Businesses of varying sizes are turning to the best IT services companies to grow and scale. Outsourcing IT support services can assist with streamlining overall business operations by offloading tech-related tasks.
Outsourced IT support services are a cost-saving and time-efficient solution to a company’s digital requirements and other IT issues.
Are you considering IT support outsourcing? Let us look at how your organization can benefit from outsourced IT support solutions and which IT services you can delegate to an external agency.
Table of Contents
- What Is Outsourced IT Support?
- Types Of Outsourced IT Support Services
- Benefits Of IT Support Outsourcing
- Cons of Outsourcing IT Support
- Considerations When Outsourcing IT Support Services
- Best IT Support Agencies To Outsource Projects To
- Key Takeaways On Outsourced IT Support Solutions
- Outsourcing IT Support FAQs
What Is Outsourced IT Support?
Outsourced IT support is entrusting your business’ IT needs and demands to a third-party managed services provider (MSP).
The scope of outsourced IT support services goes beyond fixing broken hardware or troubleshooting software issues. IT support outsourcing involves creating a partnership with a reliable service provider to monitor and protect your digital data and IT infrastructure. It keeps your networks running smoothly. You can employ:
Full outsourcing IT support services or appointing an external company to take over the management of all your IT systems, updates, and security measures
Partial outsourcing or hiring a small team of specialists as reinforcement to your in-house support team
Types Of Outsourced IT Support Services
- Device Inventory Management
- Security Measures
- Server and Network Management
- Cloud and App Management
- Disaster Recovery
- Data Tracking
- Communication Systems
- Surveillance Systems
- Employee Onboarding and Offboarding
- 24/7 Real-Time Support
What does outsourced IT support do? These are the services an IT support agency can provide:
Device Inventory Management
The health and security of your business heavily rely on the effectiveness of your equipment, devices, and machines. An outsourced IT company can help manage your hardware and the information it contains.
Your agency will determine the most suitable hardware for your business at the most efficient costs. With their expertise, you are guaranteed not to go over budget when purchasing. Neither will you lose track of your tech assets.
Besides affordable hardware procurement, outsourced IT support can help you with:
- Custom device settings configuration for utmost safety
- Provision of real-time visibility of device effectiveness and health
- Access to the best-in-class device management tools
- Remote user management
Security Measures
Implementation of security measures and compliance are at the forefront of proper IT assets management. These are crucial in mitigating risks and fending off threats.
Your outsourced IT support services team can help reinforce company-wide security policies. These cover:
- Routinary passcode resets
- Bring your own device (BYOD) regulations
- Multiple encryptions, multifactor authentication (MFA), and firewalls
- The best approaches to cybersecurity
Server and Network Management
It is essential to monitor, update, and protect software and maintain a reliable secure network to avoid system failures and viruses. Through outsourced network and server management, you can:
- Lower the risks of costly outage-related downtime
- Monitor your networks proactively
- Get expert recommendations and implementation support
- Keep your operations well-oiled
- Cut down the complexities of potentially unavoidable on-site system failures
Cloud and App Management
Shifting to the cloud for file management and communication has immense financial benefits. It has lower upfront costs than utilizing on-site storage entirely. Take adequate measures to maintain control over your cloud ecosystem to not compromise security. And IT support outsourcing can significantly assist you through:
- Automating software deployment
- Protecting SaaS applications
- Setting up and managing file-sharing permission and access
- Managing single sign-on (SSO) exclusive to business IDs and passwords recognized by your internal systems
- Optimize storage efficiency
Disaster Recovery
Any business could not afford suffering from downtime due to a ransomware attack or security breach. The damages will reflect on your bottom line and brand reputation. Never neglect disaster recovery. Invest in a robust backup provided by outsourced IT support. They have the capacities to:
- Copy and protect valuable data in case of deletion or corruption
- Reconnect applications promptly after an outage
- Reestablish access to your IT resources
- Develop a detailed and solid disaster recovery strategy
Data Tracking
Gain visibility into the types and amount of support issues your in-house team may be experiencing. Outsourcing IT support services includes identifying vulnerabilities within your organization. This will help you with proactive decision-making about operational security and efficiency. Furthermore, your external IT agency can provide you with access to reports on these trends.
Communication Systems
These are the ways in which your IT outsourcing company can help improve your phone and other telecommunication systems:
- Unifying and integrating communication lines with the internet, computers, storage systems, and software
- Ensuring the whole organization complies with system regulations
- Testing and audits
- Choosing the most appropriate business internet service provider
- Sustaining remote work, if any
Surveillance Systems
Employing outsourced IT support can effectively prevent data theft and other forms of cyberattacks by:
- Managing storage inventory expertly
- Providing widespread system coverage in different locations
Employee Onboarding and Offboarding
Onboarding a new hire should be as trouble-free as offboarding an employee. Your IT services provider can get you the right hardware and software to set up all the needed credentials in a short time. They can also grant user access or revoke permissions in a breeze.
