What is meant by the outsourcing of IT services?

Outsourcing means hiring external vendors to complete tasks that are currently (or are traditionally) performed by internal employees. As business needs have become more complex and specialized, outsourcing of IT services has become a cost effective way to get the expertise you need at a lower cost—especially with highly technical roles like IT support and cyber security.

IT outsourcing can take a few different forms, from project work to outsourcing only a specific ongoing task, such as your after-hours help desk, to providing a set number of IT support hours per month. These are what is often referred to as “break-fix” solutions because they are designed to fix a problem or concern. What they don’t do is work proactively to keep problems from occurring in the first place. For that you need a managed service provider (MSP).

Managed IT services provide a comprehensive solution that usually includes a help desk and project expertise, cyber security and proactive monitoring and strategic insights that keep your network humming. They provide 24/7/365 coverage for a flat monthly rate and their teams are large enough to have specialized experts in complex and highly variable areas of IT, such as cyber security. All of this for less per month than most companies would spend on a single IT hire. It’s no wonder the outsourcing of IT services is becoming the go-to method of support for small and mid-sized businesses.