In a world that’s always connected, technology has the ability to make or break your business. Using technology the right way allows you to reach clients, sell products and compete more effectively.
But what do you do when something goes wrong? Maintaining, repairing and updating your critical systems is challenging. The technical nature of IT means it’s often better left to the professionals.
That means companies need to choose between hiring IT personnel and outsourcing to a third party provider. Each of these options comes with benefits, and in this article, we’ll see whether onsite IT support or managed IT support is the better solution for your business.
What is Onsite IT Support?
Onsite IT support is a service where IT staff work from your offices and provide in-person support for technical issues. These staff can help with everything from procuring and installing hardware to software upgrades, network management, cyber security, data and backups, project delivery and more.
Full-time onsite IT support may be offered by a third party service, but it’s typically provided by an in-house team. Hiring a dedicated IT support team is a major step for a business, but it may be the best way to get ahead as a large enterprise.
Some of the benefits of onsite IT support include:
- In-person support
- Short response times
- Onsite technicians can resolve issues immediately
- Increased flexibility to complete ad hoc tasks
- Increased visibility over the status of system repairs and maintenance
- Improved system uptime and efficiency
- Improved IT processes and infrastructure
- High levels of cyber security protection
Onsite IT support is most effective for medium to large businesses. Hiring and maintaining a dedicated IT team is a major expense, and most businesses don’t require such a high level of coverage.
What is Managed IT Support
Managed IT support is a service provided by a third party company. The service provider delivers day-to-day IT support, allowing businesses to offload IT tasks to dedicated professionals.
Outsourcing IT support helps businesses reduce overheads, improve productivity and access the support of industry professionals. This is especially useful for businesses with growing IT needs. Since technology can significantly impact performance and profitability, engaging a managed IT service is a great way to set your business up for success.
Some of the benefits of managed IT services include:
- Low cost and reduced overheads
- Short response times
- Improved IT processes and infrastructure
- Support for projects (such as upgrading equipment)
- High levels of cyber security protection
- Onsite support and remote support available whenever necessary
- 24/7 support can be included in your contract
Managed IT support is ideal for businesses of every size. The major benefit is that outsourcing your IT support gives you access to industry professionals for a fraction of the cost of maintaining an in-house team.
In addition, your level of support (and package inclusions) can be scaled up or down as your needs change. This further reduces expenses while still allowing you to get help with things like system upgrades, rolling out new software and after-hours emergencies.
Onsite IT Support vs Managed IT Support
Onsite and managed IT support both come with distinct benefits. In most cases, small to medium enterprises will find managed IT support services more cost-effective.
This is largely due to the expense of maintaining an in-house IT team. Most companies simply don’t have the scale to justify paying salaries for an entire team when day-to-day IT requirements are low. Plus, hiring as a small company limits your reach, and you may not be able to access top talent.
The main challenge when it comes to managed IT support is that not all problems can be solved remotely. Hardware and network issues commonly require an in-person solution. Having onsite IT support means you always have access to that support. Happily, managed IT services are usually capable of providing onsite support, but this does create an extra step in reporting and resolving issues.
Which Option is Right for Your Business?
There’s no easy answer to this question. The right option depends on the size, location and structure of your company. Generally speaking, small to medium businesses will get more value from managed IT services. As the company gets larger and more complex (especially if you have specific security requirements), onsite IT support becomes more cost-effective.
The best way to answer this question is to develop an IT strategy.
Your IT strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines how technology is used in your business. The right strategy increases efficiency, reduces costs and helps your company reach its goals. As an added bonus, you can use an IT strategy to define your support needs and determine whether you need onsite or managed IT services.
With the cost of hiring an in-house IT team being so high, it can be effective to plan your needs around the availability of support. If you intend to continue using managed IT support, your strategy should include regular maintenance, infrastructure upgrades and the details of any projects that need to be delivered.
Including this information in your strategy allows the business to reduce the likelihood of IT and hardware emergencies. The fewer problems you encounter, the less need you have for in-house support.
Build Your Business with Managed IT Services From Surety IT!
IT support is crucial for businesses of every size. When technology has the potential to change the way you work, investing in managed IT support from Surety IT can make all the difference.
Surety IT is a managed IT service provider that works with clients across Australia. We offer an extensive range of services that can empower your business to reach its goals. With managed IT services Brisbane wide that includes day-to-day support, cyber security, data protection, backups, IT strategy and unlimited onsite, remote and phone support, we can make sure your business is always online.
The Surety IT team tailors our services to suit your needs. Contact us to get started with IT support for business – we’re always ready to help you get the best from your IT!
