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6 Outsourcing Tips for SMBs

By July 16, 2020No Comments6 min read
Outsourcing IT SMBs

Small business owners already know that they can’t handle everything. Thus, they are outsourcing some of their tasks to other companies. IT Outsourcing has become very popular with time. Of course, most SMBs can’t outsource certain functions due to budget issues. But, the benefits of IT outsourcing can outweigh the upfront cost. You should do proper homework before outsourcing. In this article, we are going to share some tips that will help you in finding the correct business partner.

  1. Understand your limitations

You should only outsource functions that can be easily performed by other companies but are time-consuming. For example, network monitoring is a very time-consuming task. If your IT team is monitoring your networks, then they won’t get time to work on other important things. Experienced MSPs can help you in handling these simple tasks. This will help you in improving your business efficiency. MSPs can also provide IT support. This will ensure that your IT team won’t waste their time in solving simple IT issues. If you are not working with an MSP, then your employees will ask your IT team for help. They will waste their time in fixing simple IT issues. You can avoid this by working with a good MSP. They will help your employees in quickly resolving their issues. This will ensure that your employees can quickly get back to work. Also, your IT team can focus on other core tasks.

  1. Define goals

You should clarify your goals before hiring an MSP. There can be various outsourcing goals. You should clarify the expected outcomes before selecting your business partner. Make sure that you are setting performance metrics before hiring your partner. Most IT outsourcing relationships fail because providers don’t know about your expectations. You should work on these metrics before hiring your partner. This will help you in building a long-term relationship.

  1. Find the right outsourcing partner

Outsourcing is always going to be a big deal for your business. You shouldn’t take this decision lightly. It is important to consider your MSP as a partner and not as a vendor. This will help you in establishing a long-term relationship with them. For example, if a hospital wants to outsource IT, then they should look for HIPPA compliant providers. This will ensure that they don’t need to worry about security regulations in the future. Also, the process of selecting an outsourcing partner can take a lot of time. You should check the capabilities of your partner. Also, you should try to talk with their previous clients. Make sure that they are providing quality services to their past clients. You should look for a provider that follows your business philosophy. This will ensure that they will actually work as a true business partner. You should also check their service model and SLA. Service Level Agreements will help you in checking their service level. It will ensure that you will get good service. Also, your provider should provide you with a single point of contact.

  1. Maintain control of your data

Many SMBs are also outsourcing web and mobile development. However, make sure that your code is not 100% controlled by your partner. If your app is not working properly, then you will have no control over the app code. Sometimes you can even lose the code of your application. Thus, SLAs are very important for SMBs. It will help you in determining the performance level of your partner. Also, it will ensure that your partner can’t steal your data. You should maintain comprehensive documentation during the whole process. There should be a transition process if the agreement is terminated. This will ensure that you can find other partners during this transition phase. You should make sure that you have ownership of the processes and tools.

  1. Security

Many companies are still not outsourcing because they think that outsourcing is not safe. You can decrease this concern by signing an SLA with your provider. There are many experienced MSPs like Bleuwire that can even help you in handling your IT security. If you are outsourcing your development to other companies, then you should also outsource your IT security. Your IT Security partner will check your networks and apps for vulnerabilities. They will make sure that your entire network is working properly. This will help you in avoiding downtime and other network-related issues. Also, they can check your applications and processes. They will help you in creating a disaster recovery plan. You can use this disaster recovery plan for recovering from any disaster. This will ensure that your business can handle everything.

  1. Make sure that someone in your company is managing the relationship

You should have someone in your company that can help you in managing the relationship with your provider. They will ensure that your partner is doing their work properly. If you need some help, then you can directly contact this person. Your partner should also stay close to this person. This person should act as a point of contact between you and your partner. They will ensure that all your projects are on track. It is important to conduct weekly or monthly meetings with your IT provider. You can review their performance during this meeting. Your provider can also suggest some new things during this meeting. Also, your employee should work on this relationship full-time. This should be their prime responsibility as it is going to be very important for your company.

Conclusion

These are all the tips that you should follow before hiring an MSP. Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire can help you in solving many IT problems. They can replace your entire IT department. Most SMBs have very little budget. Thus, MSPs are perfect for them as they can save money by working with time. You should also make sure that your partner is following all the security compliances. They should help you in protecting your data and applications. If you need more information regarding managed IT services, then you can contact Bleuwire.

Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™  services and solutions in how we can help your business.