Battle of the Benefits: Break-Fix vs Managed IT

As a managed service provider, we’re naturally going to be a little biased when comparing the positives and negatives between an in-house IT team and an outsourced approach. However, each has its benefits in the right situations, and each can have its downsides. Today, we’ll discuss each to establish which is the better choice for your situation.

The In-House Team
One of the biggest benefits to relying on an in-house team to manage your technology is the fact that you can hand-pick the members of your team. As a result, you have some level of control over which aspects of your IT you want to prioritize for the benefit of your company. Having an in-house team also means you have staff right at your fingertips that you can direct at any time.

However, small to medium-sized businesses may encounter some difficulties when trying to maintain an in-house IT team. First and foremost, training your new staff members can be a difficult process without another experienced IT resource on staff to oversee the process. Furthermore, maintaining an internal IT team can be expensive, and if you want to hire experienced technicians who can tackle modern problems, it’s going to typically cost more.

A Managed IT Provider’s Team
One of the biggest advantages an MSP can provide to a business is predictability. When subscribed to an MSP’s services, a business will have its technology maintained and monitored for issues, all for a budgetable, fixed monthly fee. The MSP is also more likely to have kept up to speed with new technologies and solutions, gaining knowledge that they then pass on for your business’ benefit. Partnering with an MSP also gives you an improved means of expanding your business when the time comes, as instead of hiring a new internal staff member, your business just needs to scale accordingly.

The only issue with bringing in an MSP to handle your technology is the fact that you are relinquishing total control over your company’s IT to another company. As such, if you elect to utilize an MSP’s services, you will need to find an MSP that you can trust.

Washington Works can be that MSP for you, should you find that a managed IT service provider better suits your company’s current and future needs. Call us at 301-571-5040 for more information.