January 23, 2021
IT Philosophy / Recommended / Technology

Hiring Internal vs. Outsourcing with an MSP

Written by Jeff Gaines

Every company that takes advantage of the benefits of modern technology needs one thing: tech support. It goes without question that any digital infrastructure needs regular support and service in order to run efficiently, stay updated and avoid disruptions. In order to meet these needs, a business has to choose whether to hire a Managed Service Provider or an Internal IT manager. The debate on which is better is ongoing, but it’s important to keep an open mind when deciding what is best for your organization.

 

Hiring an IT Manager may make sense depending on size and complexity of the business (but do you need more than one?)

Hiring an Internal IT manager comes with many benefits. A valuable benefit of having an IT manager is that they work on-site and can therefore help with any hardware issues. Working on-site as a part of the whole will be available for .  While the benefits of having an IT manager are great, they don’t come without challenges. Firstly, the cost is huge; in California the average IT manager salaryis over $110k per year, and since one person is not usually capable of providing tech support for an entire company 24/7, hiring a team of IT support providers is needed to get the job done. The process of hiring anyone to an IT-managing position should be done very thoroughly; these people will have access to all digital systems and sensitive data and should be trustworthy at the very least. It’s also likely that their supervisors will not be as “tech savvy” as they are, making it easier to both overlook mistakes and avoid the ongoing training needed to keep up in the field of IT.

MSPs: An entire IT Department for your organization

Another option would be to hire a Managed Service Provider. MSPs remotely manage a company’s IT infrastructure, often under a subscription basis that can be far more cost effective than hiring an Internal IT manager. MSPs also provide proactive support to avoid data loss and stay secure, as well as detailed recovery plans should there be a breach of data. MSPs are solely focused on tech support and therefore can provide up-to-date and relevant services.  Many MSPs operate under a Pod-Model, ensuring your organization has access to a team of IT professionals, not just one individual.  Also, MSPs don’t get sick or go on vacation

As reliable as MSPs are, there can be some important tradeoffs to consider.  Notably, one consideration is that since MSPs are not colocated, hardware issues may require additional coordination between the company and their service provider.  Be sure to discuss scope of support to ensure the breadth or services covers your organizations needs.

 

The right fit for your organization…

 The debate between hiring MSPs over Internal IT managersand vice versa is ongoing. What works for one business might not work for another, and it is always important to keep an open mind and do plenty of research when making a decision.

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Jeff Gaines

Jeff Gaines

Jeff has served as an operating executive at Interlaced since 2016. He is deeply passionate about driving impact for Interlaced, for his community, and for his loved ones. In his spare time, Jeff loves spending time with his wife and son at the world famous San Diego Zoo, enjoying tacos on the beach in Baja, cheering on the San Diego Padres, adventuring outdoors and playing music with friends. Jeff’s top 3 films of all time are Point Break (the original), Road House and Field of Dreams.