs outsourcing to a qualified vendor. Innovative organizations are combining the two approaches to deal with the challenges of today’s very different world.
In the new model, the Managed Service Provider provides IT services with and for the in-house IT department.
Acts Supplementary to In-house Team: Maintain the in-house team to provide the personalized support the staff, executives, and partners have come to expect. The MSP provides the internal department with a team of experts with whom to consult in specialty areas such as networking, application integration, cloud management, and cybersecurity.
Provides Enterprise-Class Management Software: The in-house team works with the Managed IT services team to upgrade the software tools that manage the individual computers, track users, and account for home/remote users and computers.
Improves Support Coverage: Weekends, holidays, vacations, and sick days now get full support coverage. During a peak period or crisis, the in-house and outsourced resources are still able to provide full coverage.
Delivers Improved Cybersecurity: The Managed IT Services firm provides significantly more comprehensive tools for cybersecurity because they take advantage of enterprise-level quantities when procuring their toolset. In essence, they deliver best-in-class cybersecurity solutions to smaller companies without those smaller companies having to break the bank.
Offers Upgraded Network Management: The in-house team can leverage all of the skills and services that the MSP offers to tackle network upgrades, routine maintenance tasks, and management of outstanding projects. No more excuses that the internal staff was too busy.
Presents New Ideas: The in-house team can collaborate with experts in seven different fields to identify opportunities to make the network infrastructure more reliable, more secure, and better protected.
This hybrid option is attractive now that COVID is here in part because the internal team may not be down the hall anymore if the staff is working remotely or working in shifts. The tools to manage a diverse network of at-home workers are too expensive for most smaller and mid-sized firms to purchase individually. Instead, the combined in-house and the Managed Services team provides better support for the staff while also significantly hardening the cybersecurity prowess for the organization. The hybrid model is very cost efficient, and the model is already in place and functional for some of our highest-profile clients.
TechSolutions is now working with small to mid-sized organizations by collaborating with the in-house IT professionals as opposed to replacing them. The benefits of the in-house IT team are compelling, but we believe it is time to take a step back and re-analyze the situation. It is probably worth considering a shared management arrangement to help the internal department and implement vastly improved security and data protection.
Talk to us and don’t forget … You should expect more from your IT team!