If you’ve tried and failed to hire and retain good IT staff that’s not surprising.
In fact, 1 in 2 UK companies are experiencing this IT skills shortage problem, which is at its highest in the South East where, according to research by Node4, 65% of SMEs are struggling to recruit IT staff for their in-house IT operations.
Outsourcing IT
In this same research 52% of SMEs said that reliability of their IT infrastructure was key, so it’s not surprising that business owners and decision makers are in favour of outsourcing their IT.
Cost benefits to outsourcing IT
As well as overcoming the IT skills shortage there is a significant cost benefit to having an outsourced IT department. When weighing up the additional costs over and above salaries, such as NI contributions, holiday, sickness pay and pension contributions, an IT contract with a local IT company looks extremely attractive.
One size IT Support doesn’t fit all
You might be thinking that we would say that! Of course we are well aware that one size doesn’t fit all and it depends on a number of factors such as the size of company, the type of business operation and the reliance on IT to provide an excellent service to their customers.
That said, when we look at the diversity of businesses who’s IT infrastructures we support, they range from retail such as Woodcote Green Nurseries employing over 100 staff, to small office based companies with 2 staff.
Because of the varying requirements of companies that are looking to outsource their IT departments, we’d recommend that when they choose an IT partner they check they are not being shoe horned into a contract that does not reflect their needs.
We recognize that for micro businesses an annual contract is over kill, hence we developed TLP Support Points, which is highly affordable and means that they only pay for what they use.
Whereas a slightly larger company prefers the peace of mind that comes with spreading the cost monthly and a tailored service with Service Level Agreements that matches their IT requirements.
How satisfied are you?
If you’re not entirely satisfied with your current IT arrangements and feel that there must be a more efficient way, please give us a call on 01737 824 003 or email us.
