The Pros and Cons of Outsourced IT Services

The world of information technology is constantly evolving, and keeping up with new technologies and software solutions can be both incredibly time-consuming and expensive. Many businesses utilize outsourced IT services to avoid spending as much time and resources on this incredibly important field while maintaining the benefits of staying up-to-date.

But, if you have never outsourced your company's IT needs, you may wonder if these external solutions are really worth it. In this article, we will highlight some of the top pros and cons of IT outsourcing so you can determine if this type of solution is right for your business.

The Pros of Outsourced IT Services

Here are some of the key benefits of outsourcing IT services for your business.

Access to a High-Quality Technology without the Cost

Business technology is constantly evolving, and keeping up with this can become extremely expensive (and time-consuming). When you outsource your IT needs, however, you can get access to the best technologies for your business without having to actually keep up with them.

Additionally, you do not have to pay to access this top-tier technology since your consulting IT team will have that taken care of. This means you do not have to worry about maintaining and updating these technologies or training your employees on how to use them, which can become a huge overhead expense over time.

Wider Talent Pool

An in-house IT team is restricted to only the individuals you can find and hire. An outsourced IT team, however, can bring in the best talent from all over the world — including the highly-skilled individuals that you may not be able to hire because they are already employed with an outsourcing company.

More Focus on Your Business

Another pro of outsourcing your IT needs is that it frees up time and resources that can be reallocated to focus on your business's core goals and objectives. This means that your employees will be less distracted with figuring out how to make something work and can spend more time figuring out how to serve your customers better and improve your products and services.

Save Work Seats

When you outsource IT services, you do not have to worry about training or keeping on long-term IT staff. In New Jersey, an average IT professional makes $76,990 as of May 2023. Remember that this is the salary for just a single IT professional, and compare it to any IT outsourcing plan you are considering to see the savings these services can give you.

Because outsourcing is charged based on the service provided rather than the number of professionals working for you, you may even end up working with a whole team of professionals for only a portion of the cost of a single salaried employee, depending on the service you are receiving.

Ensure IT Compliance

Managing your company's IT infrastructure is challenging enough, but governments worldwide require that all businesses adhere to certain regulations to protect the companies and their customers. Ensuring this compliance can be made easy when you outsource your IT needs because the IT service will be familiar with these standards and ensure they are implemented in your business.

24/7 Assistance

An in-house IT team will have the same working hours and schedules as the rest of your employee base. This means that if something needs to be done, monitored, or fixed, it will be done only during working hours. On the other hand, an outsourced IT team can provide the support and assistance needed at any time. This can help ensure that not only your needs are met 24/7 but also the needs of your clients as well.

The Cons of Outsourced IT Services

Now that you are familiar with some of the most influential advantages of IT outsourcing, you may wonder what the drawbacks of this type of service are.

Included below are some of the common challenges that businesses face when outsourcing their IT needs.

Less Control

One of the largest cons of outsourcing IT services is that you lose some control over your infrastructure management and processes. This can feel disconcerting and make many businesses hesitant to outsource IT needs.

However, this loss of control can be manageable with transparent communication and clear objectives, metrics, and focus on shared outcomes.

Communication or Culture Issues

Another worry many businesses face when considering outsourced services is addressing communication problems. This is a valid concern as outsourcing brings together different organizational and national cultures, individuals who speak different languages, and people who may live in very different areas.

All of these differences can make it challenging to communicate effectively. Still, if you take the time to select an outsourcing company to create solid communication guidelines and expectations and ensure that your teams can work together and communicate effectively, you can mitigate this challenge. Another tip for productive communication is to have a set communication schedule (that works for all time zones you have to worry about) with regular check-ins and opt for video calls as much as possible, as these can help you understand non-verbal communication queues as well.

Problems with Quality

Many businesses choose to handle their IT needs in-house because they know exactly what they will get in terms of quality. Working with an outsourced company can feel like a risk in this department, and it can feel even more intimidating if you do not have digital professionals who can assess the quality of a product before you complete the payment for it.

While there is not much you can do to affect the quality of another company's work, there are some ways you can help ensure that you are working with an outsourcing company that will provide you with high-quality solutions. These include taking time to examine reviews and comments from previous customers, having an unbiased expert assess the quality of their work, and paying attention to the company's work standards.

Security Risk

On the one hand, outsourcing your IT services can provide your company with an incredible boost in online security, but on the other hand, it may introduce additional security risks. This is because when you outsource your company's IT infrastructure, you are relying on a second-party company to handle its data to at least some degree. If that company does not have the same level of safety standards as you do, this could result in a loss of information.

Longer Downtime on Hardware Issues

Most of the time, digital or software issues can be easily diagnosed and solved remotely. But hardware issues require the physical presence of a technician to assess and correct. This makes remote support incredibly ineffective when it comes to solving hardware malfunctions or problems.

Is Outsourcing IT Right for You?

Realistically, only you can decide if IT outsourcing is right for your company, but the pros of outsourcing your IT needs often outweigh the cons. This is because you can stay on top of rapidly changing information technology without the costs of hiring and keeping a dedicated IT team in-house.

But, if you are still on the fence about whether or not outsourced IT services are the best for your business, contact us today at Integrated Computer Services to speak with our experts and learn more about what outsourcing IT can do for you!

Why Integrated Computer Services? As the Leading Managed IT Service Provider in New Jersey, we utilize a multifaceted approach with an unmatched devotion to cyber security to minimize your attack vendor and give you the peace of mind that knowing your business IT infrastructure will be proactively monitored, supported, and secured at all times. If you are ready to start outsourcing your IT, schedule a free IT consultation today!