There is no question that technology drives business. It plays a key role in everything from your phone systems, data security, network infrastructures, sales, and to everything in-between. There are some considerations of potential hidden costs with keeping your IT in-house.
Here are some of the key areas of consideration to help you analyze whether you should keep your IT in-house or outsource.
1.) Recruiting fees can be costly.
Do you have the budget and time to find the best candidate that will meet your goals? Finding the best talent, skills, and knowledge with today’s ever-changing technology takes considerable resources to find the right fit that meets demands.
2.) Salaries are on the rise.
IT salaries are rising. Your company will face the constant need to raise salaries for your IT professionals or risk losing them to the competition. Outsourcing your IT means a fixed contract rate for all of your IT needs. This allows you to budget effectively without the risk of losing key employees, putting everyone at risk.
3.) Benefits can be prohibitive.
The Affordable Care Act is changing the benefit structure for many businesses. How many people you employ directly changes how you interact with the law. Outsourcing your IT allows your HR department to focus on the employees critical to your business.
4.) Management focus is costing you.
From your CEO to your managers, everyone you have hired plays a critical role in your company within an area of expertise. Their focus should be on growing the company, not putting out fires or supporting IT.
5.) Training and professional development is no longer optional.
IT is a dynamic field that requires constant training to stay relevant and knowledgeable. If you aren’t constantly investing in the professional development of your IT department, you could be putting your company and clients at risk.
6.) Turnover in technology is high.
The average turnover in the IT profession is .92 years. This high turnover rate leaves your company open to constant recruitment needs and high training expenses.
7.) Be prepared for holidays, vacation and sick days.
Your IT networks don’t take sick days or vacation days, but your people do. Outsourcing your IT promises that your network won’t stay down or data put at risk because of unexpected absences or planned vacations and holidays.
8.) Expertise gaps and static skill sets are limiting.
One, two or even a handful of IT in-house professionals will have a limited, static set of skills. Outsourcing your IT will give your company a wide variety of knowledgable experts in all the areas you will need to meet new client challenges and demand.
9.) Leverage of best practices.
Your company probably doesn’t have time to focus on emerging best practices in the IT field, and that’s because you need to focus your resources on the best practices and innovation in your field. We review over $250,000 of advanced, up-to-date, best practices each year from leading consultants so you don’t have to.
IT is our business. We invest in being the best in our business so you can be the best in yours. Let us walk you through the numbers to help you see how outsourcing your IT can help you optimize your workflow, decrease your risks, and give you the best ROI when reaching your company goals.
