Outsourcing your IT, why, and what to remember

Outsourcing you IT

Outsourcing components of your business is nothing new and is something that businesses have been doing for many years. Outsourcing is also one of  the best way’s of getting quality professional knowledge and services at a fraction of the price, as opposed to to hiring a person or a department of people within your own business. Outsourcing can also save on the time resource that grappling with problems can take. If you don’t have the people employed by the business you are also not taking up unnecessary space in your business to house them.

When it comes to IT services, the above also applies. Bigger businesses have been doing it for ages, and more  medium and small businesses are also now jumping on board as there are so many benefits in doing so. Some businesses who actually have a dedicated IT department will still outsource components of their IT where they don’t have the internal knowledge or expertese in house. Other businesses will outsource project work and do the the day to day maintenance themselves. However most businesses today chose to outsource the entire IT function, including the day to day maintenance and project work, as they are able to gain better knowledge and response times for a fraction of the cost.

Like any decision to outsource a component of your business, be it an internal service like IT or an external service like your Marketing, there are always things that you need to be aware of. There are questions that you will need to have answers to so that you can achieve the best possible business outcome, as well as successful partnership between you and the company doing your outsourced work. These questions and other things that any business should consider when chosing an outsourced partner are outlined in more detail below.

OK, so we know the “WHY” (Faster Service, Saves Money, Saves Time, Saves Space, and Provides access to the Latest Expert Knowledge). So now you’ve probably made the decision to go ahead and look at the WHO and the HOW. Its generally at this point that someone in your business puts up their hand and says “I know someone” or “A friend on mine owns and IT company” oh and “He does a great job and is cheap.” The decision is then made to get him in and give him a go without really looking at his suitability or the best options for your business.

When looking at the WHO you need to look at a number of components, some of  which I have listed below.

• What is my industry and do I use any special hardware or software that the IT people need to know?
• Am I OK with a 1 man operation or should I have access to a team of people?
• How much involvement do I need to have with the company doing our outsourced IT work?
• Are the IT problems that we have now just going to go away?
• Do I just go for the cheapest price?

What is my industry and do I use any special hardware or software that the IT people need to know?

This question is generally overlooked when businesses are trying to find an IT company to look after their business, but is actually an important one to ask as there can be many different things within your business that can effect the success of the partnership. A good and simple example would be if your business uses Apple Mac hardware and the IT company that you choose has very little experience with Apple products, alternatively if you have a Server that runs a Linux operating system and the IT company that you hire predominantly looks after Windows environments.Some businesses like Accountants or Medical Practises use specialty software that constute a major part of the day to day running of the business and thus need an IT company that not just knows the relevant applications, but has had demonstrated good experience maintaining, updating, troubleshooting and installing those applications.

You should always ask and ensure that the IT company you are considering has had experiance looking after an environent like yours. They should be familiar with your environent so that they are able to look after it , leaving no doubt that they are able to handle it. Getting the wrong outsourced IT company to look after your business will generate more issues for your business and cost you time and money.

Am I OK with a 1 man operation or should I have access to a team of people?

There are a large amount of IT companies out there looking for your business. It depends on the amount of IT infrestructure you have, the amount of employees and the complexity of your system. In general, if you are a small business that has between 1 and 3 employees and a fairly simple setup then sure, no problems, look at an IT company that is a one man band. But you will need to remember that you are not going to be their only client and it can be difficult for one man to be in two, or three different places at once. Most businesses that outsource their IT will look at IT companies that have a larger footprint of techs and people within the business. This brings a number of benefits, including but not limited to;

• Flexibility or getting to your problems or questions quicker.
• The ability to draw on the knowledge of many as opposed to one individual.
• Larger IT companies generally also have a call center where they can do remote work so are often able to fix your problem NOW.
• Larger companies have guaranteed response times.

How much involvement do I need to have with the company doing our outsourced IT work?

When you are happy with the choice that you have made and are happy with the pricing model that is presented to you, you will need to ensure  that there are specific processes and a communication mechanism in place. This will allow you to keep a handle on what work is being done and that it is being completed in a timely manner. This does not mean that you need to be involved on a day to day basis, but there should be one point of contact within your business that is in control.

In doing this, your business will be able to keep up with what is being done from a day to day, maintenance and project perspective. It also means that the IT company is only being given direction and authority from a single point of contact and not by each employee of your business, which will minimize the IT company being bombarded by requests that are negligible in the scheme of things.

Are the IT problems that we have now just going to go away?

Just because you contract an IT company to look after your IT environment does not mean that the IT issues that your business is facing today are going to magicly disapeer. The issues should certainly be reduced but the very nature of IT and the associated problems that can and do occur by way of software updates, ageing hardware and bugs will always be there. The reason that you outsource this component to a third party is so that you can be confident that your infrestructure is being looked after and that issues are fixed quickly so that you and your business can do what you do best “Your Business”

Do I just go for the cheapest price?

The objective in outsourcing your IT is certainly one of minimising cost to the business, but you should be looking at what the provider can bring to the business and what the overall package that you sign on for offers. What you are after is a stable environment that lets your business grow and expand, allowing you to be strategic with your IT budget. You are aiming for the expert knowledge and fast turn arround  in rectifying your problems as they occure, as well as the ability to have a successful relationship with an IT company that knows your business, where you want to be in the future, offering valued advise of the best way to get there.

Price is certainly one of the factors that you need to concider but be aware that the lowest price does not always get you what you ultimatly want. You need to be very sure on all the components of what your business requires from the relationship.

Conclusion and who are Right Click IT:

Looking for an Outsourced IT company is a task just like any other. The objective is to find one that can provide all the components of support that you require. The decision to outsource your IT can be very constructive, valuable and fruitfull, not to mention one that is great for the bottom line.

Right Click IT is a professional outsourced IT Services company that specialises in looking after businesses like Accountants, Lawyers, and general services organisations. Right Click IT serves Small to Medium Business accross Australia with the majority of customers in the city of Melbourne. Right Click IT demands and prides it self on excellent communication, knowledge, systematic approach, accountability and is a company that is easy to work with.

Mark Ogden
Right Click IT

To contact Right Click IT please call 1300 885 366 or email sales@rightclickit.com.au for a appointment.
Or check us out at www.rightclickit.com.au