It's undeniable that we live in an age where data is the new currency. Everything is connected to some sort of data management mechanism and delivered to a specific audience, whether that's a group of specific web users or customers looking for a specific product. Increasingly, how we manage that data, or information, can drastically affect our business for better or worse.
The future of in-house IT
The reality is that the nature of modern data is complex and becoming increasingly difficult to manage - hence the term "big data." As a result, it's incredibly difficult to manage all of this data, hardware and computing resources in-house. This is why more and more companies are reaching out to third-party managed IT providers.
According to a September 2012 article on eWeek, managed IT in 2012 was up by roughly 23% since 2011, and that number is expected to increase dramatically through 2013 as more managed IT services become accessible. In short, the future of in-house IT is looking bleak.
Let's take a look at five big reasons to make the jump from in-house to third-party IT support.
Five Reasons to Outsource IT Support
- Efficient cost management - If we're being completely honest, the big reason you'd even be considering a jump to a third-party IT company is to lower costs. Incidentally, this is among the chief reasons for a company of any size to make the switch.
- Share the risk burden - Another major benefit is that with a third-party IT support provider, you're offloading some of the infrastructural risk. As a result, you become more flexible, agile and dynamic as an organization, which allows you to deliver a better product in the long-run.
- Reap the benefits of freed up resources - Since you have limited resources as an organization, you also have limits to the type of things you can accomplish in an IT context. Offloading your IT support to a third-party frees up internal resources that can be allocated to processes that can expand your business.
- Access to data management expertise - Odds are you don't have a massive enough IT budget to hire a panel of experts to guide you through the rapidly changing world of big data. With a third-party IT support service you have access to high levels of technology and resources that you would otherwise have no access to. This helps you stay competitive in your industry.
- Re-focus your priorities - Lastly, but certainly not least, offloading your IT support responsibilities lets you focus more on your business. When you're handling all of your IT support internally, your focus is often divided by a bunch of different technical priorities to keep your site, product and/or application up and running. Outsourcing IT lets you focus on what matters: growing and supporting your business - not troubleshooting software, hardware and user issues.
This blogger graduated from Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses program. Goldman Sachs is a partner of the What Is Working: Small Businesses section.