Success stories

Our customers come in all shapes and sizes.

We work with organisations from all walks of life, with different ambitions and requirements. Explore how we’ve helped them reimagine everyday, and align technology with their culture and business goals.

6 steps to on board an IT service desk provider

Looking to successfully on board an IT service desk provider? Here we share best practice and the 6 steps we take for a seamless transition.
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How to handle the risks of outsourcing your IT

Along with many benefits, there are also risks that go hand in hand with outsourcing some or all of your organisation’s IT function. In this post we look at how to handle the risks of outsourcing your IT.
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Do you need 24/7 IT support?

In this blog post we explore the key drivers for providing your end users with 24/7 IT support and the options to deliver this service.
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How to maintain 24x7x365 IT support for end users

Does your end user community need 24x7x365 IT support? In this post we explore the key drivers and how to deliver the right IT services.
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Onshore vs. offshore IT service desk outsourcing

Find out more about onshore and offshore IT service desk services and which model is best for your organisation.
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What is an IT Service Desk?

Organisations everywhere are reliant on technology and software. Businesses couldn’t function without a robust stack of apps and IT services that support operational areas. Behind these systems is the IT service desk, which could be an in-house or an outsourced provider. It supports everyone in an organisation and in many cases customers too. What is a service desk? Basically it’s the people you call when you need technical help. To find out how much outsourcing your service desk could cost, click here > Service desks manage everything from incidents to implementation requests. Typical IT service desks evolve around the needs of an organisation: monitoring and maintaining the technology that makes work possible. As companies grow, the IT services they need to operate become more complex. More can go wrong, and looking after a wide range of technology involves multiple updates and upgrades that require the most effective service desks to take a proactive approach. Why do companies need IT service desks? In the 1990s, during the first technology boom, service desks started to make an appearance. It was a specialised area, focused on the software and hardware, not the end-user. Service desks were needed to fix and maintain the systems and computers companies started using as technology adoption became commonplace in workplaces around the world. Back then, service desks didn’t operate with timescales to resolve problems. The user, or customer experience, wasn’t a high priority. Over time, as the sector evolved, service desks started to put the user first. IT went from reactive to proactive. It is no longer just about troubleshooting. The most effective service desks find ways to make organisations more efficient, reduce operational costs and improve how staff work and the way companies support their customers. A great service desk is a strategic resource as much as it is an operational necessity. What do service desk analysts do?  First and foremost, a service desk team is the single point of contact for technical issues that need to be fixed. With organisations more reliant on technology than ever, downtime is something that we all want to avoid. IT service desk analysts work hard to resolve problems within an agreed timescale (SLA), minimising downtime to ensure that staff can get on with their work. Alongside reactive support, service desk analysts implement changes organisations need, keep third-party software updated and working effectively, and can play an active role in improving operational efficiency. The IT support team also provide tools and systems that make it easier for users to resolve some simple problems themselves. As technology has evolved, self-serve has become a useful option that automates some service desk functions. Staff can fix problems themselves and get on with work quicker, which means IT teams can focus on more complex challenges. A great service desk, whether in-house, a hybrid solution or managed by an outsource provider, can also be a strategic resource. If your organisation wants to scale or enter markets, the service desk is an important factor in many successful business plans. Ensuring that the business has capacity, that staff working from different sites can access systems and data, and that all of your company’s IT assets are secure, is essential. Organisational benefits of outsourcing your IT service desk  Save costs, stay scalable. With the right level of IT support, companies can scale service desk requirements as workloads require. When organisations outsource some or all of this function to a trusted partner, you’ve got more control of costs and outcomes. Taking a hybrid approach – working with an internal and external team – can make an organisation more agile and drive forward innovation. Improve efficiency. With the right systems and software, staff can work more efficiently. Organisations can do more with less. Collaborative and remote work is easier to manage safely, and operational risks reduce when you’ve got IT security measures in place to protect against threats to the business such as disruption and downtime, cyber attacks and human error.  Stay aware of staff sentiment. Support tickets don’t just highlight problems with technology. IT service desks also get an impression for how staff are feeling about work. If your systems or processes are causing difficulties, making it harder for staff to work, then a responsive service desk can recommend and implement ways to improve those processes with new software and solutions. Service desks play important roles in many organisations. IT systems function better when specialists keep everything working. Companies are also more effective and efficient when they have IT support that understands their goals and objectives, then finds solutions that help them achieve those.  If you have any questions about outsourcing your IT support requirements, please get in touch. For a quote, click on the link below.
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Does your organisation need onsite IT support?

Do you need onsite IT support, remote or a hybrid version? Find out how you can outsource onsite IT support here.
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What is IT outsourcing?

