Is it Time To Break Up With Your In-House IT?

The world of business changes at a pace that is unmatched. In the past year we have seen companies move from an office-based workflow to a work from home model. Software that used to have to be purchased yearly every time it updated has been replaced by subscription services. Onsite hardware to back up data has been replaced by the cloud. One thing that has not changed, however is the need for IT support. While many companies still employ the traditional IT guy or gal, others have found that going the MSP route works much better. What is best for your business? Having a dedicated IT person certainly has it’s merits. They are employed by you, making your business their primary focus. Your IT person knows the ins and outs of what you do and have a relationship with both you and your employees. They are a specialist, which can be a good or bad thing, which we will touch on in just a bit. Let’s unwrap some of the gaps that can be caused by an in-house IT person, and why an MSP may be better for you.

COST

Having a good to great in-house IT guy will normally run you in the six-figure range. This is not to say they are not deserving of such a salary, but it certainly can be a big dent in the yearly budget for a small to midsize business. With an MSP, your costs are shared by multiple businesses also using that MSP, meaning you get IT expertise at a fraction of the cost. What is more, many MSP’s also offer packages that include much of the subscription software you use, giving you access to the best technology at a much lower price. This is one of the key benefits to an MSP such as Delval Technology Solutions, you get all the talent of an in-house IT person, at the fraction of the price.

RISK

When you have a single person handling your IT, you are beholden to them, even if you are the one employing them. They are the single source for expertise of your network and are just one person. If they get sick or go on vacation, well you can end up having your whole network stuck at a standstill. What if they leave? If that is the case, you have to find a replacement, train them, get them acclimated with your network, and this process can take weeks if not months, leaving your companies needs vulnerable. With an MSP such as Delval Technology Solutions, you have a team working behind you, not just one person. If one person leaves, or goes on vacation or gets sick, nothing changes, you still get the same great service without all that pesky downtime.

EXPERTISE

We have all heard the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none”. This refers to someone who is versed in many different avenues but doesn’t have a clear area of expertise. Most people in the corporate world fall into either that category or that of a specialist, highly versed in one area, but lacking in many others. This is no different for IT. Your in-house IT guy

may be a whiz at programming, but how are they at security? Your network is a multi-faceted system, that when working in harmony, can help propel your business to the next level and save you time, money, and anxiety. When it’s out of whack, it can have devastating consequences. Think of your IT staff as a doctor. You walk in with a broken foot to your general practitioner, who while familiar with feet, is not an expert. So what does he do? He refers you to a podiatrist. This is because the podiatrist specializes in feet. Now, if you were to walk into a major hospital, they have teams of specialists on hand, at your service depending on your ailment. That is the difference between employing an IT person, who is akin to the general practitioner, vs hiring a managed service provider. A proper MSP, such as Delval, is like the hospital staff, teaming with specialists and experts for all of the moving parts of your IT needs, from helpdesk to security and systems management, for a fraction of the cost of a dedicated IT person.

EFFICENCY

As the old saying goes, time is money. When you experience a problem with your network, you need it handled as quickly as possible. Your IT person can handle this, if only one thing goes wrong. However, bugs, viruses, and attacks do not factor in your IT person’s capabilities when they happen, they just happen. Picture this, you have a system error that your IT person is rushing to fix. While they are handling that, you have two employees locked out of an account, potentially delaying them from reaching a deadline for a client.

On top of that, someone just opened an email they shouldn’t have and may have just compromised your server. These things happening one at a time can be bad

enough for an IT person to deal with, but if they happen all at once, that’s a recipe for disaster. With an MSP, you have a team at your disposal who can multi-task and troubleshoot multiple problems at once. This saves you valuable time, which in turns, saves you money.

We get it, your IT person has been with you for a while. You probably have a bit of an emotional attachment to them. They know you, you know them, you are friendly. However, this is business, and at times we have to take a hard look at the facts and the numbers. Ditching your IT guy in favor of an MSP can do wonders for your enterprise. You will save money, as you are paying for a service that doesn’t need things like vacation days and insurance. You gain a variety of expertise as opposed to having one specialized employee handling a

network that has many different facets to it. You get a seamless experience without having to worry about a transition that usually comes with a ton of downtime, and you get the efficiency of a team working behind you. Is it time to drop your IT person and move to an MSP? Probably.