Fuse is a Microsoft Partner, based in Northampton. We help organisations of all sizes to maximise IT efficiencies through the use of Microsoft cloud computing solutions.
How Invested In Your Business Is Your IT Team?
An IT team of any size is a huge investment for a business. As well as the person’s salary, an IT person needs space to work and the tools and software to do their job properly. It’s a big ask for small businesses taking their first steps in establishing an in-house IT team – and it’s a team you quickly grow to depend on as your business grows. Every IT problem, from an unresponsive mouse to a failed server, ends up at the IT person’s door, and they can quickly grow. With this level of responsibility, pressure and potential risk – and your level of dependency on this person – how confident are you that they are fully invested in your business?
Pressures and opportunities
We are not posing this question in order to cast doubt on your IT person’s loyalty, capabilities or work ethic: Merely to point out that single-person IT departments are frequently overstretched, and carry out a demanding job with fewer resources than their university classmates who now work in larger teams – often at a lower paygrade as well. What this frequently leads to are problems with morale and high staff turnover, because as soon as a better paying job, or one with more progression opportunities, comes up, your IT person is likely to jump ship. Some newly-qualified IT people specifically seek out lower-paid jobs in small companies as a tech training ground before they move on to better-paid positions. It’s a rational and, from their perspective, completely reasonable thing to do.
But it leaves SMEs in a very difficult position: you may not be able to afford to employ more than one or two IT people, leaving you continually at risk of your employees being tempted away by larger businesses. At the same time, once a business has grown beyond a certain size, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to maintain your IT infrastructure without an in-house IT team. What’s the solution?
One-person IT team or outsourcing?
The solution is outsourcing some or all of your IT support function to a managed IT services provider, such as Fuse Collaboration. This takes the pressure off your IT people while at the same time providing them with tools, expertise and support they may not otherwise have access to. Your IT person will be more productive, empowered to deal with issues that they specialise in and continue growing their own skillset, while your. It’s a win-win situation all around, with both parties learning from one another, and often allows SMEs to thrive and grow for longer without having to invest in in-house IT resources.
If you haven’t yet employed an IT person, you can depend on us to keep your IT framework in good shape, while you focus on expanding your business. You may reach a point where you do want an in-house IT support team, by which point you may be able to employ people, rather than depend on one overworked employee. Or you may decide to continue to outsource, as many SMEs do, even when they reach a substantial size.
Support and strengthen your IT capacity
Whether you have a fully resourced IT team, a single IT person, or no in-house IT personnel, our managed IT service works hand-in-hand with your business model to deliver greater reliability, value and security for your company. To find out more about our flexible packages and how we can support and strengthen your in-house capacity, please call 01604 343178 today.
Image: Unsplash