Find out more about IT outsourcing in this blog post where we explore what it is, the benefits and use cases, and how to get started. Click on the link >
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IT outsourcing for SMEs

In this article we explore the the benefits of IT outsourcing for SMEs, what you can outsource, how to go about it and the different options available to your business.
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Common IT outsourcing drivers

In this post we share 6 common IT outsourcing drivers that will help you understand whether organisation can benefit from outsourcing some or all of your IT function.
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In-house vs outsourcing

What are the benefits of IT outsourcing? In this post we explore in-house vs outsourcing for IT teams.
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Can your business afford in-house IT support?

In-house IT support doesn't come cheap. In this blog post we explore how to make end user support more cost effective and efficient.
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6 steps to on board an IT service desk provider

Moving to a new IT service desk provider is not something many CTOs want to do on a regular basis. However, if your current IT support is not delivering the service you require, the sooner you on board a new provider the sooner you’ll get the service you need.

Below are the steps we take to seamlessly transition new customers from their incumbent service desk to our IT support. Use these to benchmark prospective providers and ensure they have robust on boarding processes in place.

How much will outsourcing your IT service desk cost? Use our cost calculator to find out >

The on boarding process for a successful service launch

Step 1: Select an on boarding team

Depending on our customers’ requirements we first select a team to manage the on boarding process. It will include your account manager who will be with you throughout the transition and beyond, as well as service management; technical specialists and engineers who will coordinate the switch over from one service desk to another.

We may also assign a dedicated project manager to oversee the on boarding process, especially for those organisations with a large IT estate, multiple locations and high volumes of tickets.

Step 2: IT audit

We’ll work with you, key stakeholders, users and 3rd party suppliers to get a detailed picture of your organisation’s IT environment. Covering everything from hardware, applications & servers, users, groups and access, licensing, risks and vulnerabilities, this audit ensures we have all the information required to deliver the service you need.

Step 3: Analysis

Using the information from the audit we can now make a plan for transitioning to your new IT service desk. We are able to identify the ITSM tools needed, the best approach (for example a staged migration), what checks need to be in place and agree timescales for a successful service launch. At this point we will also look at ways to drive efficiencies and make recommendations to improve the service, so they can form part of the implementation plan.

Step 4: Implementation

We build your service desk adding users and assets, creating process documentation and providing training to your team. We set up service desk communication channels, establish VPN connectivity and test back up procedures. When everything is in place we communicate new support processes to all users ready to switch on the service.

Step 5: Assessment

This is the start of our continual review of the service delivered. We’ll review the implementation process, test the service against SLAs and measure performance. Regular contact with all parties will help us drive efficiencies and make further recommendations to optimise the service.

Step 6: Service launch

At this point the service is launched and we transition to on going account management processes. Regular meetings, reports and reviews are part of this process to ensure that the service is meeting expectations, and also to respond to changing needs within the organisation.

If you would like to find out more about our IT service desk, please get in touch. We’re here to help you find the most efficient way of managing your users’ IT support, while delivering a flexible and high quality service.

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How to handle the risks of outsourcing your IT

Outsourcing your organisation’s IT function (in full or in part) has many benefits. But these benefits often go hand in hand with risks.

Here we share 5 of the most common IT outsourcing risks and how to handle them:

5 IT outsourcing risks to avoid or resolve

#1: Loss of control

IT outsourcing by definition means that you’ll be handing over some of the managerial control of your IT function to an IT services provider. In most cases this is a benefit, it frees your team up to focus on other activities. However, ‘out of sight, out of mind’ is not the desired outcome; instead your provider and their team should really be an extension of your internal team, where you have transparency and visibility over everything that relates to your organisation.

How to avoid losing control? – Make sure all parties understand the parameters of the project; ensure that the services provided are aligned with business and operational goals, and that there is a clear protocol for changing deliverables; have a clear reporting systems and identify exactly what information you need from the provider; promote collaboration between each team.

#2:  Loss of skills and knowledge

If you’re considering outsourcing your IT service desk or other operational functions to a IT outsourcing provider, you may be concerned that you’ll lose internal skills and knowledge. This could potentially make it difficult to bring a function back in-house or move to a different IT services provider.

Access to skills is actually a motivating factor for outsourcing IT, when your organisation has a skills gap, but it’s an understandable concern when weighing up whether to recruit or outsource.

How to keep skills and knowledge in-house? Identify the most important skills required in-house and ensure you’re investing in training and CPD to keep your IT team up-to-date; investigate whether a hybrid outsourcing model may be appropriate, for example outsourcing 1st line tickets but retaining 2nd and 3rd in-house; consider also whether it would be beneficial for the service provider to work directly with your internal team, helping to upskill individuals and retain skills; ensure the IT service provider continually updates documentation and your organisation’s IT knowledge bank.

