Keeping pace with technological change can be a headache for owners of small to medium sized businesses. The pandemic changed the business landscape, with many companies having to increase the speed of future IT projects to adapt to the new working environment. You may be thinking about migrating to cloud services or transferring your existing IT to newer applications, for example. In-house IT teams may require additional help for IT projects like these. However, hiring people with the right level of expertise, experience, and project management skills who can easily fit into an existing team can be expensive and difficult and may not be a viable option for your business. In order to stay one step ahead of competitors and keep up with the speed of technological advances, many companies choose to look at outsourcing IT projects such as:
Office 365 provision
Cloud migration
Communications systems
Network configuration
Disaster recovery
Moving business premises
New technological requirements for businesses efficiency
Outsourcing IT projects has become an increasingly practical investment for businesses seeking cost-effective solutions. SquareCubed has helped many companies of all sizes in Yorkshire and Lancashire by providing IT project management, planning, and implementation of IT projects, so you know you can rely on us for expert skills and support. If you need help with an IT project and would like to find out how we can help, call us today to discuss your options.
Reasons for outsourcing IT projects
It can be a difficult decision for companies to choose whether to outsource IT project management, but there are some signs that your company may need additional support:
In-house provision: Your IT team may already be stretched to the limit in handling the day-to-day requirements of running your business, so could easily become overwhelmed and distracted by taking on the extra workload.
Difficulty in recruiting: Spending time and money looking for the right candidates with the required skillset and experience is costly, difficult, and time-consuming.
Technical expertise: Your in-house IT team may not possess the specialised technical knowledge needed to implement your IT project. They may require more training, which is costly and could leave the department short-handed whilst they acquire the necessary skills.
Costs: Bringing an experienced IT partner like SquareCubed on board will help to minimise your costs for the planning, management, and implementation of the project.
Benefits of outsourcing IT projects
There are a number of major benefits in bringing an external partner into your company for specific IT project management and implementation:
The time factor: you may be considering the implementation of an IT project for a competitive advantage or to be first to the market with a certain product or service or meet new regulatory requirements, so achieving your timeline is imperative. Because you are hiring in a specialised team to do a specific job you save time, there are no distractions, and you will be able to move on quicker as a result.
Openness: Outsourcing IT project expertise that doesn’t rely exclusively on you for income can lead to more open communication. The focus is wholly on ensuring the right results for your business, without the hassle of internal politics or a conflict of interests. In addition, your business will be able to continue trading as normal throughout the project with minimum downtime or interruption while your in-house team maintains your core business operations and IT management.
Experience: External IT providers have first-hand experience of delivering IT projects into businesses and can ensure best practice is adhered to for the implementation of your specific project. They have have up-to-date knowledge of new technology and systems, and have, so costly errors can be avoided.
Project efficiency: You pay for the expertise of your partner for that specific project only. When the project has been completed, you have no more commitments or overheads to meet. Should your business requirements change, and you have another problem to solve, you have already found a tried and trusted partner for IT project management.
Financial: Saving money is one of the main reasons companies decide to outsource major IT projects. The business will not be required to invest in training, equipment and infrastructure. This is the responsibility of the IT partner, enabling you to redirect investment elsewhere in your business. You won’t have the additional cost of hiring and managing new team members, allowing your company to remain financially flexible. The schedule and budget are determined upfront, so you know the cost and when scheduled payments will be required, removing financial uncertainty.
Competitive advantage: Using a specialist team can give your business confidence in gaining new technologies and tools to help you outshine your competitors. New technology may also increase productivity both on the factory floor and in the office, improving turnaround of orders and customer service, enhancing your business reputation.
Cybersecurity: Your own IT team may not be specialised in tackling the latest cybersecurity risks, which could lead to mistakes when implementing an IT project. By outsourcing, you are tapping into the knowledge of highly qualified professionals who can ensure new technologies are safely implemented and that the security of your company data (and that of your customers!), is protected from malicious attacks. In addition, if you are unlucky enough to be breached, outsourced IT professionals like SquareCubed can solve cybersecurity problems quickly and efficiently with minimum downtime.
At SquareCubed, we have vast experience of carrying out and managing IT projects for both SME and corporate clients in Yorkshire and Lancashire with an on-demand IT Director for projects. Many businesses have come to us for our expert help with IT planning, implementation, and project management when outsourcing IT projects. But don’t just take our word for it, you can see what our clients say about working with us on our website. If you are thinking about outsourcing IT projects such as:
Office 365 provision
Full cloud migration
Revisiting and assessing your whole IT provision
Physically moving offices
…why not call us today to see how We Can Help to plan and deliver your IT project on time and within budget.