A Tech-Savvy Employee is NOT the Same as an IT Company

There’s a lot of technology you need to run your business — think about all the digital and virtual elements you depend on from the minute you set foot in the office in the morning (or before that, if you’re checking your email in line at the coffee shop) to the minute you leave (and later at home, when you’re doing more of the same).

If something goes wrong or if something needs an update, it can derail you for hours or even days. If something lags or functions inefficiently, it can hinder productivity. And if something gets compromised, you could be looking at legal trouble!

“But I don’t need an IT company handling all of that,” you might be thinking. “I’ve got tech-savvy members of my team who are able to help me out with all of it.”

It’s tempting to think that. After all, so many companies are pressed to reduce costs, and if they can get their existing members of staff to handle tasks that they would otherwise need to contract out, then why wouldn’t they want to just stick with the resources they already have? Plus, IT can be a difficult thing to outsource because technology is so prolific — it’s not like legal consulting or advertising, where a whole aspect of your business can be handled by an outside company.

But don’t be so rash as to count on those tech-savvy employees! After all, a tech-savvy employee and an IT company are not the same thing. They have different training experiences, different resources available to them, and different job descriptions. People tend to underestimate what an IT company does, assuming that their IT guys are simply responsible for rebooting the system or installing new software when needed. Instead, an IT professional handles all the infrastructure you need for your company’s network and operating system to function the way it should.

Let’s take an in-depth look at the two reasons a tech-savvy employee is not the same as an IT company:

Reason #1: 

Employees Have Their Own Jobs to Do, Not Somebody Else’s

One of the major benefits of efficient IT service is that it increases the productivity of your entire company. People don’t have to worry about wasting time because their computer is running slowly, or they don’t have to lose access to the network for an entire afternoon. Instead, when these problems arise, IT resolves the issue and your team gets back to work.

But what happens when you have a particularly tech-savvy employee who gets called on to fix every computer problem in the office? For the sake of an example, we’ll call this guy Kyle the graphic designer. Every time there’s a glitch or an outage, Kyle has to drop what he’s doing. The first few times this happens, it might not be a big deal. But after a while, Kyle’s not getting his work done. He’s falling behind and he has to put in extra hours to catch up. Now you as the owner of the company have to make the choice between paying Kyle extra for all the overtime hours or tell him not to worry about the work he hasn’t completed. Neither is an ideal option.

The situation could get even worse if Kyle becomes resentful of everything he’s being asked to do. If he knew it was going to cause him all this stress, he never would have spoken up and said he was good with technology. And what happens if Kyle needs to go on vacation, leaving you without the tech wisdom he provides for a whole week?

It’s pretty clear from this scenario that depending on a tech-savvy employee to replace an IT department is counterintuitive. Instead of making your team more efficient, it has actually done the exact opposite.

In fact, if you choose instead to outsource your IT needs to a specialized company, you could see a 30% increase in return on investment, all without the struggle of having to hire additional employees or increase employee hours.

Plus, you as the business owner don’t have to worry about overseeing any of it. You can trust your technology is in good hands and wait for your contractor to provide you with a full report afterward.

Reason #2: 

Your IT Company Has Access to the Best of the Best.

The other problem with Kyle the graphic designer is that his understanding of technology is relative. Sure, he knows how to update certain software or troubleshoot network connectivity, but he doesn’t have the formal training that professionals with an IT company have. More importantly, he’s probably not staying up to date on all the latest developments and advances, nor does he have access to all the new software as soon as it becomes available.

That’s a problem because technology is always advancing — and it’s usually advancing pretty quickly! IT is volatile – and if you don’t have somebody who is keeping tabs on it like it’s their exclusive line of business, you could find your company’s tech access is left far behind!

Instead, seek out an IT company with a good reputation that has experience in your industry. Check to make sure they are able to meet your technological needs and they have access to advanced equipment and security. It’s time to contract out to them!If your business is looking to contract with a reliable IT company, count on our team at BL Technical to meet your needs. Contact us today by calling 410- 504-1949.