How much does outsourcing your Service Desk cost? Get a high level quote here >

#3: Geolocation

In theory IT outsourcing providers could be located anywhere in the world. Many of them are. The offshore outsourcing model is used by many organisations. However, for some organisations there is a risk when the provider is located on the other side of the globe. Time zones, language barriers and the ability to make on-site visits are obvious hurdles that might need to be overcome. Other considerations are the economic and political climate in the region the provider is located, as well as industry and local.

Is geolocation an issue? Be clear about what services you require and how location may affect service levels, and what compromises your organisation is prepared to make. Offshore providers can often be cheaper than onshore companies, but may not deliver the service your organisation requires. Factor in regulatory compliance, including the impact on your organisation’s clients and their governance. Think about the future and whether the provider is able to scale with your business and support development and growth.

#4: Security and compliance

Giving a 3rd party provider, and their employees or contractors, access to your IT systems and infrastructure is not without security risks. However, as well as functions such as IT support, many organisations are outsourcing cyber security and data protection to external providers: who can often do it much better than they can.

Is security a risk? The first step is to address any compliance issues and how working with a 3rd party provider impacts regulations. Then understand exactly what data and systems a provider will have access to, for example if an analyst offers desktop support they’ll potentially have access to corporate data stored on local drives and maybe network shares. Find out what data the provider needs, what they do with that data, how it is used and stored and how they protect it. Do background checks and get confidentiality agreements in place. Check for ISO 27001.

#5: Not aligned with business operations and objectives

Finally, an IT outsourcing risk can be a lack of alignment between the organisation’s day-to-day operations and strategic direction. Some providers are guilty of selling in their services without fully understanding the business and this can result in an organisation not getting value and positive ROI.

How to avoid this risk? Alarm bells should sound if the provider attempts to sell a one-size-fits-all service without first taking the time to understand your requirements, operations and business objectives. Put your IT requirement out to tender with a Request for Proposal to help shortlist providers and identify those that want to develop a strategic partnership with your organisation.

If you would like to discuss IT outsourcing in more detail please get in touch for an informal chat with our team.

Do you need 24/7 IT support?

Not all organisations need a fully staffed IT service desk 24/7 but increasingly many businesses find that they can’t shut up shop and the end of the working day without having some IT support in place. To explore whether you need 24/7 IT support, this post provides some key indicators that’s it’s time to implement that support.

Get a high level quote to find out how much outsourcing your IT support 24/7 could cost. Click here >

Why your organisation might need 24/7 IT support

#1. Customers demand it

A very compelling reason to install a 24/7 IT service desk is when your customers demand it. If your business supplies technology products or services that customers may access out of office hours, they may need more IT support at any time of the day.

Out of hours support doesn’t have to involve a staffed 24/7 IT service desk. If customers are in your time zone you could simply extend your IT support into the evening and weekends, and maybe start earlier in the morning to allow customers to speak to an analyst before they go to work.

Self-serve solutions should also be part of your out-of-hours support service, enabling end users to find solutions to some issues without needing to speak to a human IT service desk analyst.

#2. Your employees need it

If your organisation has employees working in different time zones or remotely, they may need support when the rest of the office has gone home. Employees who travel often require more support than those that work from an office or home; for example, connecting to your organisation’s VPN from a hotel room can often be challenging.

Again, you may not require 24/7 IT support if employees work in the same time zone, or the difference is not significant. Out of hours support in the evening may be enough. Self-serve solutions should also be implemented for problems that can be resolved easily by an employee.

24/7 IT service desk vs. self-serve

Having identified a need for out-of-hours IT support, the next question is ‘how much and what type of support?’ To understand this you need to speak to your IT support team to find out what the most common issues they face are. If the majority of tickets raised can be resolved with a comprehensive knowledge bank, you could simply point users to your self-serve options.

If tickets are more complex such as network-related issues or systemic bugs, a staffed 24/7 IT service desk (or evening / weekend service) may be needed. Of course this option is expensive, you’ll need to weigh up the opportunity cost to assess the consequences of not having support available and whether that’s acceptable against the expense of evening, weekend or overnight IT service desk staffing.

However there is an alternative, which is to outsource your IT service desk. Some people think that outsourcing is an ‘all in’ option where you hand over your service desk 24/7. However, many organisations staff their own IT service desk during business hours, and have an IT service provider offering support out-of-hours.

A common scenario is to outsource 1st line tickets to the IT provider overnight or at weekends, with the internal team picking up any tickets that have been escalated to 2nd line when they clock in the following day.

This option is naturally much more affordable that employing in-house service desk analysts to work out of normal office hours.

