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Modern businesses rely on IT as a part of their operations or to conduct transactions, but very few are capable of fully handling it themselves in-house. Managing IT in the 21st century is complicated, as everything from individual printers to an organization’s networks has grown increasingly complex. Small– and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) typically don’t have the breadth of resources, staff, and budgets to adequately manage their IT needs. 

The Challenges of Doing It Yourself 

Most SMBs don’t have an IT department or, if they do, it’s limited and comprised of a single IT-focused employee or a small group of team members. This is challenging for many SMBs because the scope of IT has changed as it goes far beyond software installation and device troubleshooting. Couple in the fact technology constantly evolves, devices quickly go out of date, and software needs ongoing patching. 

Security is also a growing concern. Threat actors routinely and proactively target SMBs because they know these organizations don’t have the resources to adequately protect themselves. Their assumption is correct. According to statistics, 67 percent of companies with less than 1,000 employees report having experienced a cyberattack, and 58% report they’ve experienced a breach. Roughly 60% of small businesses go out of business due to losses suffered from a cyberattack. 

Most SMBs can’t fund a fully functional IT staff of their own when they account for salary, benefits, and routine training required to stay on top of IT changes. Even if employees are designated as IT staff, it comes at a different type of cost. Chances are your company’s resources would be stretched and, even if you’re able to handle all IT needs, it probably means you don’t have enough time, money, or workers to focus on your core competencies or to invest in ways to grow your company. 

How Outsourcing Will Help 

Despite any budgetary constraints, SMBs don’t have to go without a proper IT department managing their technology! An affordable solution can be found in Managed IT services. How it works is a company essentially outsources some or all of its IT needs to a qualified solutions provider. The outsourced partner has both the expertise and resources to fulfill everything IT-related and ensure your technology is optimized and up to date. Data suggests approximately 75% of companies utilize some type of outsourced IT solution today. It’s a smart decision, here’s why: 

• Reduce costs. The expenses associated with IT can be substantial and outsourcing enables you to cut back on this spending while still meeting your technology needs. 
• Beef up security. Cybersecurity has gotten quite complex and, as the recent SolarWinds’ attack demonstrated, even major companies are vulnerable. Having experts by your side that are up-to-date on the latest threats and security best practices ensures you mitigate risk as much as possible. 
• Increase productivity. Outsourcing IT tasks enables your staff to focus on other important tasks needed for operational and growth initiatives. 
• Create efficiency. Managed IT services ensure you have current equipment that meets modern standards, making tasks seamless and workflows optimized. 

• Gain competitive advantage. With one monthly fee, you can ensure your budget is steady and enough to manage growth initiatives, giving your SMB a competitive advantage. 
• Flexibility. Cloud-based services are the norm these days and Managed IT services ensure you are flexible with location (a must for most companies during the COVID-19 pandemic). And since systems can be accessed remotely, it ensures no disruptions or loss of data occur. 
• Continuity. When key members leave a small company, this creates a continuity problem if there isn’t someone to immediately step in to assume IT duties. Outsourcing IT eliminates this conundrum. 
• Compliance. Managed IT services providers are well-versed in compliance and will ensure your company doesn’t inadvertently violate any federal, state, or industry requirements. 

The beauty of outsourcing the management of your IT is there is no one-size-fits-all strategy; you can pick and choose which components you want to outsource. You can opt for network monitoring, management, and security and data backup and recovery, or focus on outsourcing systems operation and support services. Or both. ? 

Signs It’s Time to Outsource 

If you’re not familiar with outsourcing the management of your IT environment or are unsure if your company will benefit from it, you should evaluate to see if it can help bolster your company and better position it alongside your competition. Here are some key signs that suggest outsourcing IT might be a better strategy. 

• IT takes up too much staff time. If your staff is forever trying to keep on top of technology needs and can’t get other tasks done, this is a sign outsourcing your IT will enable you to focus and improve upon your operational needs. 
• Training is too timely and costly. Keeping up with modern IT standards and technology requires both time and money. If your budget cannot adequately handle this or keep staff properly skilled, handing some tasks over to experts could close this gap. 
• Business is stagnant. If your company’s head is barely paddling above water, it might be because you don’t have the resources to focus on growth because too much is being siphoned off to IT needs that can be better met (and more cost-efficient) through outsourcing. 

Unless you are a small business that specializes in IT, chances are you could benefit from Managed IT services. Look at it this way, if you want to upgrade your electricity but don’t have the expertise or experience, you’d hire an electrician. The same can be said for IT. By turning to an expert to fill in any holes you have, you’ll be streamlining your processes and giving yourself access to the resources and ability to focus on other important processes. 

Many SMBs find if they talk with providers and assess which services might be beneficial to keep in-house and which ones are better to be outsourced, they conclude Managed IT services is a good strategic move. If you think it’s time for your Houston-based SMB to outsource the management of your IT to seasoned professionals with all the resources to do the job right, contact Stargel Office Solutions today. After analyzing your costs and looking at the numbers, chances are you’ll see a strong ROI if you outsource some or all aspects of your IT to us.