7 Signs You Need Professional IT Services

February 5, 2018

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Do you really need to hire a full-time professional IT services staffer? Or can you outsource it to get the same value?

One of the biggest trends in the world of business these days is to run leaner. No unnecessary office space, equipment, or staff.

This is why the managed services market is expected to grow from $152.45 billion in 2017 to $257.84 billion by the year 2022. More and more businesses are seeing the benefits of outsourced professional IT services.

But is it right for your business? Let's take a look at 7 signs you're ready to make the leap.

1. You've Been Hacked

Maybe a recent attack has you more aware of the need for data security.

Of course, it's decisively inconvenient and embarrassing to get hacked or breached. But it's also incredibly expensive. In fact, 60% of businesses end up going out of business within 6 months of getting hacked.

The cost of these attacks is also not going down anytime soon. Nor will the frequency of threat level of these attacks. It's estimated that by the year 2020 we will need to defend 50 times more data than we are today.

2. You're Thinking About Hiring IT Staff

You might be thumbing through a pile of resumes to hire a full-time professional IT services staffer. You may be thinking, "They all look qualified. But I am not even really sure what I'm looking for."

And, "Do I really even need a full-time staff member?"

There's a common misconception out there that you need a full-timer to get full service. And this is far from the truth. An outsourced solution actually gives you access to more services and more expertise.

3. You're Thinking About Firing IT Staff

Or maybe you have to let an IT worker go. And in this process, you're wondering if you really need to replace this person.

You're no longer sure having a full-time person in this role and carrying out these duties makes any financial sense at all. Maybe you could outsource a lot of their old duties?

You can. And you should

 

4. You're Wondering Where Your IT Money Goes

This sort of dovetails off of the last point. Maybe you're looking at your IT budget and growing acutely aware of how little of your spending goes to actual professional IT services when you carry a fulltime staff or employee.

Think about this: Your average employee ends up costing 25- 40% more than their wages/salary.

The rest goes to:

• Taxes
• Benefits/ bonuses
• Vacation Pay
• Sick Days
• Equipment
• Office space
• Training/ up training

Basically, the average IT worker makes $80,000 per year. If you add the extra 25-40%, a full-timer is really costing you anywhere from $100,000 - $112,000 per year.

More Services for Less
When you outsource your professional IT services, all of your spending goes directly to the things that manage and protect your network. So it's a far more targeted way to spend your money and probably makes more business sense.

At the same time, you simply get more. If you give $80,000 to an employee, you get access to their brain and their years of experience and education.

But if you give that same money to an outsourced solution, you get a whole team of brains working for you. You get the collective sum of their experience when it comes time to solve problems. Not a single perspective.

5. You've Recently Outsourced Another Service

You might have already outsourced something else in your business and you're already enjoying the savings.

A lot of businesses are making the shift to outsourcing departments that have traditionally been handled in-house. Now, smart businesses are asking "Why?"

We've already seen this with a move to businesses outsourcing their HR department, payroll and accounting services.

You may be seeing a reduction in costs, with no sacrifice in service or productivity, and wondering, "How much could we save outsourcing IT?"

Quite a bit, actually.

6. You're Expanding

As you grow, your IT needs will grow more complex and more demanding.

New services and products mean new backend infrastructure. That may mean a bigger online store, or a new customer management software.

More employees mean a bigger and more complex network. And plus, we now need to manage the smartphones and tablets we're giving the sales staff. We need to make sure they're secure.

As your demands grow, you should ask yourself if hiring more IT staff is really the best way to meet the new challenges. Odds are good that you can get more service and scalability with an outsourced solution.

It's far easier to change your package than it is to recruit and hire new staff.

7. Your Location Needs Are Changing

We just covered some of the new needs of an expanding facility. You need more bodies and minds to manage a growing network. But what happens if you're going the other way?

Another growing trend is the downsizing of the office space. Or eliminating it completely. A lot of tech companies and marketing agencies have discovered that their employees are more productive at home.

So why all of this overhead? Why are we spending so much money on an office space that's actually hurting our productivity and holding us back? And why ask our staff to waste time and money commuting?

If you're moving towards a virtual office, your network needs will also be scaled back greatly. A full-time IT employee doesn't really make sense anymore.

You may be tempted to scale them back to part-time, but that's most likely still too much money.

Get More From Your Professional IT Services Spending

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