Whatever decision you make, start with an in depth analysis of the demand your organisation has for out-of-hours / 24/7 IT support and the type of assistance needed. If your IT department has a reputation for being ‘those guys who only work 9 to 5’, there are flexible options available to help you provide the support needed without negating opportunity costs.

Download our guide to get a better understanding of how outsourcing to a specialist IT service provider can help your organisation.

How to maintain 24x7x365 IT support for end users

For many UK SMBs with staff and clients in the UK, staying open 24/7 isn’t the norm. However, for companies with clients and teams around the world, or those that operate in ‘always up’ sectors like hospitality, healthcare and e-commerce, end user support (EUS) needs to be accessible 24x7x365.

If your organisation is seeing increasing demand for out of hours IT support, transitioning from weekday operating hours to 24x7x365 IT support is a big step to take. Before you take this step, there are a few questions worth asking: 

  • Do we need this?
  • Can we afford this?
  • What happens if we don’t provide this support?

As with most business decisions, needs and opportunity costs must be balanced. If your company has staff, contractors and clients that need access to your systems around the clock, and the number of unanswered overnight support tickets is growing, then this is a situation that needs addressing. 

Find out how much outsourcing IT support 24x7x365 could cost your organisation here >

Failure to implement 24x7x365 support could reduce team productivity for those who work flexible hours, employees who work overseas as well as those working shift patterns in this country whilst looking after clients abroad. Without a 24x7x365 service desk, clients could feel neglected or be unable to use products or services purchased from your organisation. Losing one or two business days on a project could impact customer satisfaction, even causing an unhappy client to go elsewhere. Unsupported staff could do the same.

When IT problems aren’t addressed quickly, downtime reduces the effectiveness of staff everywhere, especially when they can’t access any assistance from head office and senior managers. 

24x7x365 IT support options

There are several ways 24x7x365 IT support can be achieved.

#1: Internal team 

Employing a team, either abroad or in head office, to work shifts is the most costly option. Taking this approach will involve a team of at least 2 to 3 extra staff, to ensure you can meet demand and adhere to the EU working time directive.

Night shift staff need to be clear on the hours they’re going to work when you start recruiting. Make sure they’re given extra support, training and processes to be followed in the event of an emergency. During the recruitment process, make sure staff working night shifts have the support they need at home to work unsociable hours and sleep during the day. Otherwise, it might be difficult to ensure your team want to keep working those hours. 

If you’ve got staff working alone at night in the office, it’s worth checking out the lone workers health and safety guidelines from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

#2: Overseas outsourcing

Another way to provide 24/724x7x365 IT support is to work with one or more outsource companies, depending on the timezones of your staff and clients. Overseas first and second-line IT support is cheaper than employing a team at home. In the Philippines, India or Indonesia, there are numerous firms that supply IT services tailored around the technical needs of small and medium companies.

When working with an outsource partner abroad, make sure they’re already experienced at providing services to companies similar to your own. Ask for references and see if you can test them on a trial basis. If you are happy to go ahead, their team will need scripts and processes to follow from your IT team, and relevant access to your software, hardware and other services to provide the right level of support. 

Although this method is more cost effective, the downside is that support can be limited. If anything is more complex than the training and scripts provided, it will require your UK-based IT team to handle the problem the next day. 

Culture is also a consideration when outsourcing to offshore providers. There can be cultural differences between the way your users (employees and clients) communicate and the offshore service desk analysts. This can result in misunderstands and poor customer satisfaction. 

Understanding your company culture is something else that offshore providers may struggle with. This can affect the way tickets are handled with analysts not understanding how to prioritises tickets according to your organisation’s business objectives and operational model. This is why it’s often best to only use offshore providers for 1st line support.

#3: Trusted IT support

Instead of hiring your own night shift team, or outsourcing this function to an overseas third-party provider, work with a trusted IT partner here in the UK. Out-of-hours or 24/7 support will cost a little more than outsourcing your IT service desk during regular office hours, with the advantage that they are in the best position to really embed themselves in your organisation and understand your key drivers and objectives.

Working with a team in the UK maintains clear lines of communication and service standards. It is easier to provide that team with new information, training and changes they need to implement in the same timezone. This way, you can be confident your 24x7x365 IT support team is prepared to look after clients and staff around the clock.

Sleep confidently, knowing that if your systems go down the other side of the world, an IT team here can fix the problem quickly, keeping downtime to a minimum. When you are working with a trusted IT partner, you don’t need to let technical worries keep you up at night. 

