Since 64% of businesses use over a perabyte of data and 41% surpass that figure, secure IT services are a critical part of business operations. Choosing between managed services vs in-house IT is an important step toward keeping your information safe, organized, and accessible.
Here, we'll talk about both options and compare their benefits and downsides. Read on to make a more informed decision about whether you need managed IT services or internal IT.
The first question you may ask when choosing business technology is: what are managed IT services, exactly?
Managed IT services are a form of comprehensive outsourced IT. A managed service provider (MSP) trained in business technology will manage daily tasks like:
Managed IT services perform these functions without the help of your business experts. For example, they may perform ethical hacking every six months to find vulnerabilities in your network infrastructure. While you'll know that this is happening, you won't need to do anything but sit back and hear the results.
These IT management strategies are hands-off for you and leave everything to formally trained professionals. You won't need to spend time monitoring your system 24/7 and can instead focus on developing core products and other business operations.
Managed services offer a wide range of benefits beyond simply saving businesses time.
They're more scalable than in-house IT.
If your business is growing, you can simply purchase more space on managed IT servers rather than buying new hardware. If you need to downsize, you can ask to decrease your storage without worrying about getting rid of hardware and software.
This scalability is cost-effective since you won't pay for more than you use.
Managed IT services also cut costs by:
Access to specialized expertise is yet another major advantage of getting managed IT services. MSPs:
Beyond that, some other benefits of managed IT services include:
While managed services offer numerous benefits, there are potential challenges to keep in mind. They include:
However, choosing a reliable MSP mitigates these challenges by:
This lets you have the peace of mind that your operations are in good hands
In-house IT is unlike managed IT since it refers to a company's own internal IT department. Instead of outsourcing your needs to a reliable MSP, your organization will directly employ IT professionals to manage and maintain your network infrastructure.
Businesses:
This model provides businesses with complete control over their technology framework. However, it also comes with high operational costs.
Many businesses prefer in-house IT because they want direct control over their technology. These IT management strategies don't require businesses to turn over their network information and data to a third-party provider.
On-site availability also offers convenience to some businesses. However, when you work with an MSP that has a round-the-clock helpdesk, you can also get answers to all your questions and immediate help.
In-house IT teams also may have a deeper understanding of the company's processes. They're trained specifically by your business and know precisely what you need to accomplish.
Unfortunately, there is a wide range of challenges that come with maintaining in-house IT teams.
Costs are significantly higher because in-house experts need full salaries and benefits packages. You also don't usually reap the benefits of someone with as much unique and specialized experience as an MSP could offer.
Recruitment and retention of employees can also be challenging. Hiring completely falls to your business, and it can be disastrous when people quit. People switch jobs every three years or so, which can leave your technology infrastructure unprotected.
Scalability is also difficult. You need to personally buy more hardware and software to stay ahead. Technology also changes rapidly and can be difficult for your employees to manage.
Because quality MSPs like ThinkSecureNet keep you informed about changes and potential problems, the complete control you get with in-house IT usually isn't worth it.
Some benefits of managed service provider teams include:
There are several reasons that in-house providers cannot offer these things. They don't have the resources to scale up and down without paying for new systems, and this costs a lot of money. Luckily, MSPs can help you cut costs and get quality services.
Some of the biggest outsourcing-IT-services benefits are financial.
Managed services offer:
In-house IT requires:
According to CompTIA surveys, an IT manager makes about $113,000. When you outsource to an MSP, you can cut costs by around 40%. This means you save about $45,200 annually with managed IT providers.
Managed services often offer greater scalability. In-house IT may struggle with rapid changes in your business needs.
This is because managed services can quickly scale IT resources based on demand. All you need to do is make a request to scale.
With in-house IT, scaling requires hiring new staff and investing in additional resources.
When considering your options, you also should consider the level of expertise you'll get with managed services vs in-house IT.
Experienced providers at managed service companies bring diverse expertise, while in-house IT depends on the knowledge of a limited team. They have worked with businesses in several industries. MSPs also work with businesses of all sizes and know what methods will best manage your infrastructure.
Conversely, in-house IT is limited by the team's size and knowledge base.
At ThinkSecureNet, our solutions are comprehensive. Our managed services don't just include the usual software monitoring and backups. We also offer 24/7 help desk support so you can come to us with any questions and concerns whenever they arise.
We also assist with business continuity by preventing downtime and managing applications to ensure they're running efficiently. Virtualization technology ensures that your business operates at maximum capacity. You'll save time and resources while maintaining the best possible performance.
ThinkSecureNet also delivers several other services and solutions with MSP packages, including:
Unlike other providers, we also can act either as your IT team or as an extension of your internal IT team. You can rely on ThinkSecureNet regardless of your specific situation.
If you have a limited budget and need cost-effective IT solutions, we have you covered. We also have your back if you have an IT team but need additional support and expertise.
With over 15 years of experience, there isn't much that ThinkSecureNet's team can't do.
Now that you know the ins and outs of managed services vs in-house IT, it's time to work with ThinkSecureConnect to get the most out of your IT budget.
Our all-in-one service manages everything under one roof so you can remain organized and stress-free. Our USA-based team is excited to provide local support to clients, and we have industry-specific expertise to address the unique needs of different business sectors.
Contact our team to learn more or get started with managed services today!