Outsourcing is the practice of contracting with an outside party to handle a specific task or set of tasks rather than hiring employees to perform the work. Outsourcing your small business's tech support services has become increasingly popular.
Outsourcing some or all your company’s IT needs can reduce costs and allow you to focus on your business’s primary objectives without sacrificing the efficiency of your technology operations. Orderly and reliable technology is essential for any business to thrive in today’s digital marketplace.
Whether you’re just starting as a sole proprietor or have dozens of employees and contractors, having the right IT systems in place can help boost efficiency, streamline operations, and reduce overhead costs.
However, unless you are an experienced IT professional, managing an in-house IT department can be challenging. Fortunately, there is now the option of outsourcing IT services for your small business. Read on to learn more about how small business tech support (SMB IT) can benefit your business.
Reduce Costs and Boost Efficiency
Outsourcing SMB IT services can reduce overall costs and boost efficiency across various business functions. Whether you’re hiring an IT consulting firm to manage your internal IT team or seeking an outsourced managed services provider (MSP) to handle your business’s IT needs, you can significantly reduce costs.
Depending on the scope of work and expertise needed, outsourcing IT services can be 45% to 80% cheaper than hiring a full-time employee. And, for the price of one salary, you get a whole team of IT professionals when you need them! No PTO, employee insurance, or downtime.
Beyond cost savings, outsourcing your IT operations allows you to focus on your core business objectives, giving you more control over how you scale your organization. Many small businesses start lean and slowly add employees as the company grows. However, this strategy can be risky, as you may find yourself lacking the necessary resources if your business experiences rapid growth beyond expectations or is negatively impacted by an unexpected event, such as an IT outage. Outsourcing can help you avoid this situation.
Focus on Scaling Your Business
IT departments are responsible for more than just keeping the lights on and your computers running. Beyond basic operations, IT departments are often responsible for keeping your organization’s data secure, compliant, and accessible.
Small businesses often lack the resources to secure and protect critical information properly, making it difficult to comply with regulations. Outsourcing your IT services can relieve you of the burden of handling security, compliance, and other concerns.
Beyond compliance, outsourcing your IT allows you to focus on expanding and scaling your business. Many small businesses focus on achieving product/service-market fit before considering scaling their organization. The right IT infrastructure can help you more easily expand your organization once you’ve achieved product/service-market fit.
Offload Expertise and Infrastructure
IT departments are responsible for various tasks, including data security, compliance, infrastructure management, and managing the lifespan of technology assets. While hiring employees who specialize in each of these areas may be possible, doing so can be expensive.
Alternatively, you can outsource many of these tasks to a single partner who can help you offload expertise and infrastructure. Beyond specific tasks, outsourcing IT services allows you to offload expertise and infrastructure.
Many small businesses keep systems running on older technology, particularly when the business is just getting off the ground. By outsourcing your IT services, you can offload older infrastructure and focus on buying new technology as your business grows.
Minimized Risk of Business Disruption
When you outsource IT services, you transfer the risk of unexpected business disruptions from your company to your provider. If your company experiences a cyber-attack, infrastructure failure, or another significant challenge that affects operations, your IT provider should be responsible for fixing the problem.
Passing on responsibility helps minimize the impact of IT-related problems on your organization by reducing the potential for significant business disruption. Beyond risk mitigation, outsourcing your tech support allows you to shift your focus from reacting to problems to proactively addressing potential issues.
When your company experiences an IT-related issue, every minute spent troubleshooting the problem is time not spent on growing your business. With an outsourced partner, you can focus on resolving issues and moving your business forward.
Beyond the benefits outlined above, outsourcing your IT services can provide access to a wider range of expertise and technologies. Small businesses usually only employ individuals with in-depth knowledge of their industry.
The Benefits of SMB IT Support
Certain IT disciplines—such as cybersecurity—require skills and expertise that are difficult to find among professionals who specialize in one industry. Outsourcing can provide access to the expertise needed to protect your business.
On top of this, many outsourced IT providers have access to various technologies. Whether you need a specific technology for a project or are looking for the latest and greatest technology that best suits your business needs, outsourcing can give you greater access to potential solutions.
We’re always happy to perform ad hoc network and technology assessments to determine the tech and support you need to achieve your business goals!
Small Business Tech Support Near Me
If you’re looking for small business tech support in Little Rock, AR, look no further. Scale Technology offers comprehensive IT services designed to support and grow small businesses. We’ve helped dozens of businesses like yours achieve their goals through technology.
Contact us today for a free consultation and an assessment of your existing network and IT infrastructure.