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Companies looking to stay on top of the various technological advancements are typically faced with two options when it comes to IT server management. They can elect to manage the server in house, or they can outsource the job to one of various companies that specializes in server management. Many mistakenly believe that it would be easier and cheaper to keep the job in house, but the truth is that outsourcing holds many benefits for companies, including cost saving and ease of use. Here are just a few of the benefits to outsourcing that should be considered before a final decision is made.
Outsourcing allows companies to save money and resources
Outsourcing saves companies money because the professionals handling the job have resources and expertise available to them that smaller IT departments within companies simply do not. The key to getting a business’s money worth from a server is maximizing all that it can do. An experienced server managing company will be able to do this without the initial investment that would be required at a small company. The company would have to buy the initial start up kit, regular updates, and potentially even training for the IT personnel. The external server manager would eliminate these costs.
The server provider will also have access to a wider variety of talent that smaller departments do not have. Recent statistics have indicated that in the U.S. alone 350,000 IT jobs are vacant, which speaks to the trend of the larger IT managing service providers enticing the best talent in the field.
Similarly, many companies find over time that they must rescale their server needs. If they are using a data center, the company will be able to do this much easier and much more cost effectively since the data center will have the resources readily available to meet the needs of the company.
Outsourcing allows companies to focus more directly on company priorities
When the task of learning and managing the server has been outsourced, the IT department, along with the rest of the company, is freed up to focus upon the core competencies within the business. When a company is investing in a server they must first determine what skills will be needed to run the server and then if those skills exist within the IT department. For most companies, the skills will need to be either taught to the workers or new talent will need to be brought in, both at an expense of valuable company resources. Outsourcing eliminates this dilemma and allows the resources to be redirected towards company projects and growth.
Outsourcing offers lower risk for companies
Using a server always carries some risk for companies. The risks of data loss, security, and reliability are just a few. Outsourcing to server management professionals, however, helps to eliminate these risks. The use of a company of professionals means that companies do not have to worry about potential productivity loss due to a key employee or two calling in sick and the server encountering problems. A server managing company will also have the built in capacity to provide the highest quality security and data loss protection. These types of securities can be quite pricey for smaller companies, but since the managers are caring for such a large number of servers, they are able to provide protection on a grand scale. Companies will not have to worry themselves about protecting their server since they will have the assurance of professionals handling the job. This amounts to lower overall risk for them.
When looking for the optimal solution for server management, companies are looking for the solution that will benefit their companies a whole and help them to advance their company goals. Outsourcing IT server management can be the perfect solution for many businesses. The benefits outlined above should be carefully considered by all company decision makers before they make their decision regarding server management.
About the Author: This article was written by Leonard Geiger. Len has a passion for consulting businesses on how to best embrace and maximize online strategies and tools. Prior to founding, Be Different Solutions, Len was CEO/Founder of WebIntellects, Inc., where he helped grow the business to support over 25,000 websites and provide services to customers in more than 90 countries worldwide.