Onshore vs. offshore IT service desk outsourcing

We’ve explored the benefits of outsourcing your IT service desk throughout this blog; the flexibility it offers, the scalability, the cost savings, and the 24/7/365 availability of expert technical support. This is one IT function that generally offers excellent ROI when outsourced, freeing up your IT team to focus on their core competencies that help your organisation fulfil its’ business goals.

However, not all IT service desk providers are the same! There are those that are small teams or one-man bands, and larger providers like ourselves. There are providers who focus solely on the service desk function, and others that offer a range of IT support and consultancy services. And there are onshore and offshore IT service desk providers.

Find out how much outsourcing your IT support could cost here >

In this post I’m going to look at pros and cons of onshore vs. offshore IT service desk outsourcing. What benefits does each model bring to businesses, and what are their failings?

Pros & cons of onshore & offshore IT service desk providers?

Cost savings: Both IT outsourcing models can save organisations money compared to running an in-house IT service desk. This is especially true if you need to operate your service desk outside of local business hours, for example if you have offices in different time zones, and if your organisation has a high demand for IT support – due to the economies of scale and lower staffing costs.

If cost savings are a significant priority for your organisation, the offshore model offers additional savings. These service providers operate in countries with lower salaries, such as Asia and Eastern Europe, and this is perhaps their biggest USP.

Company knowledge: IT service providers will have any number of customers for whom they provide service desk support. Here at Cloud Business we know that this can be disconcerting if the user calls and the service desk team do not have your company information at their fingertips. To have confidence in the service, customers need to know that the service desk analyst understands the business, and can support their users knowledgeably. They don’t want to feel like they’re just a number. While offshore providers may keep background information on their customers, generally onshore service providers are in a much better position to embed themselves within an organisation and get a unique insight into the business. With regular customer meetings and perceptive reporting, this is a factor where onshore providers beat offshore hands down.

Staff turnover: The ability to become part of an organisation’s extended IT team is another differentiator between onshore and offshore. Many companies want a single point of contact for all their IT issues and requests, someone who is knowledgeable about their business and understands instantly how their IT issues impact on this. In countries offering lower wages staff turnover rates can be high, as a small increase in salary with a different employer can make a significant difference to the individual. This means that it becomes difficult for the offshore service provider to maintain a consistent level of service in terms of single point of contact, and knowledgeable customer-centric staff.

Compliance: Another key area that must be addressed when weighing up the pros and cons of onshore or offshore. Those organisations operating in highly regulated sectors may find that offshore is not an option at all. Even if your organisation has no geographic restrictions on where you can outsource IT services, you may find your customers do – many regulated organisations need the companies they work with to be compliant too, otherwise they can’t do business with them.

Cultural differences: While service desk analysts working for offshore providers are highly trained, educated, have excellent English – often having had elocution lessons – there can still be a disconnect culturally. This may result in misunderstandings when a user asks for specific support and the analyst delivers that support off script rather than truly understanding what the user needs. However, if the support needed is predictable and rarely deviants from typical requests and issues, offshore can provide this in a cost effective way. Dialect can also be an issue if the user finds it difficult to understand the service desk analyst, or is unsure if they have made themselves clear. This is not an issue unique to offshore providers; regional dialects within the UK can also be a challenge!

While onshore appears to be the winner in this particular analysis, offshore does have its’ place. Cost is obviously the most significant factor, and if this is the most important consideration for your business the offshore model can help you make these savings. However, when it comes to value adding factors such as customer satisfaction, the ability to support more customer-specific IT issues, and working with a provider who becomes an integral part of your IT team, onshore delivers on all these fronts.

Service desk quote

What is an IT Service Desk?

Organisations everywhere are reliant on technology and software. Businesses couldn’t function without a robust stack of apps and IT services that support operational areas.

Behind these systems is the IT service desk, which could be an in-house or an outsourced provider. It supports everyone in an organisation and in many cases customers too. What is a service desk? Basically it’s the people you call when you need technical help.

To find out how much outsourcing your service desk could cost, click here >

Service desks manage everything from incidents to implementation requests. Typical IT service desks evolve around the needs of an organisation: monitoring and maintaining the technology that makes work possible. As companies grow, the IT services they need to operate become more complex. More can go wrong, and looking after a wide range of technology involves multiple updates and upgrades that require the most effective service desks to take a proactive approach.

Why do companies need IT service desks?

In the 1990s, during the first technology boom, service desks started to make an appearance. It was a specialised area, focused on the software and hardware, not the end-user. Service desks were needed to fix and maintain the systems and computers companies started using as technology adoption became commonplace in workplaces around the world.

Back then, service desks didn’t operate with timescales to resolve problems. The user, or customer experience, wasn’t a high priority.

