Being the owner of Britannia, which I consider to be a successful MSP, you would imagine I would be somewhat bias towards saying outsourcing your IT support to a service provider is the best thing for any Small to medium sized business. However personally, I am more focused on ensuring that individual businesses and organisations are making the correct decision for their business, and the right considerations are made before any decisions are made.
Some of the business owners that I talk too, explain to me that having an onsite IT person is reassuring for them, and last summer when Britannia was looking at new office space,, a number of our clients who had spare office space offered to let us move in with them for that very reason. Having an onsite IT person does have its benefits, they’re always on site, they know the business inside and out, they’re dedicated to that company, and often very knowledgeable all round for various other IT questions (mainly with Microsoft Excel),
For other businesses outsourcing their IT management makes sense, as its advantages are much more appealing to them. The benefits that are the most appealing in my eyes are:
1. Cost
A good IT manager is going to cost anywhere between £28,000 to £38,000 per year, plus all the other employment and training costs that go along with it. Where as a fully managed IT contract with Britannia, for a company with 50 users, is going to cost around half of that. All the additional costs of investing in the latest technology, and investing into expertly trained staff is taken on by us, meaning you don’t have too.
2. Consistency
Britannia IT will provide you with an SLA (Service Level Agreement), these can be customized to your business’s exact requirements and the level of support you require that will define your expectations and give you predictable and transparent monthly costs.
3. Simplicity
Our single contract agreement, passes over all IT responsibility to Britannia, meaning people management and 3rd party management is reduced for you.
4. Expertise
Having an onsite technician is great. and they may be a good allrounder when it comes to IT, however they can’t be an expert at everything, where as Britannia a number of staff who are highly trained in the different areas of IT and also have access to a range of the leading technology partners in the world to ensure you’re getting the best from your IT and staff.
5. Advice
Britannia IT has been around since 2014, and with over 100 clients in a wide range of business sectors we have come across both our own and others IT issues, business issues and pretty much everything in between, we know what works, what doesn’t work and what headaches there can be. We will always listen closely to our clients for their issues and plans, and offer independent, best practice guidance as well as our opinions to provide a positive contribution to your business.
6. Availability
We’re not limited to a single member of staff, we have a number of staff who are on hand during each working day as well as out of hours, an in house member of staff may fall ill, or will have to take annual leave during the year, leaving your business vulnerable whilst they are away from the business.
7. Continuity
We quickly put together a detailed understanding of your business short term and long term goals and then demonstrate expertise and commitment to become an integral part of the in-house management team, and working closely in partnership with you.
There will always be a point where an organisation gets to the size where a combination of onsite and outsourced IT would the best option for them. In that instance the IT company would ensure the day-to-day running of the IT systems and the IT manager would dedicate their time to working directly with the MSP and focusing on moving the IT forward to get the maximum benefits from their systems.
If you’re thinking of outsourcing your IT, and you’re based in the north west of England then Britannia IT may be the IT provider you have been looking for. Call our office on 01704 320640 or email me to see how we can help.
