Outsourced IT is a misunderstood term in our industry. And some of the common reasons that organisations are hesitant to outsource their IT simply don’t apply to modern managed service providers.

Misconceptions About Outsourced IT

The most common reason organisations don’t want to outsource IT is that they like having someone on site. For example, you might wish for someone to be right down the hallway that you can talk to. And you’re afraid that if you don’t have that, you won’t get the kind of service that you’re used to.

You might also worry about calling a service desk and talking to people who aren’t familiar with your environment. You don’t want to deal with someone who can’t help, for example, or be stuck on hold while you’re addressing a problem. Honestly, nobody wants that. And business owners think that if someone is down the hall and an issue is urgent, that person will come and help right away.

Existing Vendor Relationships

Another reason businesses might hesitate to outsource their IT is an existing relationship with a vendor. Let’s say you’ve been working with a vendor for a while, and even though you aren’t totally happy or totally comfortable with the results, making a change might be too painful.

But once organisations really understand what that change will look like, it’s not as bad as it might appear. For us, changing you over from an existing vendor to another just requires giving us the passwords at the beginning of the onboarding process. Once we have access, we document everything from end to end. We look at every piece of hardware, software, and vendor that you work with.

After documentation, we put our tools in place and do an initial tactical alignment over the first one or two weeks. At the end of that, we’ll have everything in place to provide proper support. Just as importantly, we always have a plan to take you from where you are today to where you need to be in the future.

Benefits of IT Outsourcing

What companies often overlook is the benefits of outsourcing. For example, one of the biggest problems with small internal IT departments is that all of the knowledge is usually cornered by one or two individuals. If a member of that small team becomes unavailable, it’s very difficult for somebody else to come in and help immediately.

However, when you have a broader group of individuals with broader skillset looking at your system, you get more informed perspectives. At CopperTree, we learn a lot as an organisation working with our clients.

When we learn something from working with one client, we can apply that knowledge to other clients. We take what we know from working with 35 different client environments, combine that knowledge, and deliver better services to both new and existing.

Another issue with internal IT departments is that they typically spend most of their time dealing with reactive issues. If they have to pick between solving somebody’s problem or doing maintenance on a system, they’re going to solve the problem because it’s more urgent.

Finally, the high-level strategic planning that our virtual chief information officer (vCIO) brings to the table is very difficult to maintain in a small internal department. From a strategic perspective, you need a high-level understanding of both business and technology.

Our vCIO has extensive experience in business and really understands what it takes to make a business work from an executive level. We apply that perspective by asking how we can make technology work for your organisation.

Choosing a Managed Service Provider for Outsourced IT

One of the biggest reasons people choose to use a Managed Service Provider (MSP) is if their business needs are changing. Even if you’ve had an internal IT department for years, as time goes on, technology becomes even more critical to the success of an organisation.

It can be challenging for an internal IT department to do the proactive work that keeps everything running properly. Often, an internal department spends a lot of its time dealing with reactive issues. People are walking up to their desks for help. There’s always a fire to put out somewhere that takes precedence over proactive work.
If internal IT is always busy resolving user issues, there’s probably a higher level of risk. In that scenario, no one thinks about security or proactively keeps everything configured correctly and securely. That leaves your organisation exposed.

Co-Managed IT

Often businesses go to an MSP either to outsource their IT management entirely or to set up co-managed IT.

In those cases, we work with their internal resources. They continue to do the day-to-day support that they’re familiar with and good at. And they allow us to come in and proactively manage the infrastructure.

We support your internal resources in many ways, from helping with escalating issues to covering for a team member’s vacation. We install updates, find ways to improve the system and use our tools to monitor the technology environment.

Choosing the Right Option for Your IT Needs

With these options available, it’s essential to make an informed decision about your IT management. What is the best choice for your organisation?

Typically, if your organisation has between 100 and 200 users, you’re a good candidate for outsourced IT.

You might choose fully outsourced IT or prefer a co-managed model with a small internal team and an outside vendor.

But you might not have the time, ability, or energy to hire a full-blown internal IT staff that can handle strategy and maintenance alongside day-to-day tasks. In that case, it usually makes sense to work with a vendor.

Effective outsourced IT teams have people dedicated experts in every role. They can provide knowledge and perspective that most businesses couldn’t afford otherwise.

Curious or Interested In Hiring Outsourced IT?

Click here to contact CopperTree Solutions and get all your questions answered.