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As more and more businesses are turning to IT support in Houston, those businesses that haven’t made the move yet are starting to feel the pressure to do the same. But though the cloud offers many benefits, the prerequisite transition isn’t as simple as it seems. There are some things you need to consider before finally taking the plunge:
1. Budget
One of the advantages offered by outsourcing to a third-party provider is lower cost. Investing in your own staff and equipment is expensive but subscribing to the services you need is not. However, providers offer different prices, subscription models, and minimum contract lengths. Some charge a fixed fee, while others offer a pay-as-you-use scheme. You need to weigh these options and determine what’s best for your company before signing a contract.
2. Services
Nowadays, you can outsource practically everything from graphic design to process management. So before working with a provider, you need to identify first what services you want to outsource. Is it your company’s customer service? What about disaster recovery? Or other IT processes? Though most providers claim they can do anything, the truth is that they are better at delivering a certain kind of service over another. Thus, knowing the services you want will make it easier to find providers whose specializations align with what you’re looking for.
3. Timeline
When is the right time to outsource IT support in Houston? There’s no hard-and-fast rule for this one, but in general, you should outsource when you need help with peripheral concerns. This means that you should outsource the moment you and your staff are focusing less on your core business needs and more on the extras. Usually, smaller companies with less than 50 employees will benefit more from outsourcing to a provider.
4. Location
People often confuse outsourcing and offshoring. They think that partnering with a provider automatically means working with a company based overseas, so they don’t even want to entertain the notion. But that’s not the case at all. You can outsource services to a provider in the same state, even the same city. Local support is readily available and can even be delivered in person if the situation calls for it.
5. Expectations
Outsourcing is more than just about delegating the workload to specialists now. It’s also about helping your company adapt to ever-changing technology trends in the future. Thus, you need to choose a provider that can help you design and strategize your company’s IT road map for the next few years. Don’t forget that when you’re working with a provider, you not only get their services, but you also get access to their expert knowledge. Make sure to take advantage of it!
6. Provider
Lastly, who you choose as your provider is one of the biggest things you need to consider. Are they reliable and reputable? Are they highly regarded in the industry? Do they have verifiable client testimonials? Do they have extensive experience? The right choice will make your operations run smoothly, so choose wisely!
Speaking of choosing wisely, you can’t go wrong with ICS, a leading provider of IT support in Houston. Contact us today for more information on our services.
Further reading
ICS is a Texas-based 40-year-old technology company specializing in Managed IT, VoIP, Video Conferencing and Video Surveillance solutions for US and International businesses. ICS has over 4000 regional installations and specializes in multi-site businesses between 25 and 2500 employees. ICS’s customers enjoy the experience of ICS’s Total Care program which provides clients flat fee services with obsolescence and growth protection. Whether a customer elects to deploy their IT, Video Conferencing or VoIP in the cloud or on the customer’s premise, ICS can provide a full turn-key solution for our clients under one flat monthly fee.