IT can come across any number of mishaps and bumps on the road to success. The growth of your business is expedited by the power of your IT, while the reverse is also true. At some point, your IT will grow big enough that managing it will become difficult. Ideally, you will have all of your bases covered internally. Your IT will be able to handle software development, network security, or anything beyond, but there comes a point where you will run up against a wall. There are signs to watch out for, but some aren’t as clear as others. Affiliated Communications knows what most IT outsourcing companies will tell you, but we want to keep you in the loop on the most important factors to be aware of prior to outsourcing your IT. It is a big decision and investment to make, so here are four of the most important signs that it is time to think outside the box.
A Gap in Growth and Skills
Your business needs to scale over time to see greater success, especially when you are a small or medium business. Your growth may be rapid, but the state of your information technology will determine how long this rapid development continues. At some point you will either hit your stride and continue growing or hit a wall and stagnate. Avoiding stagnation should be one of your main business objectives, yet many businesses are unaware of what this might look like. To put it in perspective, keeping your IT services in-house will result in you needing to take on additional developers or IT talent full time. This is a costly investment, not just in bringing on this new manpower, but also by trying to bring them up to speed with training. Outsourcing your IT may seem daunting, but it is one of the smartest decisions you can make. You will help reduce costs of your current IT infrastructure when you pay a single source for services that would take multiple people to maintain. IT outsourcing services keep your company running strong and give you the peace of mind to focus on equally important decisions. You are also looking at utilizing a business that excels at a singular path with IT, whereas your business is managing multiple avenues of work. Outsourcing gives you the quality assurance necessary for a smooth transition and ongoing partnership.
IT Is Affecting Business Functions
Managed IT services—for small businesses or large enterprises—can come across the same problem over time. IT can begin cutting into the functions of your business. The longer you spend setting up your IT, managing it, implementing it, the less time you are able to commit to other equally important business transformations. By using consulting services and outsourcing your IT, you free up your schedule to focus on other objectives while running smoothly. Your core business isn’t just IT, so you should outsource to a company that has a wide variety of skills to offer your IT that would take you time and money to commit to independently.
IT Isn’t Your Core Competency
IT isn’t for everyone; it has its mountains and valleys. If your IT isn’t an integral part of your team’s core competencies and skill sets, you may want to look outside for a greater variety of IT support services. You don’t have to house everything inside your own operations. Outsourcing is a cost-effective solution to make sure more than just your managed security and data backups are up and running. With the right outsourcing service, you don’t have to worry about whether or not IT is a core competency for your business; you can leave it up to a group of experts that has your best interests at heart.
Strategic Outsourcing
There doesn’t always have to be a problem to make the decision to switch to outsourced IT. Maybe your budget is in perfect order, maybe you have all the resources in place, maybe everything is going well—but you still want to make the switch. Sometimes deciding to work with outsourced IT services is a strategic decision to help free you up or utilize specialized staff. An outsourcing services company can provide everything you need to keep your operations running smoothly so you can focus on other aspects of your business. If you want help from a business that specializes in IT, the decision is often an easy one from a business perspective and beneficial to you as well.
Simplify Your Outsourcing Choice
Whatever stage of growth you may be in, whatever size your business might be, Affiliated Communications can give you the personalized IT outsourcing skills you need to see incredible growth in the years to come. If you are looking for outsourced IT managers who are looking out for your best interests, contact Affiliated Communications today.
