Top tips for hiring or outsourcing IT infrastructure maintenance
As businesses become increasingly reliant on technology to manage Work and deliver successful customer relationships, the need to maintain the integrity of IT infrastructure has grown exponentially.
In fast-paced business environments, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve and ensure IT infrastructure is optimised. Organising an infrastructure is only the first step, maintaining the reliability of your systems is just as critical.
However, vital maintenance of your systems requires specialist skill and expertise, it’s costly and time-consuming. But the good news is, managing maintenance costs, whilst benefiting from the critical resource needed, is now easier than ever for dynamic environments that prefer to focus time and resources on other core activities.
What is IT Infrastructure
A company’s IT infrastructure is the framework on which its various technologies sit — this framework is an essential part of a business’s functionality and therefore must be maintained to ensure its robust, secure and meets the needs of its personnel and customers.
Considerations when hiring or buying in IT maintenance services
There are several options to consider when seeking to organise and implement IT Infrastructure maintenance. As follows:
In-house: one option is to build an in-house maintenance team. However, hiring specialist and skilled personnel will also require a company to provide the resources and tools an in-house team needs to fulfil the maintenance function.
This option can, in some cases, allow a company elevated levels of control over the maintenance process but, it’s important to weigh up benefit v cost factors such as the cost of permanent hires, limitations around the expertise pool and a reduction in business agility i.e. the ability to scale or change direction quickly.
Outsourced: another option, growing in popularity, is to outsource maintenance services to a third-party provider. This route negates the need for costly and time-consuming permanent hires, allows access to a broader skill pool and brings valuable outside perspective to the business. Additionally, it means management can focus on core business operations with the peace of mind a third-party partner is taking care of the rest.
Hybrid (on-premise/outsourced): a combination of in-house and outsourced IT maintenance, this option can sometimes offer the best of both worlds. The company retains some direct control over maintenance whilst leveraging the expertise and resources of a third-party provider.
Top tips for selecting the right IT maintenance structure for your business
The process of identifying a maintenance service that’s cost-effective, efficient and scalable will vary, depending on the size and complexity of the company’s needs. Here are some top tips to help streamline decision-making:
Business needs (short-long term):
Assess current IT infrastructure and determine the scope of maintenance needs now and for the future — keep in mind growth plans. Define the skill, resource and cost required to maintain operations efficiently, either in-house or with the help of an outsourced partner.
Cost v benefit evaluation:
Consider the medium-long-term benefits and cost of in-house versus, fully outsourced or a hybrid of the two.
Explore potential third-party partnerships:
Research outsourcing options including who will work well with the business, both now and as it evolves. Examine the benefits, experience and perspective outsourcing can potentially bring to the business.
Conclusion
Businesses need a strong team of experts to guide IT maintenance and to ensure it’s running strong, optimised and protected. Selecting the right fit — whether in-house, fully outsourced or a hybrid of the two — should aim to reduce ‘stress’ on the business, manage cost and increase efficiency.
Taking the time to identify business needs and evaluate skill and resource requirements — whilst assessing time, focus and financial expense to the business — is an important part of the process.
Furthermore, once an IT infrastructure has been organised, it’s important for Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) and business management to maintain open dialogue. Understanding how each party works and thinks promotes a collaborative decision-making culture, critical to the hiring or buying of maintenance services.
Whilst all options offer advantages, outsourced maintenance services continue to grow in popularity due in part, to increased demand for enhanced digital transformation. But be sure to work with a reputable provider that has experience in your industry and can provide the services and support you need to succeed.
Author: Samppa Nykänen (Head of Sales, Orangit), samppa.nykanen@orangit.fi
To know more about how Orangit can help you establish or improve your organisations systems maintenance, get in touch with Samppa Nykänen by Email or complete a contact form.
