Your Internal IT Staff Is Costing You More Than You Know.

What would you do if your in-house tech was out sick or on vacation, and you couldn’t get access to your data?  

Do you wait until he gets back to figure out what’s going on? But if you do:

• You can’t work,
• You miss deadlines,
• Your customers are angry and may go to the competition, and
• You’re bleeding revenue by the minute.

Make sure you have a Managed Service Provider (MSP) on standby, ready to augment your in-house IT staff whenever necessary.

There are other ways your internal IT staff costs you.

Employee Expenses

An in-house network administrator can cost $60k annually or more. To be effective, IT service and support requires up-to-date skills and expertise. A worthwhile network administrator will be expensive to hire.  

Benefits, Sick Leave, Vacation Costs

There are additional expenses on top of salary to consider. For example, holidays, and the coverage while your network administrator is away. When you consider all of this, just one network administrator can cost you more than $100k a year.

Ongoing Training and Certifications

With cybercrime and other threats to your business, you must ensure your IT staff is trained on the latest cyber security tactics.  In addition, software, hardware, and cloud solutions are constantly evolving.  To provide the most cost-effective IT solutions, your IT guy should attend vendor training and stay up on certifications that expire.  These training and certification expenses can really mount up and may involve travel expenses as well.

Management Expenses.

While your business may be profitable, management probably doesn’t want to devote their time to overseeing IT. Do you even know if your IT staff are doing their jobs adequately?  How can you unless you stay up on today’s technology needs?  Shouldn’t you free up your managerial time for more important things?

That’s why you need an MSP to watch over your IT 24/7.  Unlike your internal IT staff, an MSP doesn’t take vacations or sick days. They stay up on all the latest IT trends and threats. Plus, they’re available around-the-clock, whenever you need them.

Reasons to Outsource our Supplement Your IT to an MSP

• Reduced IT Costs

Reducing IT costs is one of the most appealing reasons small businesses use MSP services.  Businesses that choose to outsource can convert the variable, unplanned IT expenses to fixed, predictable ones. This frees up capital for other aspects of their business. Plus, it saves on hiring (and firing) in-house staff, paying benefits such as sick leave, health insurance, and Social Security. In addition, your MSP will be available 24/7, where in-house staff may take off due to personal issues or illness.

• Ensure Security

Security is one of the most important aspects of technology. While technology evolves and data expands, the number of ways your IT network can be compromised increases. For example, cloud services are widely used today.  But to ensure the security of an offsite server, it must be continuously monitored and assessed. Your MSP can advise you on the credentials of vendors, and conduct ongoing risk assessments to identify network vulnerabilities.

• Access State-of-the-Art Technologies

Many small-business owners find it difficult to keep up with the latest advances in technology. Outsourcing to an MSP provides easy access to state-of-the-art technology so you can be more competitive in this technology-driven world. In addition, with an MSP, these solutions are less expensive than you if you purchased them yourself. Most MSPs have partnerships with vendors and can provide new technologies at a reduced cost.

• Regulatory Requirements

Many businesses require secure technology so they can meet compliance and regulatory standards. Your MSP will know how to mitigate data risks and breaches, secure your confidential data, and use cost-effective technologies to do this so you comply with regulations. Security risks and compliance issues can cost you dearly in legal liabilities, regulatory penalties, and your good reputation.

• Scalability and Adaptability

As your business grows, your IT needs grow as well. Keep in mind that new service offerings often come with significant upgrades or new software programs. Your MSP can provide the flexibility you need to change your products/services or add new ones when required.

• Onsite Training

Your MSP can train your employees on a new system, provide assistance when they need to use new software or technologies, and ensure they know how to recognize cyber scams.  They can provide the one-on-one, on-site training that you can’t get when implementing new software or technologies yourself.

• Save Time.

An MSP has the resources to start new IT projects quickly, where it can take an in-house staff weeks or even months to hire and train the right people.

But, you may be saying:

We don’t have many computers.   

No matter how many computers you have, consider the potential impact of a network failure, or ransomware attack. How would this affect your company’s productivity? Can you afford a data loss if your backup systems fail? Regardless of the size, your business requires maximum uptime and data security to be successful.

I think we have all the IT support we need.

For businesses with complex computing environments, it’s common to have in-house IT support with one or two dedicated IT employees.  An MSP offers a wide range of services that your staff simply can’t provide. In today’s business world, there’s a lot of pressure to stay productive wherever you are. Your MSP will help you do this, and ensure you implement the latest data security solutions on mobile devices.    

It will cost too much.

An MSP provides free advice on security and backup storage systems, anti-virus software, and 24 x 7 monitoring for critical systems. In addition, you’re only paying for the equipment you need and the time it takes your MSP to implement a solution or solve a problem. Or even better, you can opt for a monthly service plan that’s customized to meet your needs.  This way you won’t get caught with unexpected IT expenses, and you can include the monthly fee into your budget.

You MSP can provide fully managed services, or compliment your In-house IT Staff.

Assess Your IT Requirements Now and For the Future.

There are four important questions every small-business owner must consider to ensure IT needs are met:

1. What systems do I currently have in place?
2. What essential elements are missing?
3. How will my business change in the future?
4. Are my current systems able to support that change?

If you can’t answer these questions your MSP can help.  They will consult with you, and provide an honest, no-obligation, no-cost assessment regarding products and services that will help your business stay productive, proactive and competitive today and tomorrow.

Using an MSP is an effective way to cut costs while ensuring effective technology service and support.

You won’t have to pay for benefits, training, and vacations associated with full-time in-house positions.

Their professionals are already trained and certified to handle your IT infrastructure, at a fraction of the cost of just one IT employee.

You’ll have ready access to a team of IT experts with a breadth and depth of technical knowledge and experience— Something most small to mid-sized businesses could never afford with an in-house IT staff.

You’ll benefit from 24/7 Help Desk Support, to ensure your needs are quickly addressed, and information technology stays up and running at all times.

Colorado Computer Support is your IT MSP in Colorado Springs. We can provide fully managed services, or compliment your current internal tech staff.  For more information about either of these services, contact us at (719) 355-2440 or blake@coloradosupport.com