As a small business, one of the most important decisions that you need to make is regarding how to manage your IT services in Springfield, MO. You can choose to have an IT specialist on staff or outsource all your IT needs to an external IT company. Whether you go one way or the other really depends on your IT needs and business preferences. It’s important to consider the merits of each approach—in-house or outsourced—particularly in the following key areas:
Cost of Services
Comparing the costs against the work required is probably the most important step. For a small business, it can end up being quite costly to have a full time IT professional as part of your team. Depending on the size of your team and your IT requirements, they may or may not have a lot of work to do. Regardless of the workload, you have to consider the cost of a monthly salary, plus benefits and paid time off.
Outsourcing your IT needs can make a lot of financial sense for a growing business. With this model, you pay a fixed monthly price for the services agreed upon in the service contract. With only a small IT system, this cost is bound to be considerably less than that of having a full-time staff member. You can focus more of your spending on business growth.
Availability
How much service availability does your business really need? Answering this question can give you a practical indication of the best route to take. In-house IT staff members usually work a regular daytime schedule, probably have weekends and paid time off. This means that your IT systems must go unmanned when your staff is unavailable unless you have a contingency plan in place.
One of the benefits of outsourcing your IT needs is that they can provide 24-hour service and proactive remote monitoring even when your offices are closed. Because the provider of IT services in Springfield, MO operates as a team, they are more likely to be more available. Compare this with an in-house IT professional who has to attend to everyone’s needs.
You can also consider combining outsourced and in-house IT services so that you are always covered when your IT team is unavailable. Having your own in-house IT department has the advantage that they are part of your team and understand the day to day operations of your business. This allows for an easier working relationship.
Expertise and Specialization
Outsourcing allows you to have experts working in and with your business. They are able to offer a diverse range of specialized skills from their experience in the industry. With in-house IT professionals, dependent on their past experience, they may not have the same exposure.
If you are looking for a specialist to provide your business IT services in Springfield, MO, consider JMARK Business Solutions, Inc. We can work closely with you and your team to deliver innovative IT solutions for your business. Contact us now to find out more.
