What is meant by the outsourcing of IT services?

The word “outsourcing” simply means sending a project or function to an external resource instead of to your internal team or staff member. The outsourcing of IT services can take a couple of forms.

• Outsourcing IT projects: This is when your company decides to send a particular project or component to a third party rather than doing it in-house. Examples are when you hire a vendor or contractor to migrate to a cloud, hire an after-hours help desk, contract for a set number of support hours per month or some other task. Referred to as “break-fix” solutions, these solutions are designed to fix a problem or fill a specific need. They’re good as a temporary measure but they are not proactively serving the IT and cyber security needs of your business.
• Partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) for your IT support needs is more encompassing because it includes a help desk and project expertise. As such, it actively works to keep your network free of problems.

Outsourcing your IT needs to a managed service provider gives you, in effect, a highly efficient IT team of cyber security experts for typically less cost than an in-house team.

MSPs work round the clock 24/7/365 to prevent breaks or breaches from happening, allowing your business to achieve its goals. Learn more about the different approaches for outsourcing of IT services.