Many companies already have an IT team taking care of their internal IT requirements, and many of those IT teams already outsource some responsibilities. The question of whether you should outsource your IT is not only one of budget but also of business strategy. If your team is putting too much focus on IT and it takes away from areas of your business where your IT team could be putting their focus on increasing business revenue, or focusing on projects that have a greater return.
You should outsource when:
1. IT Affects Business Negatively
If your IT setups are taking so much time that you cannot focus on your business objectives, it is time to outsource some of your IT functions. Generally, when you outsource, you get access to an entire team of resources that can not only improve IT setup timelines but also removes the limitations on your current team.
2.Growth and Skills Gaps
If your business is scaling up, your IT requirements will change and as such, it may make sense to outsource some of your IT functions, until such a time that it makes sense to hire the necessary resources internally. For some projects, you may also require a specific set of skills quickly to get the project done, it would make sense then to outsource rather than going through the hiring process.
3. An IT Skills Deficit
If your IT teams skills are outdated, or aren’t fostering business growth, it may be time to look at outsourcing, either to fill the gap or to replace the current in-house resources. The benefit being that an outsource team will have a variety of skillsets available, providing more flexibility for your business as it grows.
4. You Have A High Staff Turnover
If you are having a high staff turnover, it might make sense to outsource. In these instances, there can be many reasons but, more often than not, it could be because you’re not paying your IT resources adequately, in which case, outsourcing may be the more affordable option, rather than hiring in-house resources.
5. It Is Not A Core Competency, Or An Integral Part Of Your Business
If IT is not a core competency, or does not form an integral part of your business operations, it makes sense to outsource, because you would get the same quality of service at a lower cost.
Whatever your reason, outsourcing IT is an affordable alternative or addition to in-house resources that offers greater resources, skills and experience that would take an internal team years to build up, so it makes sense to outsource functions to a third-party provider to help your business in achieving its business objectives.
