Does Managing IT In-House Cause Added Stress?

Dealing with the never-ending (nuisance!) requests of business users is a constant complaint of IT teams. Resetting passwords, finding files that aren’t really lost, issuing an additional software license for a new user — all of these small requests take time away from moving the organization into the future. This type of maintenance work is definitely necessary, but should you be utilizing the best technology minds in your business to complete these low-level tasks? What happens when you need to engage these tech-savvy types with creating a strategic plan for integrations and upgrades? If they’re busy applying patches and doing daily tasks, they’re unlikely to have the mental capacity or time to contribute to the conversation. This causes a great deal of stress for your smart techies while also allowing business users to get frustrated because their requests are not receiving the quick response they demand.

Breaking the Cycle of Stress

This can feel like a never-ending cycle of frustration and stress, but there is a better way. When you work with an outsourced IT partner, you’re able to offload many of the day-to-day tasks that are pulling your internal IT team away from larger projects. These smaller distraction tasks can be handled quickly and efficiently from a remote Help Desk at a speed that your business users will certainly appreciate. With a trusted IT partner, you’re able to outsource just the items that are not an ideal fit for your internal workflow — from submitting and following up on support request tickets to proactively managing software licenses and cyber security.

Appropriately Leveraging External Talent

A key concern for CIOs in the future is finding the right talent to support their various initiatives, and it’s going to be difficult to source that wide range of talent internally. Small to mid-size businesses may be able to afford a single database administrator, AI expert or MarTech leader, but what happens when that individual becomes disgruntled and leaves the organization? Nine times out of ten, there is no backup for key internal staff members. Partnering with a team of technical support professionals gives you the bench depth and product knowledge that you need to maintain consistency and project velocity. Fill in the skills gap with a partner who has multiple staff members conversant with the platform you’re managing or implementing.

Creating a Workable Budget

Technology leaders have long been challenged with budgeting — from projects that run significantly over budget due to scope creep to unexpected expenses such as cleansing systems after a malware attack. One of the benefits of working with an IT managed services provider is that you can rest assured that your budget will stay consistent, especially if you take advantage of hardware-as-a-service models. Since pricing is based on either the number of users or the number of devices, budgeting becomes much more straightforward and allows IT leaders and finance professionals alike to relax their caution just a tad.

Planning for the Future

Running an IT department can make you feel like you are a hamster on a wheel, constantly reacting to an external stimulus. Not only does this make stress levels skyrocket for leaders and team members alike, but it can keep your group from being strategic, too. Plotting a roadmap for the future is a must due to the long timelines that accompany many integrations, upgrades or new software implementations. The support of a proactive IT partner can help alleviate the daily pressures and make space for vision-casting and creating a comprehensive IT roadmap for the future.

Throughout the country, IT teams are seeing the value of a centrally-managed IT department where many of the tasks are performed offsite or through a trusted partner. The outcome? More consistent processes and training for business users, controlled monthly and annual budgets and a more fulfilled staff of technical professionals.