IT support is a critical business function that requires dedicated resources, no matter how big or small your business is. Consider that the average cost of a data breach for a North American small business is $117,000. And that’s just network security. You also need IT support to keep your critical systems up and running, providing your employees support, and much, much, more.
The big decision that you need to make is whether or not your IT support team will be handled in-house or if it will be outsourced. There are pros and cons to each, but in order to discuss which option is best for your business, we first need to discuss exactly what the process of having an in-house IT department entails.
The Process of Hiring In-House IT
It shouldn’t be surprising that it requires a great deal of time and effort. First, you need to actually recruit qualified employees in your local area. With Canada’s surging job market, this is a huge task in and of itself, since many other companies are looking to find or retain the same employees.
Once you find your employees, there are all the costs associated with employing them. They’ll need a competitive salary and benefits package. Throughout the onboarding process, they’ll need to be trained and certified, if necessary. You’ll need to equip them with computers, mobile devices, and any other tools that are required to perform their daily duties. You’ll need to carve out a place for the department to work, and give them access to other company resources, such as HR.
The process of outsourcing your IT department is much simpler. You do need to take the time to research and find a good partner, and provide some light onboarding. However, the bulk of the workload falls on another company’s shoulders, giving you a lot less to worry about.
Now that we have a strong understanding of what it means to take IT support in-house versus outsourcing, let’s look at the specific pros and cons of each.
Pros and Cons of Hiring In-House IT
- Pro – full control – you have full control over an in-house team. Response time is instantaneous and you don’t have to worry about how well they’ll integrate with actual employees.
- Pro – consistency – if somebody is doing an excellent job, you can give them a raise or a promotion to keep them onboard. You don’t have the same level of power over contracted employees. If they decide to leave their company, you have no way to try and convince them to stay.
- Con – costly – as discussed above, it takes a great deal of time and money to hire an entire department, or even just one single employee. If you want to have your own in-house IT support staff, it’s a major monetary commitment.
Pros and Cons of Outsourcing IT
- Pro – saves money – contrary to what many people believe, outsourcing IT saves a great deal of money. Consider the process of bringing IT in-house. You’ll only need to pay for services rendered, not for recruiting, benefits, equipment, etc.
- Pro – saves time – by not focusing on bringing IT in-house, your company will be free to focus on its core competencies and creating value for your customers.
- Pro – provides access to outside knowledge – when you hire an established Toronto IT Support team, you gain access to their years of industry experience. They’ll help you improve existing processes and handle IT in a way you may not have thought of on your own.
- Con – hard to fully integrate – the biggest issue with hiring outsourced IT support is that they aren’t fully a part of your team. This makes it difficult to integrate with your culture or understand the nuances that make your company great. That’s why it’s so important to choose the right partner.
In the end, only you can decide what’s best for your business. If you think that outsourcing to an established Toronto IT Support team can save you time and money, make sure to reach out to us here at Checksum Systems. We can fully handle all of your IT needs, or even just supplement the resources you already have. To get started today, give us a call at 416-572-2064 or simply click here.
