As we talk to business people around San Diego, we are often asked when a business should choose managed services over in-house IT staff. Being a San Diego managed services provider, we recognize we are probably a little biased. However, managed services have a clear advantage in several situations:
1. Not large enough to support a full-time IT person
Just about every type of business these days relies on IT to a certain degree. However, if you are a company of 3-10 people, you have typically grown beyond do-it-yourself or Geek Squad support. And hiring a full-time IT person does not make sense, because there is not enough work and it would be too expensive. In this case, managed services is a logical solution, because you can get “part-time” help and yet, an IT person is available when you need them (24x7 with Skyriver IT).
2. Need a wide range of IT skills
Even when your organization is large enough to justify a full-time IT person, it can be difficult to find someone with the right range of skills to serve your company. A typical business needs someone who understands networks, can support individual machines (often PCs and Macs), wireless technologies, mobile, and VOIP. While one individual can learn all these things, a managed service provider can offer the right expert for each of your IT needs.
3. Want to avoid the hassle of hiring an IT professional
Hiring an IT person can be challenging for business people, because you are looking for a skill set that you cannot assess very well. Using a managed service provider ensures that you are getting IT professionals who have the appropriate skill set for the job.
Of course, there are situations where having an in-house IT staff makes sense. If your IT is strategically important to your business, then you probably want to have in-house IT professionals. And, when you grow to a size where you can justify having a team of IT people, it can be worthwhile to have an in-house team, because different members of your team can be specialized.
For small to mid-size businesses, it is a good idea to at least look at managed services as an option to see if the skill sets and price are a good fit for your business.
