In today’s digital economy it’s become increasingly difficult to point out where business ends and technology begins: if you want a seat at the table, it’s all the same. But as this line continues to blur, and more and more companies factor the growing role of technology into their core models, they’re being confronted with a new dilemma: should I outsource my IT department?

The answer isn’t always simple. There’s a great deal to consider when reassessing the role of your internal IT department — a laundry list of things, really. But as with all lists, there’s really only one logical place to start: the bottom.

Er… the bottom line, that is.

Internal IT departments are a big investment, and it can be difficult to connect the economic dots between their expense and the revenue your company generates. Everyone knows network security is crucial (see: our recent article about spam), but when the dividends can’t be nailed down, that doesn’t always translate.

Most people expect it costs more to outsource IT services, but it’s actually much more expensive to maintain an internal team. Consider salaries alone. In 2018, an Information Technology Manager can expect to earn on average of $84,000 per year, while low-level IT professionals can expect a base pay of around $52,000. But these numbers, pulled from Indeed.com, don’t even tell the full story. With a typical benefit package comprising the usual suspects (health insurance, 401(k), etc.) you can expect to pay 10%-15% more. Then you have to consider certifications, sick leave, vacation time, the cost of turnover, and everyone’s favorite: taxes.

It doesn’t take more than two seconds of back-of-the-napkin math to realize how fast your salary budget just ballooned. And all that is for just one employee — who may not even have the right skillset to meet all your IT needs. As technology evolves, even the most seasoned IT worker can find him or herself developing information gaps, which in the long term will have a cooling effect on your tech presence.

As a solution, you might think “well, couldn’t I just hire someone to fill that gap?” And while yes, you could do that, that’s a pretty big gamble. Think about it, a fire department doesn’t have just one person who knows how to man the hose. If suddenly your servers start to go up in smoke (metaphorically; though it has been known to happen), and the only person with the skillset to fix it is home sick with the flu, who’s going to put out that fire? With an internal IT team, the answer is no one — at least not until Jim’s fever goes down.

With managed IT services you can negate each of these issues, and also forestall others that might crop up along the way. One of the biggest perks of an IT support company is the wealth of knowledge its employees will have following collective decades working with a variety of companies, giving each of them unique insights into how businesses like yours tick. In this way, you only stand to benefit from the lessons already learned and the best practices developed by an IT company with years in the field.

It can be difficult (if impossible) to find someone who has the diversity of expertise and experience that an IT team can offer. For a fraction of the cost of an in-house, information technology department, the managed services of JNT Tek puts a full toolbox of IT support is right at your fingertips.

Contact JNT Tek for a top to bottom assessment of your business’ IT Infrastructure, including workstations, servers, security and network.

Published On: September 28th, 2018Categories: General IT

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