Over time, as the sector evolved, service desks started to put the user first. IT went from reactive to proactive. It is no longer just about troubleshooting. The most effective service desks find ways to make organisations more efficient, reduce operational costs and improve how staff work and the way companies support their customers. A great service desk is a strategic resource as much as it is an operational necessity.

What do service desk analysts do? 

First and foremost, a service desk team is the single point of contact for technical issues that need to be fixed. With organisations more reliant on technology than ever, downtime is something that we all want to avoid. IT service desk analysts work hard to resolve problems within an agreed timescale (SLA), minimising downtime to ensure that staff can get on with their work.

Alongside reactive support, service desk analysts implement changes organisations need, keep third-party software updated and working effectively, and can play an active role in improving operational efficiency.

The IT support team also provide tools and systems that make it easier for users to resolve some simple problems themselves. As technology has evolved, self-serve has become a useful option that automates some service desk functions. Staff can fix problems themselves and get on with work quicker, which means IT teams can focus on more complex challenges.

A great service desk, whether in-house, a hybrid solution or managed by an outsource provider, can also be a strategic resource. If your organisation wants to scale or enter markets, the service desk is an important factor in many successful business plans. Ensuring that the business has capacity, that staff working from different sites can access systems and data, and that all of your company’s IT assets are secure, is essential.

Organisational benefits of outsourcing your IT service desk 

  • Save costs, stay scalable. With the right level of IT support, companies can scale service desk requirements as workloads require. When organisations outsource some or all of this function to a trusted partner, you’ve got more control of costs and outcomes. Taking a hybrid approach – working with an internal and external team – can make an organisation more agile and drive forward innovation.
  • Improve efficiency. With the right systems and software, staff can work more efficiently. Organisations can do more with less. Collaborative and remote work is easier to manage safely, and operational risks reduce when you’ve got IT security measures in place to protect against threats to the business such as disruption and downtime, cyber attacks and human error. 
  • Stay aware of staff sentiment. Support tickets don’t just highlight problems with technology. IT service desks also get an impression for how staff are feeling about work. If your systems or processes are causing difficulties, making it harder for staff to work, then a responsive service desk can recommend and implement ways to improve those processes with new software and solutions.

Service desks play important roles in many organisations. IT systems function better when specialists keep everything working. Companies are also more effective and efficient when they have IT support that understands their goals and objectives, then finds solutions that help them achieve those. 

If you have any questions about outsourcing your IT support requirements, please get in touch. For a quote, click on the link below.

Service desk quote

Does your organisation need onsite IT support?

Few people can be have failed to notice how mobile technology has rapidly changed the way we communicate, entertain ourselves and work. Smartphones are everywhere, and this is having a profound impact on business.

Consumers are more likely to try and find products and services using a smartphone. The habits and behaviours of business buyers are also changing. Staff, too, expect flexible working options and the tools to collaborate and work from wherever they are. All of this places more demand for IT support within companies, for both employees and customers.

Changing role of onsite IT support

Over the last twenty, and certainly the most recent ten years, in-house IT teams have seen the amount of work and technology they need to look after go through a radical expansion. From complex customised software, to security and the risks associated with staff using email and apps on personal phones, to websites, connectivity and basic support requests.

IT teams are struggling to keep pace with constant change. Even with software to support service desks and automated systems, it can be difficult for businesses to see how they’re getting value for money. When IT is constantly fixing short-term problems, this makes that function a cost centre.

When IT is a core operational area, organisations need to generate long-term value from that team. Often this proves difficult to achieve in-house. Getting any traction on transformational projects isn’t easy when a team is fire fighting urgent issues. Therefore, it is worth considering alternative solutions.

Onsite, outsourced or hybrid?

When trying to assess exactly what kind of IT support you need, step back for a moment and consider long-term goals. Where do you want to take the business over the next 3 to 5 years? How can technology help you achieve that?

Next, look at the systems you are currently using. Where are the gaps? Where is more help needed? How can improvements make staff more efficient or enhance the customer journey? It might be useful to bring on-board an IT consultant at this point. Let them make sense of the roadmap and evaluate next steps.

As part of that, it makes sense to weigh the benefits of in-house vs. outsourced IT support or taking a hybrid approach. A fourth way is to embed outsource staff within a company, giving you the best of both worlds; effectively hybrid with the external team on-site. One team or set of teams can focus on 1st line IT support, another on 2nd or 3rd, and a core team can implement long-term strategic solutions.

Which approach you take depends on a range of factors: long and short-term aims, the team you already have, gaps you need to fill, budget and owner or board-level support for a digital transformation. A hybrid approach means you can maintain responsive support whilst focusing on projects that will give you a set of systems that can improve productivity, save money and meet the needs of customers and staff that are using technology more than ever.

How to find onsite IT support

There are lots of factors that need to be explored when engaging an IT provider that can offer a hybrid or onsite solution.

