There are slightly more than 30 million small businesses in the US, which employ around half of the working populace. Do you know what nearly every single one of those businesses, not to mention medium and large businesses, have in common? They all need IT services.
The IT landscape is so complex these days that very few business owners can bring all the necessary skills to the table to manage all of their own IT concerns. They must rely on experts.
That brings us to the bigger question most businesses face: insourcing vs outsourcing? If you’re stuck in this quandary right now, keep reading for a quick overview that can help you develop a strategy.
What is Insourcing IT?
Insourcing IT services means that you hire IT specialists as employees for your business. For example, you might hire a programmer to maintain and improve your business app. If a lot of your employees work remotely, you might hire a network security specialist to monitor your network.
Pros and Cons of Insourcing IT
Insourcing your commercial IT support does offer one or two benefits. The main benefit is that it keeps things in-house, which can prove a concern if you work with sensitive data. It also means your IT support and advice comes from someone who is an expert on your needs.
Insourcing comes with one primary downside: cost. Employers face an ongoing IT tech talent shortage in areas like cybersecurity, IT architecture, and cloud computing. The salaries for candidates with even some experience often outstrip the resources of small businesses.
Pros and Cons of Outsourcing IT
If you’re wondering how to get better IT support, outsourcing IT is often the preferable route. Outsourcing gives you access to those same experts at a dramatically reduced cost.
For example, managed IT services companies like Treysta hire entire teams of experts so they can provide across-the-board services. You can visit our website here. That often means you can get services that might otherwise remain out of reach for financial reasons.
Outsourcing does come with some downsides, though. At the top of the list is that a third-party company can access your network and potentially sensitive data.
You must also accept that some of the software or even hardware that drives your IT infrastructure isn’t on-site. Some business owners aren’t comfortable not owning or directly licensing that hardware and software.
Insourcing vs Outsourcing and Your Business
The insourcing vs outsourcing debate isn’t an either-or issue for most businesses. For example, you might hire one IT person to help with in-house hardware and develop an IT strategy. Then, you can use that strategy to outsource specific tasks or services.
If you need a whole suite of IT services, though, the best commercial IT support will almost certainly come from outsourcing to a managed service provider. They can offer a full range of services at a far lower price point.
Are you looking for more IT insights for your business? Check out the posts in our Tech section.