Many South Florida business owners believe that working with an outsourced IT vendor seems expensive and complicated, so instead of hiring an IT guy they try to tackle the responsibilities themselves.
Inevitably they either run out of time, make a costly mistake, or they simply burn out. Even if they’re a tech expert, there are much better uses of a business owner's time, money and skills.
The simple truth is that it's neither practical, nor possible to be a “jack of all trades.” If you find yourself in this situation, it's probably time for you to choose whether to employ an IT professional within your organization or outsource the responsibilites to the right IT company for the job.
There will be plenty of signs telling you it’s the right time to outsource your IT. Here are 7 of the most compelling:
1 – Your Time, Expertise & Focus Aren’t in the Right Place:
If you are spending too much time on minor "techie" help desk issues like 'I can't log in', 'why isn't the printer working' etc. then this is your first sign. You are being distracted when you should be focusing on priorities like running and growing your business and caring for your customers. Ask yourself, are you really prepared to handle IT issues yourself? And why would you want to? Offloading your IT help desk and leaving it in the hands of experts will save you time, money, frustration & hopefully risk.
2 – You're Not Getting Your Money's Worth
If you’re a high level employee or a business owner, then you could argue that your time holds a significant amount of value. If your time is spent managing your own IT, when you should be focusing on your own responsibilities then you’re definitely not getting your money’s worth. In fact, you are actually overpaying for IT support. Even if you’re fortunate enough to have one guy who runs around and puts out fires, you’re still not getting your money’s worth!
3– Your Business Needs More Than Just a "Break-Fix" or "Band-Aid" Solution
The world of technology is always changing. If you don’t have the proper IT resources in place, then chances are the symptoms of your IT problems are only being bandaged when in fact they should be addressed – finding the root of the problem. If your technology is in this never ending "break-fix cycle", you’re ready for IT help that can provide actual solutions instead of "Band-Aids".
4 – You're Concerned about Security
Have you been hacked yet? Has a phishing email scam almost cost your business thousands of dollars? Hackers and viruses don’t discriminate based on the size of your business! Your records could be hacked if your data isn’t properly secured. Is this something you are equipped to prevent?
There are many areas of IT security that challenge business owners including but not limited to email security, device security, firewall management, data backups, user errors and more. These challenges can be overwhelming and deciding what to do first can be confusing. By putting all of this in the hands of a managed IT service provider, you’ll have the time, talent, and resources to handle it. You'll have the familiarity with the best tools available, and the experience to prioritize the work. Shifting the burden to meet standards and security requirements for your organization will make it easier for you to sleep at night.
5 – Your Business Is in the Midst of Growth
When business is booming, an IT Company can provide the expertise and perspective needed to not only ensure it stays booming but can offer ways to leverage technology to grow bigger and faster. Whether strategizing with you as a co-navigator, or providing you with relevant data and metrics, an IT Company can empower you to lead to the best of your ability.
6 – You’re In Trouble
If you’re concerned about being audited due to FINRA or HIPAA shortcomings, an IT Company can put your mind at ease and get your organization ready for any likely or scheduled investigation. Professional technologists can help you prepare by organizing and preparing your IT environment. It’s their job, they have professional accreditations and advanced training and they’ve been there before. Put their expertise to work for you to help you avoid trouble.
7 – Change in Leadership
You’ve just stepped into an organization as CEO, CFO or COO and don’t know what you’ve inherited from a technology perspective. Engaging an IT Company to perform an assessment and analysis of your IT environment can really help to get you off on the right foot as you lead your organization.
If you’re carrying the load yourself, dealing with technical issues, or you’ve resonated with even a couple of the 7 signs above, then you should consider the option of outsourcing your IT.
Regardless of your business’s current circumstances, the concept of outsourcing IT was designed to save your company time and money. And if you happen to be a business owner, chances are you could use a little more time and money!
A good IT company will make you wonder why you hadn’t chosen them from the start!