The key requirements for a service provider offering onsite support or a hybrid solution is location. Working with a provider who operates from your region is really important if you are to get the service level you require. Purely from a logistical point of view you need analysts to work and live locally. While some providers may recruit local IT professionals to work onsite for their customers, if the provider is located elsewhere the relationship is not the same as having the IT provider really embedding themselves in your business.

When you outsource onsite IT support to a provider with regional or national coverage, the external partner becomes an extension of your team, providing onsite support from professionals who are immersed in both party’s businesses.

Cloud Business provides onsite IT support to organisations across the UK. If you require onsite IT services get in touch with us to discuss your requirements.

What is IT outsourcing?

Few businesses today can operate without a comprehensive range of IT solutions. For many, it would be impossible to communicate with customers, employees and suppliers, get work done or deliver products and services, without a robust IT infrastructure.

Maintaining and managing this infrastructure was once the exclusive responsibility of the IT department. However, in the last few decades, businesses have sought to streamline internal operations and drive efficiencies by using IT outsourcing providers, migrating to cloud platforms or using a combination of both. Many companies have also increased the amount of activities they outsource to specialised IT service providers, as the ROI makes a clear business case for doing so. Last year’s 2017 UK IT Outsourcing Study revealed that 35% of business respondents plan to outsource more IT activities this year (2018).

IT outsourcing is a solution many businesses are turning to, especially when it comes to managing IT services.

But what can you outsource? Essentially any IT function can be outsourced to an IT partner. From the total management of your IT department, to outsourcing a single component like your service desk. Infrastructure management, security & monitoring, IAM, service integration, end-user compute, etc. etc. are all functions that IT outsource providers can support your business with.

Find out how much outsourcing your IT service desk will cost your organisation. Use our cost calculator here >

Why outsource IT?

Reducing costs is one reason for outsourcing IT functions. With the emergence of cloud computing, IT is no longer something that needs expensive capital investments, on-site servers and hardware. Cloud platforms and services, such as software as a service (SaaS) solutions, have shifted the IT cost burden away from capital to an operational expenditure.

However, monitoring, managing all this technology comes at a price. Your IT team may now spend considerable time ensuring that performance is maintained and optimised, alerts are responded to, patches and backups are routinely performed and your users receive the IT support they need. As a result they may not be getting much time to focus on strategic IT projects or their core competencies and this can lead to low morale and high employee churn.

You may also be paying far more than necessary for these essential activities, and many tasks may be below your expensive IT professionals’ paygrade.

Benefits of IT outsourcing 

As well as driving down the costs, there are other reasons businesses choose to outsource IT. These include:

24/7 support – IT and network mangers like to go home at the end of a working day, but what happens if systems go down out of hours? Many businesses have employees and customers accessing their IT systems at different times of the day or night – working remotely, in different time zones, or if they are a B2C businesses. IT outsourcing can ensure that systems are monitored 24/7, and support is available in the event of any incident or query.

Quicker response times – most internal IT departments have limited resources in terms of staffing and capacity. Prioritising activities can be challenging, and balancing operational vs. strategic activities even more so. IT outsourcing ensures that incidents or planned activities are addressed in an acceptable timeframe, for example if IT support is outsourced your employers or other users have a dedicated service desk team dealing with any issues they have, not a network manager trying to provide support and at the same time patch systems or perform back ups and everything else that goes with that role. 

More expertise – IT outsourcing allows your business to access specialist support. Whether that’s analyst who has in depth knowledge of the systems you use, or a cyber security expert who can help ensure that your business balances risk, user experience and costs when exploring information security solutions. For most businesses having this level of expert support in house would be prohibitively expensive.

More cost savings – IT outsourcing saves companies money in a number of areas. The cost of IT infrastructure and technology is lower, especially when using cloud platforms. Solutions can be scaled according to your requirements, switching on and off services to reduce costs when demand is low. Staffing costs can be reduced, even when using onshore IT providers like Cloud Business. Potentially businesses can reduce their internal staffing levels, and the associated costs (holiday, sickness etc.) or use their team more strategically for revenue creation activities.

Strategic consulting – IT outsourcing providers can also support business objectives and strategic plans. With years of experience working across different companies and industries, as well as keeping current with the latest technology, they are well placed to advice IT directors and CEOs on their future IT requirements, aligning recommendations with the businesses’ objectives.

Getting started with IT outsourcing 

Deciding what areas of IT to outsource needs to be done the right way. Do you only want to outsource your IT service desk / support? Or are your company’s IT needs more extensive?

While IT outsourcing may appear to be purely an operational requirement, it can also be strategic. Managed Services can support your business goals, such as plans for global growth, new ways of working such as remote working, and support change and transformation programmes.

