IT managed services companies simply be defined as the process of outsourcing your IT Support and Maintenance o a third party company. through this platform, the overall expenses of the institution will be lesser. Businesses/organizations are beginning to make use of the outsourced IT Support and Maintenance platform because of it efficient and cost effectiveness, with this technique institutions are not left out.
Outsourcing IT support allows schools to transfer the risk of day-to-day mishaps and any other risks associated with IT to the service provider, as well as providing cover for sickness and holidays. It also minimises any disruptions from technology, as IT partners providing managed services to schools can run proactive checks on the schools’ systems throughout the day to instantly pick up and rectify issues before they become a problem. Conversely, co-sourcing IT support an fill in gaps in internal expertise and save schools time, money, and effort in recruiting additional staff. By combining services from within the school and from a well-chosen partner, both parties can work together as one.
Gap bridging
One of the most important reason for outsourcing is the widening technology skills gap; in today’s competitive marketplace and with technology moving at a rapid pace, schools are finding it increasingly difficult to attract the right type of IT specialists to support them. This trend is again reflected in RM’s survey, with 60% of schools citing the need for additional skills and expertise as the most important motivating factor.
“Schools have so many of their own challenges that recruiting top IT talent – quite understandably – tends not to be their main priority,” says Martin. “However, the problem is that when they do try to find the right staff, the marketplace is tough – they’re competing with the enterprise IT market and candidates can often get much more from an organisation than from a school.
“As technology becomes an increasingly integral part of education, schools need IT expertise in multiple types of technology, which leaves them with two choices; to find a single IT support specialist with the knowledge and expertise of five different people, which is almost impossible – or to employ multiple experts to cover the vast range of technologies, which is very expensive. “When an IT issue occurs that goes beyond the expertise held locally – such as server failure, or pupils not being able to log into something – schools have to rely solely on their Network Support Manager or IT technician, who may not always be able to help. This puts schools in a vulnerable situation as it could ultimately lead to hours of lost teaching time and major classroom disruptions.
“And that’s where outsourcing or co- sourcing IT support can become a major advantage for schools, as whatever the issue, they have access to the infinite expertise of a much larger organisation with every possible skillset they need.”
Increase Efficiency and Competitiveness
Organizations that try to do all IT Services in- house themselves can have much higher research, development, and implementation time, all of which increase costs and are ultimately passed on to students.
Quickly Implement New Technology
A quality outsourced IT service organization will have the resources to start new projects right away. Handling the same project in-house might involve weeks or months to hire the right people, train them, and provide the support they need. For most implementations, quality IT companies will bring years of experience in the beginning saving time and money.
Stay Focused on Your Core School running
Schools have limited resources, and every principal/sole proprietor or the administrator has limited time and attention. Outsourcing can help your business stay focused on your core business and not get distracted by complex IT decisions.
Reduce risk
Every business investment carries a certain amount of risk. Markets, competition, government regulations, financial conditions, and technologies all change very quickly. Outsourcing providers assume and manage much of this risk for you, with specific industry knowledge, especially security and compliance issues. They generally are much better at deciding how to avoid risk in their areas of expertise.
Level the Playing Field
Most small school especially secondary schools can’t afford to match the in-house support services that larger Schools or Universities maintain. Outsourcing can help small companies act “big” by giving them access to the similar technology, and expertise that large companies enjoy. An independent third party managed ost structure and economy of scale can give your company a competitive advantage.