Insource VS Outsource

As your business takes on bigger and better IT services, you are faced with the question of outsourcing or insourcing your resources and professionals. The more traditional choice of insourcing all IT expertise has become a not-so-obvious choice as other options have grown favorable. The decision can be significantly affected by cost, quality, and accessibility. The choice to insource or outsource can depend on where your business’s needs lie and your goals in the years to come.

There is no one-size-fits-all regarding the IT of one’s business. Many have a mix of both insourced and outsourced resources. It depends on your requirements and how much control you want over certain tasks and duties. Whatever you choose, choose what makes sense for your business’s success.

Understanding Insourced IT

Insourcing relates to a company that carries out every task and need within its own organization. This can mean assigning tasks to certain employees or bringing on a whole new team to work in the business, such as hiring an IT personnel or crew to resign solely from your company. Many businesses do this to keep a tight ship and gain more control over the happenings in their business.

Pros:

By insourcing your IT, you have constant access to your IT team, allowing you immediate communication for any questions or concerns throughout the day. They will have a deep understanding of what is happening as they are there daily and can see real-time changes.

With communication high, this could lead to a better workflow. You can evaluate their work and contribution, see changes made, and be in the loop about everything. This can help raise productivity and efficiency.

Cons:

The price of insourcing might be more than it is worth. Whether you spread the work out through your current employees, and risk them losing focus on their actual jobs, or hire an in-house IT crew, you have to hire, onboard, train, pay salaries, and sustain them for however long necessary. This can be pricey.

Whether you hire a crew or not, you must ensure that what is being done is for the benefit of your business. Simply having your current employees handle IT tasks can lower their motivation toward their actual position and overwhelm them while also setting your business up for failure if they do not know what they are doing. If you choose to insource your IT, you have to be positive that whoever you put on the job is knowledgeable enough to be proactive and reactive at the speed you need.

Understanding Outsourced IT

Outsourcing is the process of hiring a third-party company that has no affiliation with your own. In this case, a third-party IT company is equipped with a team and the experience necessary to do the job you are looking for. Many businesses will outsource to take the stress off their employees and have access to experienced professionals.

Pros:

One of the most significant benefits of outsourcing is the cost. Outsourcing allows you to eliminate the extra costs of employee turnover, vacation time, sick days, and general downtime that comes with insourcing IT. Outsourcing also enables you to find a personalized plan for your company with no extra add-ons, and you can work with your provider to alter your plan as you grow.

The expertise you have at your fingertips when outsourcing your IT can make a world of difference. The energy and money it would take to find employees like that would be far too much compared to simply finding an experienced third party to handle your needs. They will be able to handle emergencies and implement IT strategies based on your goals.

With the ability to work closely with your provider, you have the flexibility to adapt your IT plans quickly and efficiently. They can help outline plans and change them just as fast.

Cons:

Many might see outsourcing as a loss of control. Since your hardware and those who work on your IT are not in the building, it might raise the question of security and responsibility. Handing over control can be a tricky process that some business owners want to avoid going through when it comes to something integral such as technology.

A third party can also bring up the question of security concerns. What would happen if they were hit with a security breach while storing your data? Fortunately, data security is a skill your provider should not only be highly experienced at but should also be implementing in your own data, ensuring your information is safe at all times.

Choosing whether to insource or outsource your IT can depend on your business and what it needs. If you have questions about outsourcing and how it can benefit you, contact the team at NetStandard.