April 3, 2023
Having a top-notch, in-house IT support team isn’t a luxury most small-to-medium-sized businesses can afford. Luckily, today’s companies (even young startups with minimal capital) can economically outsource IT security to the best minds in the business — minimizing their risk of security breaches in an online world.
Thinking of making the switch? Working with a managed services provider for IT security offers seven key benefits:
1. The Almighty Dollar
Hiring an on-site IT staff, keeping them trained on the latest technology and investing in hardware and software can be expensive. But not keeping up with cybersecurity can result in financial ruin.
The true cost of IT outsourcing isn’t often what people think. By working with a Managed IT provider, a company can save quite a bit of money and reallocate budgeted resources elsewhere in the business — a true win-win situation.
2. Get Diversified, Certified Experience
You know how you sometimes don’t notice when things get messy in your own house, but it’s the first thing you see in someone else’s?
The same thing happens with an in-house IT staff — even if they’re immensely talented and certified. They get “too close” to the internal workings of the organization. They monitor the same general analytics, identify and fix the same general problems, and fall into a bit of a rut by not facing new challenges.
With an outsourced team, these experts carry the top certifications and have collectively seen it all. They can spot a problem a mile away. Plus, when a fresh security issue at your organization does arise, a provider’s diversified experience is pre-loaded to go to work for you.
3. Level the Playing Field
When trying to hire an IT security team, small and mid-sized companies simply can’t compete with the massive budgets of their large-scale competitors. Outsourcing to an IT provider effectively levels the playing field. Suddenly, any company can have access to the same technology and expertise as the big shots, and get many of the same competitive advantages.
4. Keep Up With Security Upgrades
Data breaches can be very costly, and one of the top reasons businesses get breached is because of older, more vulnerable systems. They leave the door open for hackers to walk right in with their mayhem. Keeping that door shut and locked requires constant monitoring to ensure that all software and workstations are up-to-date.
A talented, security-focused IT support partner has the most current technological tools to protect your data—now and into the future, as existing systems approach their expiration dates.
5. Add Layers of Security
Is your firewall up to date? Are all workstations and servers audited?
An outsourced IT security partner will answer all these questions and more. They’ll also use layered security best practices to manage and maintain the right security strategy for firewalls, DNS security, automated software patching, anti-virus/anti-malware, and password managers. Plus, since the data is maintained off-site, it’s protected from local catastrophes like fire or flooding.
6. Avoid Attrition Challenges
Having a hard time retaining good IT folks? Get in line. The industry is growing so fast that demand exceeds supply. Hiring and onboarding are resource-intensive, and at least when it comes to IT staff, there’s a better way.
7. Stay Focused
This is the big one. If you don’t believe me, take it from a Senior Contributor at Forbes.
Trusting your cybersecurity to an expert team allows you to collectively exhale with total peace of mind. Then, you can focus all your energy, creativity, and talent toward pushing your core business where you want it to go.
Pros and Cons of IT Security Outsourcing
At Marco, we take a holistic approach to security. We look at your management — along with your internal and external policies — to design your ideal security solution. We provide your end-users the greatest amount of flexibility while securely protecting your information, applications, and network. It’s about working better together.
I’ll be the first to admit that outsourcing isn't always the answer. Evaluate where your team is spending their time, what needs to change, and what is great as is. And if finances are your biggest obstacle, you might want to read up on the financial benefits of IT outsourcing.
