As the technology needs of small businesses continue to grow, business owners are often faced with a difficult decision:
Add internal IT staff or outsource to a Managed IT Service Provider (MSP)?
There is a common misconception among business owners that utilizing an MSP means handing over full control of their infrastructure but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We’ve been providing IT support for SMBs since 2004 and we’ll be the first to tell you that MSPs prefer to work with internal IT teams!
The reality is that this doesn’t have to be a “one or the other” decision. In fact, there are plenty of advantages to having both an internal IT department and an MSP. Here are three advantages to having both.
1. An MSP can bolster your overall IT infrastructure and increase your technology ROI.
Reputable MSPs will have relationships with well-known vendors (Microsoft, Dell, Cisco, etc.) and are able to negotiate cost savings and other advanced resources unavailable to the general public. The majority of our clients purchase all of their hardware and software licenses through Louisville Geek because it’s more affordable and convenient.
Pro tip: When considering an MSP, make sure they work with more than 1-2 vendors. MSPs who work with multiple vendors have more options and are able to price shop and pass those savings on to their clients. This also prevents you from getting pigeonholed into buying something that might not be the best fit for your business.
2. Reduce cybersecurity risks
On January 18, 2022, the CISA issued a severe warning to all organizations in the US: “Every Organization in the United States is at risk from cyber threats.”
Translation: Nobody is safe.
According to SonicWall, 2021 there were 495 million ransomware attacks in 2020 and 714 million more in 2021. Similar studies show that 70% of these attacks were targeted at small businesses. Cybercriminals know that smaller organizations do not have the cybersecurity capabilities necessary to keep up, so they exploit them. An MSP can help your small business develop cybersecurity strategies to protect your data and fend off ransomware attacks.
3. Scalability
Since most MSPs provide à la carte services, flexibility to choose which services you want the MSP to perform. This allows businesses to easily scale without having to make a long-term commitment or investment.
For example, one of our clients is an insurance agency with roughly 30 employees. They have two in-house employees who oversee their day-to-day IT operations and provide Tier 1 support (email issues, software installations, etc.) for the agency and rely on us for more advanced issues and strategic planning.
Closing Comments
The technology your company uses should support the overall business objectives. As your business grows, so will its technology needs but the takeaway is that it doesn’t have to be and “either or” decision. one of these choices.
