Have you tried to manage IT duties with in-house teams as a small or medium-sized business owner? You might have initially thought that this approach saves money, yet the fact is that DIY IT methods can have hidden costs.
You may, for instance, encounter issues with security and downtime or poor business performance. And you could find that the scalability of your business is hindered without the right IT experts supporting you.
In this article, we’ll explore the reasons you will need more than in-house IT approaches as a growing business. We will also look at how an IT managed service provider can help you succeed and fix potential issues to keep your business running optimally.
Short-Term vs Long-Term Costs to Consider
If you need IT management services, you may think that in-house IT teams are a cheaper option in terms of upfront costs. Some of the costs of hiring an in-house IT service management professional include the salary and benefits you’ll need to cover.
Looking at the numbers, in Canada, these costs range from $83,000 to $89,000, depending on the city you’re based in.
But there are a few extra things to think about in this context. Hiring an in-house IT team or using DIY IT methods will not provide the scalability or adaptable strategy required when your company begins to grow. If you hire a generalist IT staff professional, they will resolve issues on a day-to-day basis and may lack the strategic long-term planning methods required for company growth.
The result can mean that in-house teams are overburdened, may experience burnout, and turnover could be high.
Inefficiencies in Operations
When you complete IT management services using a DIY method, you face an issue related to reactive IT support. DIY IT approaches often involve responding to technical problems after they’ve taken place mainly because there is a lack of frequent or 24/7 system monitoring. This method can lead to significant downtime across your systems.
It’s also the case that in-house teams might not have access to the high-grade, enterprise-level tools required to monitor networks or manage IT assets. This includes network monitoring tools like SolarWinds or PRTG Network Monitor, and IT asset management tools such as Asset Panda or Jira Service Management.
Since in-house teams may also lack threat intelligence experience, this could affect the efficiency and timeframe required to resolve issues such as network vulnerability.
Compliance Gaps and Risks in IT Security
In terms of cybersecurity, many small- and medium-sized businesses may consider that work ends once an antivirus solution is put in place. Security, however, can be taken to the next level by IT professionals and teams who stay abreast of evolving threats.
Since in-house IT teams or those who use a DIY approach may lack specialized security knowledge, they may fail to comply with specific standards for security. For example, they might not acknowledge the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and its importance for Canadian SMBs that manage the data of European citizens.
They may also lack knowledge of Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) regulations, and this can cause issues when it comes to mitigating data breach risks or cyber threats.
When breaches do occur, there are various costs your business may face. Financial costs and fines of up to $100,000 CAD could apply, which can exceed the annual costs of an IT managed service provider (MSP). Reputational damage is also an issue, as clients may worry that you cannot protect their data, and you might find yourself in legal difficulty as a result.
Scalability and Flexibility
As mentioned, you will find that MSPs offer companies scalable solutions that align with the goals and size of the business. Alongside this, they can add to the services with processes such as horizontal scaling and the addition of more servers or resources. With these methods, MSPs can help businesses process additional requests.
With an MSP, strategic growth can be achieved without the need for a costly internal team. It doesn’t matter if you are looking to implement several new capabilities, you can manage these with an MSP’s support and worry less about overstaffing or understaffing expenses.
Failure to Capitalize on Strategic Growth Opportunities
While internal teams may focus on keeping IT systems running smoothly, they may lack the foresight to advance your business goals. They might also fail to create a focused IT roadmap and instead prioritize a “firefighting” method, meaning your business will fail to advance.
Yet an MSP will constantly stay one step ahead of developments in technologies and cyber threats. They typically invest in ongoing training and keep a close eye on emerging technologies to help with your business’s future plans.
Additionally, an MSP will embrace agile processes and make iterative improvements when working with your business. For instance, they focus on continuously improving existing systems and incorporate agile frameworks, such as Scrum, to manage projects with a structured approach.
The Actual Value of an MSP Partnership
But what is the actual value of an MSP partnership? Our IT MSP business, Tech Masters, has explored the advantages you can gain from working with IT system management experts or ITSM professionals just below.
Specialized Talent: The professionals who belong to an MSP business have specialized knowledge. For instance, they are skilled at implementing cybersecurity solutions, fully understand cloud and cloud storage features, are experts at setting up the required network infrastructures, and are available on call to offer these features.
Proactive Monitoring: With 24/7 monitoring of your systems and network infrastructures, as well as proactive maintenance, MSP experts can stop issues before they progress. This minimizes disruption to your business by ensuring your systems operate reliably and means that your uptime is maintained.
Strategic Guidance: MSPs ensure your small or medium-sized business can outcompete its rivals, doing this by offering scalable advanced technology that keeps you ahead. For instance, with AI-powered platform capabilities offered through MSPs, your business can automate and optimize processes, which speeds up problem solving.
Talk to Tech Masters to Save Your Business the Costs of DIY IT
You might consider that DIY IT is a good option for your business today, but hidden costs such as cybersecurity threats, downtime, and missed chances to grow your small business are all issues you may encounter.
If your company and business operations are growing beyond the capabilities of your in-house IT staff, or you want to achieve minimal downtime and scalable IT solutions, you might need the support of an MSP. Talk to us at Tech Masters to leave DIY IT costs behind and consider managed IT for SMBs. Let us help you with a smarter, more efficient method to IT service management.
