Doing IT yourself or outsourcing? The tipping point for SMEs
Do you still do your IT yourself, or is outsourcing smarter? In this article you read the pros and cons and where the tipping point lies at which outsourcing pays for itself.
By Max HoltropMany SMEs arrange their IT themselves for a long time, often via a handy colleague. That works, until it starts to pinch. But when is outsourcing really the better choice? In this article you read how to weigh that up. For the complete picture of outsourcing we refer you to the guide IT management for SMEs.
When does doing IT yourself still work?
As long as you are small and your environment is simple. If you have a handful of workstations, little sensitive data and someone who understands it, you can get by for a while. The advantage is direct control and low fixed costs. The downside: the knowledge sits with one person, security is quickly neglected, and if they fall ill or leave you are empty-handed.
What are the hidden costs of doing it yourself?
The time and the risk. The colleague who "does the IT on the side" is not spending that time on their own work. And what does not happen, such as updates, backups and security, you only see when it goes wrong. Those hidden costs are hard to see, but real: an outage or data breach soon costs more than years of management.
Where does the tipping point lie?
At the moment your organisation genuinely becomes dependent on well-functioning IT, but is too small for an in-house IT department. Then outsourcing to an MSP is the logical step: a dedicated team takes over full management, proactively and with continuity. You exchange fragmented knowledge and risk for calm and predictable costs.
Doing it yourself or outsourcing: how do you choose?
Ask yourself three questions. Can your organisation go a day without working IT? Are you sure your security and backups are in order? And what happens if your IT colleague drops out? If you cannot answer those questions with peace of mind, outsourcing is probably the wiser choice.
How IT-gemak takes it over
We take on the complete management with all-in IT management: one dedicated team, one fixed price per workstation. We first map your situation and take over management step by step, without hassle.
Not sure whether outsourcing suits you? Schedule a no-obligation consultation. We are honest, even if doing it yourself works fine for now.
Good to know
When is it better to outsource my IT?
As soon as your organisation genuinely depends on well-functioning IT, but is too small for an in-house IT department. Outsourcing then pays for itself in calm, continuity and predictable costs.
What are the hidden costs of doing IT yourself?
Mainly time and risk. The colleague who does the IT on the side loses that time to something else. And what gets neglected, such as updates and backups, only costs money when it goes wrong, often much more than management.
Is outsourcing more expensive than doing it yourself?
On paper doing it yourself seems cheaper, but you pay indirectly through lost time, malfunctions and risk. A fixed price per workstation is predictable and often cheaper on balance.
How does the move to an IT partner work?
A good partner first maps your environment, makes a plan of action and takes over management step by step, without downtime. That way switching does not have to be a hassle.
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