IT support is crucial for every business. While it may seem unnecessary when everything is going smoothly, the importance of good support becomes crystal clear the moment you experience an issue. If your staff are left to troubleshoot it alone, the end result can be utter chaos. You could be looking at hours of preventable downtime, data breaches, and frustrated employees who are ready to throw in the towel.
On the other hand, not all IT support is created equal. The wrong choice can be just as detrimental as not having any support. While it can be tempting to lean on cheap, offshore IT services, is that really the right decision for your business? Or are you setting yourself up for failure?
The Benefits of IT Outsourcing: Why Not Just Do it In-House?
Many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are still asking themselves whether outsourcing is even the right option. In particular, if you already have an internal team, it’s easy to wonder what you could possibly stand to gain. The answer? A lot more than you think.
Outsourcing IT services benefits include:
- Scalability: A managed service provider (MSP) costs far less than hiring additional employees, allowing you to scale faster and with fewer issues.
- Expertise: Outsourcing grants you access to a full team of IT experts, who can offer essential guidance.
- Improved Issue Resolution: Your MSP will work 24/7 to address issues, resulting in faster resolution and reduced downtime.
- Better Security and Compliance: External IT support implements advanced security measures for your business, minimising risk and helping you maintain compliance.
- Efficiency: MSPs streamline your business operations, ironing out inefficiencies and increasing production.
What is Local IT Support?
Local IT support means partnering with a provider within your region or city. This MSP understands your local business environment, as well as any unique regulatory challenges you might face. Local support typically delivers on-site assistance, responds rapidly in an emergency, and offers the opportunity to build face-to-face relationships.
On the other hand, this often means they are smaller and may have fewer resources in comparison to an offshore company (which usually has a global presence). They are also limited to expertise local to your area, rather than being able to leverage talent from around the world.
Understanding Offshore IT Support
Offshore IT support is what many people are describing when they talk about foreign call centres. This model involves hiring a provider located in another country, often to reduce costs to take advantage of global talent resources. On paper, the idea offers attractive benefits: lower hourly rates and around-the-clock availability are common.
However, there can be challenges with this model. Time zones can make communication difficult, especially when urgent help is needed. In some cases, language barriers can worsen this problem by creating misunderstandings. They may also have little understanding of your local regulations and laws, reducing their ability to help you with compliance concerns.
Why Local IT Support Can’t Be Replaced
When weighing the two options against each other, there can be little doubt that local IT support is far superior:
Costs
There can be early financial savings from hiring offshore, but these are often outweighed by the costs extended downtime and data breaches incur. Not to mention, the price of external support is often so low to begin with that the difference is often negligible. When choosing between a cheaper option that will do an inferior job, and a more expensive option providing a high-quality service, the latter is always more cost-effective in the long run.
Relationships
There’s also the human element. As many businesses learned during the pandemic, face-to-face contact often can’t be replaced effectively. A strong foundation of communication and trust is essential when you’re trusting the future of your business to an external provider. This critical relationship is much more difficult to build across an ocean.
Regulations
Compliance is another big concern when using offshore IT support. Every country has its own laws, and any MSP will be most familiar with their own area. When you choose a local team, you can rest assured that they truly understand your regulatory environment and will make decisions that support compliance.
In-Person Support
Finally, it’s important to remember that not every IT issue can be easily solved remotely. While many can (and even a local provider will often try this first), some problems just need to be examined in-person. This is where it becomes highly beneficial to have a support team based in your area. An offshore team might have all the experience in the world, but it won’t matter if they’re unable to solve the problem remotely.
The Best IT is Close to Home
When choosing an external IT support team, cost is only one factor to consider. Value can take many forms, and some of the most important have nothing to do with money at all. While it can be tempting to choose offshore support for the cost savings, you could be missing out on the essential long-term benefits that only local IT support services offer.
Are you looking for local IT support in Melbourne? As an established MSP with years of success behind us, National IT can provide the tailored guidance you need. We won’t just be with you in spirit, but physically as well. Book a consultation and discover how much easier IT support can be.