The demand for a quality IT provider has risen in recent years.

As businesses try to keep up with modern technology, the need for IT services and an IT team has grown.

Numerous firm employees from the partner at the top to the associate at the bottom have become dependent on using various tools such as the firm’s practice management software to perform their day-to-day tasks.

There’s also the importance of cybersecurity as well.

Today, an IT provider is also asked to be a company’s first and last line of defence against malicious threats, including but not limited to viruses, spyware, and brute force hacks.

Simply put, so many things are asked of today’s IT service provider.

This, then, begs the question, which is the best choice? Should you hire an in-house IT provider? Or should you outsource your IT needs?

The Benefits and Challenges of an Outsourced IT Provider

PROS

  1. The decision to outsource your IT needs is more economical. You’ll only need to pay for what you need, rather than having to pay numerous internal salaries and benefits of a full-time IT department.
  2. You’re paying for full access to a team of experts that can handle anything and everything regarding your IT system instead of a select individual or two who may have to adapt and learn first when you decide to outsource your IT needs.
  3. When you outsource your IT needs to an IT provider, you allow your company to focus on what it’s best at instead of diverting resources fixing problems and managing staff in areas (like IT) that the company might not have the necessary resources to run effectively full-time.

CONS

  1. If you’re not too careful, you might find yourself working with a bad IT provider that doesn’t understand law. At Innessco we only work with law firms so we know how law firms operate and the systems they use.
  2. While more and more IT providers are offering round-the-clock services, it’s still different from having an in-house IT department who are literally paid to respond to any and all of your IT problems immediately.

Note: This is an issue that can be solved by working with a reputable IT service provider that provides 24/7 monitoring services to their clients so problems are solved as soon as they come up and even before they appear.

The Benefits and Challenges of an Inhouse IT Department

PROS

  1. Because the IT provider is literally part of the company, it’s easier to predict the costs of running the department, and their salary will remain relatively the same regardless of what they are doing.
  2. You can expect immediate access and support when you have an in-house IT department.
  3. Since your inhouse IT provider is responsible for taking care of your business’ IT needs, they will possess an intimate understanding of how your business’ IT systems work and can create tailored solutions based on the company’s goals and objectives.

CONS

  1. The additional costs of training and seminars to make sure that your in-house IT staff’s knowledge is up-to-date and relevant can add up quickly.
  2. IT is such a broad field that it will be near impossible for a small staff to cover everything the company will need. This is especially a problem if you want your company to update its systems, wherein the issue of your current IT staff’s knowledge becomes more apparent.
  3. When everything is doing good, all is great. But when multiple problems arise, it is very easy for an inhouse IT provider to feel overwhelmed with all of the tasks that they’ll have to do and take care of on top of their regular routine.

Which Is Best?

The flexibility offered by an outsourced IT provider is hard to beat.

Unlike in-house staff, you can mix and match your packages with an outsourced IT provider, which means that you have the freedom to to “turn on and off” certain services depending on your company’s current and immediate needs.

When you outsource your company’s needs to an outside IT service provider, you’re given access to experts who will take over major roles in your company’s IT system for a fraction of the cost.

Either way, regardless of your choice, make sure that you use our evaluation tool to know more about your company’s current and future IT needs.