Determine some of the reasons why an organization should outsource its IT department

Businesses these days are using software and computers to stay on the competitive edge. With the evolution of technology, companies of all sizes and kinds feel the need to have these in order to keep up with the competition and to meet the changing requirements of customers. That is why, in line with this, it requires tech help. Computers break down, could be infected with viruses regardless of best efforts and they could lose connectivity. Furthermore, users could forget their passwords, particularly after long weekends and networks could go down for no apparent reason.

Moreover, there is also the learning curve which happens when installing or upgrading software. When computer issues hit, there should be someone on hand to repair them before they thoroughly disrupt the business. Sadly, not all could have an on-site, dedicated helpdesk, thus outsourced IT support is very important. The following items are some of the reasons why an enterprise should outsource its IT department.

1. LOWER COST

Information technology departments need plenty of equipment in order to run smoothly. This includes software, computers, office equipment, tools as well as office space. If the organization is running a tight budget, an in-house staff could be a costly endeavor, even if it's only one staff. Delegated departments in general provide their own tools and equipment, and usually it is included in the service cost. Moreover, since the outsourced IT firm has numerous clients, the cost is spread over all clients and is minimal compared to what would be paid in-house, just to support the enterprise alone.

2. TWENTY-FOUR HOUR/SEVEN DAY ASSISTANCE

Helpdesks that are delegated in general are open 24 hours daily, seven days a week, and have tool-free numbers which customers could call anytime, anywhere. This also means there is somebody on-hand to monitor the systems 24/7. In-house information tech departments usually are only available during regular business hours, unless a client would pay plenty of money in double-time and overtime for the staff to work during holidays and off hours.

3. PROVIDES MORE TIME

If the information technology field is not a company's area, a firm could spend unnecessary time figuring out what should be done. As most people are happy doing what they do best, one would be left with time for carrying out well loved tasks. This would eradicate all distractions and frustrations. Researching, fixing technologies and implementations must be left to those who can do it best.

4. CONSISTENT SERVICE

Outsourced information technology departments have years of experience in screening their agents to make certain they have the right technical skills and the experience to offer consistent service. When a firm hire's its own IT people, it would either need to have someone who has knowledge to screen people properly, or it would have to screen them personally. Even for one who is technically savvy, there might not be information needed to choose the right candidates and this could negatively impact the quality of assistance.

5. HIGH PRODUCTIVITY

When outsourcing the IT department, there is an assurance of increased and high productivity. Contracted teams come with a better implementation and maintenance of practices, services and planning. These organizations further specialize in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure that goes a long way to boost productivity.

6. ONE-STOP HELP

When leasing or buying computers, a business has the option to buy a service contract. However, this contract only covers issues with the computer, not necessarily the network or freeware. Through the same token, software service providers provide support for their products, but usually do not assist the computers which their products are installed. This means there might be a call to numerous support desks to get the help and this could considerably slow down things. Outsourced departments are designed for handling multiple concerns, from hardware glitches, software bugs and even for proprietary freeware.

7. AVAILABILITY OF VALUE ADDED SERVICES AND REGULAR CARE

Outsourcing the department ascertains access to value added services. These include network security and disaster recovery. It also assures that the performance is regularly monitored. With the constant care of the department, there would be no productivity loss, which means there would be no downtime in the company.

8. ACHIEVING GREATER EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMIES AND ACCESS TO THE MOST RECENT TECHNOLOGY

Acquiring expert help would boost the efficiency and economies of a firm. This is because these people focus their attention to IT alone. A specialist would always bring to the company the most current tech. This is what is needed since it involves system that constantly evolves.

9. ACCESS TO REQUIRED SKILLS

When outsourcing the tech department, a corporation is sure to get only the very best. There are no worries on searching for the sustenance staff with the best set of skills. A firm would have at its disposal highly trained professionals from the enterprise that the company is sourcing the task to. If a business does not have ample room for accommodating the in-house expertise, it should be extended. Nonetheless, there is no need to do this if the services are outsourced. The people taking up the contract would make their own arrangement.

10. IT'S THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE

More enterprises are looking toward affordable and efficient ways of handling their freeware support requirements. Sourcing is becoming a growing popular solution. It has become common practice for most firms both small and big to outsource their functions. There are numerous reasons why any organization must consider this process.

In its early days, the headcount or cost reduction was the most common reasons for doing the process. In the world these days, the drivers often are more strategic and the focus on carrying out core value-adding activities in-house wherein a business could best use its own core competencies. Managers today are looking ahead and recognizing that the responsibility to ensure the success of the initiatives does not stop when the contract is finished. Ongoing management of the relationship is paramount. The senior management should stay involved during the contract implementation. Not only should there be a clearly defined procedure escalation, but senior management must meet appropriate intervals for discussing the relationship.

Ritesh Mehta is the Sales Director at TatvaSoft Australia, a Software & mobile app development company. For Over 15 years, he has been professionally active in financial management, software development.