24/7 Real-Time Support
Get tech support helpdesk on an around-the-clock basis through IT support outsourcing. Access to real-time support is crucial for your company’s technological systems and is a key component of a smart business plan.
These are what a 24/7 helpdesk can do for you:
- Provide a central repository of resources for troubleshooting procedures
- Track requests and incidents via a standardized ticketing process
- Answer user queries
- Ensure smooth communications on the daily
- Handle service plans and changes in case of an outage
Benefits Of IT Support Outsourcing
- Wide-Ranging Expertise
- Reliability
- Predictable Budget
- Cost-Savings
- Maximized Productivity
- Improved Client Service
- Proactive Experience
- Hassle-Free Operations
Here are the top pros of outsourcing IT support services:
Wide-Ranging Expertise
A managed IT services agency helps strengthen your computing needs by ensuring all IT fronts are well-structured and covered.
Reliability
Training in-house technicians are time-consuming and may drain your resources. Hiring external services from an IT company can reserve your time and save you the apprehensions over quality and possible personnel turnovers.
Predictable Budget
Computing errors are unpredictable. You could never be sure how much funds an IT problem might cost. On the contrary, when you delegate tasks to tech professionals, you subscribe to their services with fixed pricing payable monthly or annually, depending on your plan choice.
Cost-Savings
In relation to predictable budgeting, you gear your company toward accelerated scaling when you avoid the unexpected costs of maintaining an in-house IT staff. You will not be restrained by unplanned expenditure for computing requirements, such as research and implementation. Instead, you can allocate more money for business growth.
Maximized Productivity
Your teams can concentrate on the more immediate matters in your enterprise. With a qualified IT provider doing the heavy lifting on your behalf, your people can focus on their core expertise, making them more efficient and your organizational processes more streamlined.
Improved Client Service
With outsourced IT, you can eliminate problems about customer communication lines. You do not have to worry over interruptions or unresponsive online client care channels. Hence, you can improve your consumer satisfaction rating.
Proactive Experience
An IT support outsourcing company has an all-encompassing experience with computing challenges and issues. They provide professional services to multiple companies with varying IT demands. Isolated IT staff tends to handle only the same concerns within the business. Outsourced service providers are equipped with the knowledge and discipline to deal with more uncommon and complex situations.
Hassle-Free Operations
Defend your business assets from malicious intruders. Outsourced IT services include protection from cyberattacks, information breaches, and website inoperability. They have a developed set of procedures seeking compliance with the laws and regulations of all individuals involved in your business.
In the event of infiltration, they have damage control and risk management assistance plans as a security guarantee.
Cons of Outsourcing IT Support
Outsourcing IT support proved invaluable for hundreds of businesses. However, there are potential downsides that you must consider before deciding on outsourcing, such as:
Language Barriers
Often, companies opt for offshore outsourcing. When outsourcing IT support to a different country or region, language barriers can pose challenges. Miscommunication or misunderstanding is likely to happen, leading to delays in issue resolution.
Lack of Control
By outsourcing IT support, you give up direct control over the support process. This can reduce your ability to address urgent issues or make immediate changes. You may need to rely on the outsourcing provider's schedule and availability, which may not always align with your needs or timeline.
Quality Concerns
Depending on the provider’s experience and expertise, the quality of outsourced IT support can vary. While some outsourcing companies offer excellent services, others may not meet the same standards. Inconsistent or subpar support can negatively impact your operations, productivity, and customer satisfaction.
Data Security Risks
Sharing sensitive data and system access with an external party introduces potential security risks. To avoid this, thoroughly vet the outsourcing provider's security measures, policies, and compliance standards to ensure the protection of your data and IT infrastructure.
Hidden Costs
While most companies opt to outsource IT support for its cost-efficiency, there may be hidden costs associated with the arrangement. Additional charges for specific services, contract renegotiations, or unexpected expenses can impact the overall price of outsourcing.
Considerations When Outsourcing IT Support Services
The critical factors to consider when looking to employ outsourced IT support services are as follows:
- Costs that are proportionate with the benefits
- Inclusion of accounts management service
- Availability of technology consulting service
- Location of the technicians to be assigned to your company
- Fluency in your preferred language
- Guaranteed average response time
- The ability to achieve goals and meet deadlines
- Minimal supervision
- Capacities to reduce liabilities
- Trustworthiness
- Service-level agreement (SLA)
- Unbiased external input
- Contract management
Best IT Support Agencies To Outsource Projects To
We've curated a list of the top IT support agencies that can be your partner in optimizing your IT operations or growing your enterprise.
