subject: Outsourcing Your Small Business It Support - The Next Big Thing [print this page] According to a 2010 report, the average IT cost for small and medium businesses was over $120,000 per year. That's a large chunk of change just to make your business run smoothly. Just imagine if some of that money could be put toward securing new clients or developing new product initiatives. However, without IT staff you could suddenly find your business in a bind when something goes wrong or new systems need to be updated. Well one solution that some small and medium sized businesses are turning to, is IT outsourcing. Check out these reasons on why you should consider doing the same.
Cost Savings
Outsourcing to IT professionals, costs you far less than employing an in-house group. Aside from salaries, you won't have to cover medical or pension benefits. Additionally, you don't have to pay to train any staff members by sending them to costly seminars or conferences to keep up with the latest technology. You will no longer have to provide in-house employees offices and places to work. Finally, because so much of the hardware is off-site, you'll have less equipment costs for your business.
Efficiency
Even the best in-house employee can only work so many hours in a week. But when you participate in small business IT outsourcing, you have professionals on duty 24/7. Additionally, because people are always on call, quicker response times means that your business can get back to full operation faster. That translates to more cash for your bottom line. Finally, you eliminate the risk of overwhelming in-house staff because the outsourcing company will have plenty of professionals to work on your systems when needed. This is especially important for businesses that have seasonal spikes in their sales.
Reliability
Small business IT outsourcing also lends itself to reliability because you'll get reports and statements of the actions taken to update and maintain your systems. Additionally, because you'll pay a flat monthly fee for the IT services, the IT portion of your budget will always be predictable. This allows you to perform better ROI projections for your business.
Expanding the Business
Chances is the primary focus of your company is not IT. Therefore, by outsourcing to an IT support company, you'll be able to focus your financial resources and the talent of your employees on building and expanding your business. Small business IT outsourcing is exceedingly effective when you're trying to break into new markets as well. Instead of having to open a large office in a faraway location with a full staff including an IT department, you can simply outsource the IT portion and build the new location with only the employees required.
When you really stop to think about it for a moment, outsourcing your IT has many benefits that will not only allow your business to thrive, but to also bolster the bottom line.
