Should I Hire More In-House IT or Use an MSP?

The fact you are weighing hiring more in-house IT staff is a telltale that something isn’t quite working. Like so many other organizations, your technology people resemble firefighters. They spend much of their time putting out small fires to help staff members overcome computer issues and network crashes. With an obvious need to onboard experienced people, deciding between a managed IT service provider or more staff members may not be as difficult as you think. By understanding what a managed service provider (MSP) offers, you can make an informed decision.

What is a Managed Service Provider?

A managed IT service provider is a third-party firm responsible for remotely overseeing portions or all of an organization’s technology infrastructure. It’s not uncommon for small and medium-sized outfits to outsource all of their needs to an IT MSP. That’s largely because the cost of hiring full-time staff proves prohibitive. Large corporations that can afford in-house IT still outsource aspects of the technology needs, such as the following.

• Help Desk Support
• 24/7 Monitoring
• Infrastructure Management
• Compliance
• Systems Maintenance
• IT Guidance
• Cybersecurity

Companies often work out scalable arrangements to have a managed IT service provider handle segments of the needs. This helps ensure essential items such as cybersecurity and regulatory compliance don’t fall through the cracks. But there are a wide range of reasons to weigh MSP vs in-house practices.

The MSP vs In-House Debate

Some industry leaders make the case they prefer to maintain a team of in-house IT professionals to oversee their organization’s needs. The underlying thinking is they are company employees and on-site. But the notion someone in an office down the hall can best access the network and protect digital assets has become outdated.

If you stop and think about it, even the employees in the brick-and-mortar facility are not hardwired. Remote access to networks exists at all levels. Whether an IT professional is in the building or at the facility of a third-party firm makes little difference in terms of real-time actions. These rank among the top benefits of managed services to consider.

• Control Costs: Third-party IT firms offer scalable services that can be increased as your organization grows. They can also mirror the company’s needs during busy seasons.
• Reduced Labor: Hiring full-time staff increases administrative, payroll, taxes, insurance, and other expenses. Outsourcing to an MSP is considered a pass-along cost of doing business.
• Experience: Hiring new personnel tasks supervisors with training and overseeing the actions of upstart IT staff members. By contrast, the professionals at a managed IT service provider do this work every day.
• Expertise: Hiring more in-house IT staff calls for immediate and ongoing training. As technology evolves and new applications are crucial to your industry, IT staff members will require education, training, and certification on the company’s dime. A third-party firm rolls that expense into the monthly or annual cost.
• Compliance: When in-house staff members become overwhelmed putting out tiny IT fires, some items simply cannot be addressed. One of the issues that tends to fall by the wayside is regulatory compliance. Failure to meet privacy and cybersecurity standards could result in hefty fines.

Perhaps the most important benefit companies gain by working with a third-party firm is heightened cybersecurity. That’s because the reputational and economic losses of getting hacked are devastating.

Do You Need Managed Cybersecurity Services?

Hackers continue to devise new schemes to penetrate networks and steal valuable and sensitive digital assets. The use of antivirus software and even enterprise-level firewalls are unlikely to prevent a successful cyberattack. Without the support of a cybersecurity expert who tracks hacker trends and issues alerts, your operation is the low-hanging fruit waiting to get plucked.

And without someone whose purpose is to stay ahead of cybercriminals and government mandates, it’s entirely likely you’ll fail to maintain compliance. Take the FTC Safeguards Rule, for example. It requires non-banking financial institutions to develop and maintain an information security program that protects customer information on the administrative, technical, and physical levels. Is that something you want to leave to a new hire or an experienced cybersecurity MSP?

Contact a Trusted Cybersecurity & Managed IT Service Provider

At CyberTeam, our managed IT and cybersecurity experts have the experience and technology you need to protect your company from a data breach. Our cybersecurity risk management solutions help our clients protect their business interests and intelligence, so they can focus on growth. Interested to know if working with CyberTeam is right for your business? Schedule a risk assessment to learn more about your cybersecurity vulnerabilities and how we can help.