1. IT Ninjas
- Location: 3545 St John's Bluff Rd. Suite 341, Jacksonville, Florida 32224, United States
- Average Hourly Rate: Inquire
- Expertise: IT, Web Design, Cybersecurity, Managed Services, Cloud Consulting
IT Ninjas is a managed IT service provider born in Silicon Valley and headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. The company’s mission has been to make game-changing technology more accessible to small to mid-size businesses, regardless of their budget.
Their services include managed IT services, 24/7 IT support based in North America, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 optimization and management, data backup and recovery, and more. IT Ninjas provides transparent pricing and friendly communication that allows everyone in the business to understand technical aspects.
They have established partnerships with Microsoft, Google, Dell, Dropsuite, and other prominent names in the industry.
2. Designo Graphy Canada
- Location: 500 - 4 Ave SW, Suite 2500, Calgary, T2P 2V6, Canada
- Average Hourly Rate: $49
- Expertise: Graphic Design, Web Design, eCommerce Development, UI/UX Design...
Agency specialized in web designing, web development, mobile application development, 360 virtual tours, 3D modeling, 3D animation, augmented reality, virtual reality development, and digital marketing. They also provide SMM, SEO, SEM, and market research.
Designo Graphy is a strategic partner with well know business development platforms to grow any brand, service, or product. They always guarantee results, as they work with several award-winning professional teams to meet their client’s expectations.
Clients include Done Rite Equipment Sales & Service, eMARKH Outdoor Products, Classic Painters Inc. and Ride Mini Bus.
3. Dieno Digital
- Location: Vancouver, Vancouver, v5b3h9, Canada
- Average Hourly Rate: $50
- Expertise: Web Design, Responsive Website Design, Email Marketing, Market Research...
Dieno Digital online marketing agency understands web development and everything in between is that it can become costly for small and medium sized businesses. As they are data driven, strategy focused and results oriented, they work to comprehend their clients' bottom lines and just how much a business can rely on it’s marketing dollars.
They want their clients' website to function properly and ads to start working for their business before they scale. Rather than proposing you spend all of your advertising budget on digital from the get-go, they provide results and then scale accordingly. This has created relationships with businesses that have lasted well over 10 years.
Clients include SQLLite, Save-On-Foods, BuyLowFoods and PASS SUMMIT.
4. Maverix Design
- Location: 2 Barbara Dr, Saint Cloud, Florida 34771, United States
- Average Hourly Rate: Inquire
- Expertise: Web Design, SEO, Enterprise SEO, Small Business Consultant...
Maverix Design is a digital design agency that specializes in web design and brand creation. They help small, mid-sized, and enterprise businesses gain more visibility online through the use of eye-catching designs and strategies.
Their expertise covers Web Design, Branding & Logo Creation, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with a single goal in mind; improve their clients' online visibility by devising eye-catching designs that stand out and become more visible through innovative web design, branding, and logo creation.
Clients include Carroll Fulmer, Absolute Supps and Dental.
5. Nonstop
- Location: ul. 12 Pulku Piechoty 37, Wadowice, 34-100, Poland
- Average Hourly Rate: $60
- Expertise: Website Development, eCommerce Development, Software Development, IT...
Nonstop is a custom software company with 17 years of experience, specializing in designing, creating, and deploying automation and optimization for B2B and B2C processes. They serve mainly, but not exclusively, companies in the following industries: banking, telecom, e-commerce, and education.
By focusing on solving business problems and not just delivering software, they’ve established long-lasting relationships with clients. It is not uncommon for Nonstop to deliver more than 100 projects for a single client throughout the many years of cooperation. Nonstop is one of the go-to strategic IT suppliers able to deliver and maintain mission-critical systems.
Clients include ING Bank, UPC (Liberty Global) and Grant Thornton.
Key Takeaways On Outsourced IT Support Solutions
The most efficient outsourcing companies use state-of-the-art technologies on the market today. While you can shell out huge amounts for an in-office arsenal of high-grade software and hardware, you can access the same top-of-the-line, if not better, technologies at a more affordable price.
When you hire the services of outsourced IT, you trim down expenditure in multiple aspects. You will not have to train on-site employees on numerous complicated operations. You also eliminate the need for manual procurement and installation of tools and apps. Top-notch experts will handle even your security systems.
With the complexities of technological evolution, now is the time to get outsourced IT support services.
Professional IT services companies, as well as enterprise application development companies, can also help you with this process, so we advise looking for the right agency to partner with for your project.
Outsourcing IT Support FAQs
1. Why outsource IT support?
Outsourcing IT support offers cost savings, access to specialized expertise, scalability, and flexibility. By outsourcing, businesses can focus on core competencies while skilled professionals handle technical issues. The top IT support providers offer 24/7 support, advanced technologies, and tools, and they can enhance service levels and system performance.
