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Tech innovation is moving faster than ever with the evolution of more integrated digital systems, but with it comes an increase in new cyber threats. It can be challenging and expensive for small IT teams to try to keep pace with both the equipment needed and the professional development required to maintain and protect a business’s essential IT infrastructure. This is why a growing number of businesses are choosing outsourced IT support to maintain their operations, entrusting the security of their system to a team of dedicated professionals whose singular focus is to proactively manage their business infrastructure. But is outsourced IT the right choice for your business? Consider the following benefits of outsourcing your IT needs.

What Are the Benefits of Outsourced IT?

Many businesses avoid outsourcing their IT services due to the perceived expense, concerns over loss of control of essential systems, and the assumption that data is more safely held in-house. While we have previously busted these common IT outsourcing myths, it may be time to also reiterate the clear benefits of outsourced IT.

Grow Your Business

When it comes to growth, some businesses are handicapped by a lack of internal resources, both human and equipment.

Smaller teams might not have the capacity to quickly expand or adapt IT systems to meet new challenges or additions to staff. Even doing so temporarily can be prohibitively time-consuming and expensive.

Purchasing new equipment to upgrade servers and networks can also cost time and money, especially for smaller businesses that may not have the resources or relationships to warrant discounts from the major IT infrastructure providers.

This can put a cap on your business’s growth and momentum, stalling you at critical moments.

An outsourced IT contract offers flexibility, as your provider already has a large team with varied expertise on hand, and established servers and networks to give your business infrastructure a much-needed boost.

Resources can be allocated to your business on an as-needed basis or canceled when unnecessary, so you never pay for more than you need.

Maintain Flexibility

Depending on your business sector, you may not need the same level of staffing year-round. As a result, many businesses can find themselves paying for unnecessary equipment or services, resulting in a loss of savings. Conversely, hiring and training new members of staff is a big upfront cost that can take years to show a return on investment (ROI).

Outsourcing IT gives you the flexibility to adapt your resource expenditure as needed, allowing you to bring on established and trained team members during busy periods or major launches, and to cut back when necessary to save funds and invest elsewhere in the business.

Flexible scaling is one of the biggest benefits of outsourced IT for businesses of all sizes.

Company Focus

Great companies thrive because they do what they do well, whether it is design, accounting, marketing, or education. But in a digital world, businesses must also maintain a secure and effective IT infrastructure, which means they face the additional challenge of managing a department that is not a core part of their business objectives or expertise.

Outsourced IT means that your talent can focus on what they do best while leaving the challenges of IT to a dedicated team that not only knows the ins and outs of IT but is often thought leaders at the forefront of new developments.

When everyone focuses on what they do best, businesses see the best results.

Better Compliance

New regulations to ensure data privacy and security for customers and individuals are constantly being created and updated. Not only does compliance cost money, but it can also result in severe consequences if businesses don’t strictly follow regulations.

Outsourced IT teams will also focus on ensuring compliance with government and industry standards. In addition, you can choose teams that are specifically PCI Level 4 or HIPAA compliant, further minimizing your risk and exposure.

Placing compliance in the hands of experts, managed through a service contract, can significantly reduce the risk to your business.

Access Top Talent

IT is an increasingly competitive hiring market as businesses compete for the best network engineers and cybersecurity specialists. Unfortunately, many businesses don’t have the budget or the structure to compete for the top talent on the market. They also run the risk of hiring and training good employees, only to see them leave for opportunities with businesses that can offer more.

Outsourced IT agencies tend to have bigger teams with more opportunities, giving them a competitive advantage in the hiring market. This makes it easier for them to recruit and retain top-tier talent, which your business can benefit from through outsourcing.

In addition, you can rest assured you are drawing on a talent pool that has developed its understanding and knowledge working on a variety of projects, rather than developing solutions “on the fly” to deal with your challenges.

Unexpected Technologies

Sometimes businesses are not aware of existing technology that could significantly benefit their business. Working with an outsourced IT team can introduce businesses to innovative solutions that could give their operations a serious boost, with IT experts offering proven solutions.

One common example is access to big data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI), which many outsourced IT firms use regularly to improve their business solutions. Your outsourced team may be able to show you ways that analytics can identify potential issues in your workflow or how AI can be applied to streamline routine tasks – solutions that may not have even been on your radar.

Should You Consider Outsourced IT?

Outsourced IT can be a valuable solution for businesses of any size that want to focus on their core business proposition while leaving server capacity, network speed, and cybersecurity to experts. It can save you money, reduce risk, and allow teams to focus on the business’s core offering.

If you are looking for local outsourced IT solutions in the Houston area, contact Stargel Office Solutions to see how we can help elevate your company’s IT.