The Concept of IT Outsourcing...It's a focus Thing

As information technology evolves, outsourcing solutions are changing. Is your company effectively leveraging what the market has to offer? Managing your network can drain valuable resources from the core focus of your business You wouldn’t do your own dental surgery, and you don’t have to do your own IT. Consider entrusting your IT to the experts.

Let’s take a closer look at what IT outsourcing means in regards to business computing. The concept of outsourcing is about focusing on the one or two things your business does better than any other and leaving the rest to someone else. The Olympics offers an analogy that drives the point home. The gold medal winners in the individual track and field events outperform the gold medalist in the decathlon for those corresponding events by an average of 20%. By focusing on what you do best, you position your business to succeed.

With the complexity of systems today, most small- and medium-sized businesses have no choice but to outsource IT. The key is to understand your current and future needs and make the right IT outsourcing decision. Here are some important questions to ask in determining which outsourced IT solution is right for your business:

• Is your business distracted by IT management issues?

• Does your IT staff have the necessary expertise to properly manage your network?

• Is it cost-effective to increase your IT staff to meet those needs?

The marketplace is filled with companies that would like to get your IT business, so be sure and understand the different services available before contracting with a vendor.

Man-in-a-van – As opposed to hiring a full-time IT staff person, your business can contract with a consultant for a set amount of time or for specific services. You pay only when you need them, but because they generally contract with many other companies, they aren’t always able to respond to your needs in a timely manner.

Managed Service Provider – Their primary function is to monitor your on-premise computers, servers and other network devices. They install monitoring agents throughout your network. These agents report back to a central location on the health of the device. If a problem should arise, it may be possible for the vendor to access the device remotely and resolve the issue. If it can’t be resolved remotely, a service call is mostly likely the next step. That could result in additional charges depending on your service agreement.

Hosted Desktop Provider – They host your desktop and entire network on secure servers located safely off-site. You only need a broadband Internet connection to access your company data, applications, e-mail and entire network. This option differs greatly from the first two because it removes the upfront capital investment and on-going expense of maintaining an internal network. Solutions like ITonCommand not only eliminate the need to purchase and maintain infrastructural hardware, but you won’t have to buy software or manage the updates, upgrades or patches. With ITonCommand you can leverage enterprise-level IT functionality and expertise at a price point far less than the cost of deploying a comparable in-house system. It’s like having your own Fortune 500 IT department without the expense or headache.

There are many benefits of outsourced IT, none more compelling than it simply lets you run your business, not your network.