Every company, regardless of industry and size, needs access to modern technology to conduct business and run efficiently. It goes without question that this digital infrastructure needs ongoing support and service to be effective, stay updated and prevent disruptions. To meet these needs, businesses will need to decide to either hire in-house IT staff, or outsource their IT maintenance to a Managed Services Provider, or MSP.
What is the difference and what makes sense for my business?
Hiring internal IT staff does have its benefits, however it also does not come without some challenges. Firstly, hiring internal IT personnel is costly. The average salary for an IT professional is increasing by the month, with many seasoned professionals exceeding $100,000 annually, and if a business only has one IT person on staff, it is not likely that they will be able to provide tech support for an entire company 24/7. Depending on the size of the business, hiring a team of IT professionals is usually needed to get the job done.
Security is another drawback when hiring an internal IT employee. This person will have access to your company’s most sensitive data with access to all digital systems. The type of policy you have in place should your IT staff member leave the company is crucial for the overall security of the business. It can be easy to overlook mistakes when a team of IT professionals is not involved.
MSPs bring an entire IT department to your organization
When companies decide to hire an MSP, they are brining an entire team of experienced IT professionals to the table, at a much lower cost than hiring internal staff members.
MSPs remotely manage a company’s IT infrastructure, typically through a subscription basis with clear objectives and expectations. The MSP will determine and make recommendations for which technology and services is the right fit for your business and will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to support and manage the infrastructure going forward.
Companies that decide to hire an MSP will also have assurances that the security of the business is in good hands. MSPs have dedicated staff members working around the clock to ensure that your company’s backups are running and that redundancies are set in place should a disruption occur, in addition to having access to Help Desk personnel, after-hours support, and on-site visits.
The right fit for your business
It’s important to take these considerations in mind when deciding to either hire internal IT staff or outsource IT to an MSP. Some companies and organizations will take a hybrid approach and keep a staff member onboard for more day-to-day tasks and hire an MSP to handle more challenging tasks such as Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity.
Looking for a dedicated MSP? Miken Technologies has 35 years of experience in supporting IT business needs including hardware and software procurement, help desk support, disaster recovery and business continuity, security solutions, communications solutions, and more!
