Should I Outsource IT Support or Hire In-House?
Owning a business makes you the decision-maker for yourself, your employees and investors. One of the more important and sometimes costly decisions is whether or not to hire an in-house IT support team or to outsource to a company that provides the service. Both options have pros and cons, but only one answer is right for your company.
Deciding to hire for IT support might seem like a difficult decision, but it doesn’t need to be. We’ll help guide you through the benefits of both in-house and outsourced IT support and show you what things you need to consider when choosing between the two.
Overall, choosing the right IT support option for you depends on your industry, how many employees you have, and the hardware and software you rely on daily. Below, we’ll walk you through both IT support types and help you decide which one is right for you and your business.
The Difference Between in-House and Outsourced IT Support
In-house IT support is exactly what it sounds like, a person or team who provides IT support that is within your employ. Whether a company has one IT technician or a whole team usually depends on the number of employees they have and the equipment that needs support. Large companies with thousands of employees typically have a whole team — sometimes more than one team — to keep up with IT support requests and upgrading technologies.
Outsourced IT support means that another company is providing your IT services, whether locally or entirely remote. When you outsource your IT needs, you don’t have an employee providing this service. Instead, you purchase only the support you need, allowing you to control your budget and get exactly what you need.
Reasons You Should Choose in-House IT Support
In-house IT support is traditionally more costly, because you pay an employee or a team to work full or part-time, keeping your equipment and software running. Taking on another employee requires a larger budget, but you also need to make sure they have enough work to do. For small businesses, this rarely makes sense, as the cost of salary, benefits, and training is often impractical for their current scale.
Reason #1: You Are a Large Company
Large and mid-sized companies have hundreds to thousands of employees. With so many employees, most of whom use computers and other devices for their daily work, it often makes sense to have in-house IT support.
Depending on the industry, you may have a budget of 1% to even 10% of your yearly revenue for IT, which is enough to sustain a team of IT professionals to maintain computing equipment and answer support tickets. In addition, large companies often have many employees needing the help of an IT professional at any given time throughout the week.
Reason #2: Project-Based Needs
If your company has multiple projects that require specialised computing or support needs, you should consider having in-house IT support with credentials that fit the needs of each project. Hiring IT support for project-based work can also be costly, but you’ll want to have IT support available immediately when deadlines come quickly. Delays in time-sensitive projects can be more expensive than hiring more help.
Why Choose Outsourced IT?
According to the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment, 97% of all businesses in New Zealand are small businesses, which are not large enough to sustain a full-time IT support position. For the vast majority of companies, outsourced IT support is cost-effective and beneficial for their needs.
Reason #1: Scale vs Need
Small businesses typically have few employees and a small number of connected devices in need of support. When you only have five people working in your office at any given time, it’s unlikely that you will need an on-site IT professional all the time. In this case, it is more effective to purchase an IT support package from a trusted IT support partner.
Reason #2: Cost
IT support is often very cost-effective for small businesses. The cost for hiring an outsourced IT team is much less than hiring a full or part-time employee. You only pay for what you need or use. Also, you can choose what services would benefit you most and customise a plan that is right for your current needs.
Reason #3: Quality and Experience
IT support companies hire skilled and qualified professionals who have vast experience, often with different systems and technologies. Small businesses benefit from an experienced support technician familiar with most types of hardware and common software issues, without the increasing cost of ongoing training and education of an in-house IT professional.
Decide the Future of Your Business Today
As a business owner, IT likely isn’t in your wheelhouse. And with a small budget, accounting for an entire IT department may be an expense that just doesn’t make sense for your business.
We get it. That’s why Dynamite IT Solutions makes managing your computer technology simple and cost effective. Dynamite IT offers a wide range of IT support services in Wellington with plans and packages to maximise the performance of your business.
As a Wellington based business ourselves, we understand the needs of local businesses. We have tailored our range of managed products and IT services to take the hassle out of your business infrastructure. Our response time is fast as we are based in Upper Hutt and service the Wellington region including Lower Hutt, Wellington CBD and Porirua City.
Dynamite IT believes in building streamlined IT systems that run so smoothly that you forget they’re there in the background. On top of professional IT systems, we also provide expert IT support to ensure you never feel alone. For a local team that can help with everything from 0800 numbers to web design, we are the IT experts you can trust and rely on – give us a call today.