It’s Quite Possible for Managed IT to Coexist With Your In-House IT Service

Technology can be a fickle thing for small and medium-sized businesses, especially if they don’t have a dedicated staff whose sole responsibility is handling the maintenance and management of IT. It becomes much easier to simply outsource the responsibility to a managed service provider, but even choosing this has implications that should be considered before making such an important decision.

Especially today, when the latest technology solutions can make or break your business plan, it’s important to maintain a competitive advantage with your business’s technology. Your infrastructure should effectively leverage its technology to improve operations and communications, and managed IT is important for this core necessity of any technology solution your business implements. Here’s why outsourced IT is a commonly chosen method of technology management, as well as some potential complications that come with the territory.

Why a Business Outsources IT
One of the key reasons that a business outsources their IT management and maintenance is to save valuable time and assets that in-house employees would spend managing their technology. If your organization doesn’t have dedicated IT personnel, the responsibility of maintaining technology falls on the shoulders of your staff, who likely don’t have the time and skills necessary to perform the maintenance your network needs in order to remain at the top of its game. This is why remote maintenance and management services are such valuable solutions for business owners.

These days, businesses are capable of outsourcing much more than just tech maintenance and support. With new technologies like the cloud taking hold of the business world, the need for professional, business-orientated tech consultants grows every day. Organizations need companies that have the technical know-how to implement new solutions for all aspects of running a business, like managing a network, maintaining data backups, hosting email clients, and so much more. Basically, any aspect of your organization’s technology infrastructure, from your IT maintenance to the full management and hosting of virtual infrastructures, can be outsourced to improve operations.

The Primary Challenge: Coexistence
The big issue at hand is that outsourcing IT responsibilities can potentially create a conflict with your current in-house IT services. For example, your old technology solutions that have been around since your business was founded may not be compatible with your more recent operating systems or other aspects of your technology infrastructure. This is a common problem for organizations that typically use legacy technology for many of their mission-critical systems, in which the slightest malfunction could have a drastic effect on operations.

Thus, the importance of ensuring your new technology solutions are compatible with your current IT infrastructure is a major challenge that cannot be ignored. The last thing you want to do is waste money on a solution that doesn’t work with your current technology; or worse, try to implement a solution yourself that completely breaks your infrastructure. In situations like this, outsourcing your IT can help you avoid major disturbances by ensuring your new technology plays nice with your older IT.

A comprehensive network audit like the one Preferred offers can suggest places where your organization’s IT can be improved. Our trusted IT technicians can also implement solutions that align with your organization's goals. For more information about how we can improve the way you do IT, give us a call at 708-781-7110.