Focus on what you want to achieve before outsourcing any IT functions. Have a clear understanding of how you would want to work with an IT partner, the role they’re going to play in your business and the value you want to see. IT outsourcing providers use service level agreements (SLA), to ensure that all parties understand how their services will be delivered. It’s really important to make sure you have the right SLA in place to meet your needs. 

Depending on what you outsource, IT partners can improve operational efficiency, streamline communications, make it easier for staff to collaborate, improve security and make your company more efficient.

Please get in touch if you would like further advice or to discuss your IT requirements.

Service desk quote

IT outsourcing for SMEs

IT outsourcing can help SMEs reduce IT costs while enjoying the freedom to access new technologies.

It is likely that you currently have core IT operations that could really benefit from being managed by a third party service provider – either onsite or offsite, depending on what is the best arrangement for you.

Why outsource your IT?

There are many reasons why a business might choose to outsource part or all of its IT operations. These can include cost savings, particularly from owning and managing an IT network and employing an IT team to carry out the work.

There are other reasons besides cost – IT may not be the core activity of your business, so outsourcing can relieve the pressure and allow you to focus on your core competencies. Outsourcing can provide you with access to the latest industry technologies and processors creating better operational efficiencies. It can also improve your speed to market for new products and services.

Service quality can also be improved through outsourcing specific operations such as customer service and payroll etc. for example.

Which IT operations are usually outsourced?

All IT activities can now be run as outsourced services, including the development and implementation of applications and IT systems themselves.

Many non-core IT activities, which businesses have traditionally provided internally, are now available as outsourced services. These include IT service desk and support, IT maintenance, security, backup and recovery and even the running of core business applications such as Microsoft 365.

Find out how much outsourcing your IT service desk would cost. Get a high level quote here

How do I outsource my IT?

Once you have decided which department or operations you would like to outsource and made the business case for it, the next step is to find an outsourcing partner who matches your requirement.

From a financial point of view, it is advisable to understand your existing IT estate and its cost base in enough detail to enable us to evaluate the most cost effective solution for you.

Should I look for an offshore provider or stay UK based?

Overseas service providers may be able to offer good rates but there are many considerations involved in choosing to outsource your services abroad.

For example, will the overseas provider be subject to the same legislation as any UK based provider? For example, in relation to legal or data protection?

Who will audit the off-shore services, and correct any problems? Also, will the overseas provider have a sufficient degree of familiarity with the language and expectations of your customers? These points must be considered very carefully.

Ensuring that you get the most out of your outsourcing relationship means you will need to have regular meetings with your service provider, and measure their performance. This level of monitoring will be highly challenging with an overseas provider.

Is Software as a Service (SaaS) the same as IT outsourcing?

Software as a Service (SaaS) or web-based software is not necessarily the same as IT outsourcing, however it does have similar principals.

A service provider will manage and maintain a business application for you, offering you access to it over a network and backing up any information that is generated from your usage.

You will be billed accordingly for the services you use, and there will be an agreement between you and the service provider that governs your usage and their responsibilities to you. The sorts of IT operations that can be provided as on-demand SaaS services include email, accounting, human resources etc.

If you have any further questions about IT outsourcing for SMEs, please get in touch. Our team are happy to have an informal chat about your requirements and explore different options.

Common IT outsourcing drivers

Outsourcing has been and most likely will always remain a contentious subject. What do we see as a leading outsourcing business as the “typical” outsourcing drivers? They can be summed into x6 main areas:

  1. Reduce risk
  2. Improved service
  3. Reduce duplication of effort and waste
  4. Detailed reporting
  5. A focus on customer experience
  6. Provide greater value for money

If your organisation is considering outsourcing some or all of its IT function, watch the video below where our Chief Operating Officer, Mark Watson, discusses Managed Services and how we support customers who have outsourced IT to us.

If you would like to learn more, please get in touch to speak to our team.

To find out how much outsourcing your IT service desk to a MSP would cost, click on the link below.

In-house vs outsourcing

Many companies face the challenge of deciding if the continuation of an in-house IT team is the best way forward, versus the benefits of outsourcing to an external expert.

This blog post looks at some of the benefits of IT outsourcing:

Benefits of outsourcing your IT

Focus

When you outsource, you can focus your time, attention and resources on your company’s core competencies. The remainder of your time can be spent achieving new goals.

Outsourcing frees up time for the people in your business – to focus on running and growing your company.

Many companies find that, as they grow, a key member of staff ends up becoming the ‘IT scapegoat’. Known to be good with computers, the IT scapegoat gets bombarded with requests for help whenever anything goes wrong, distracting them from their actual job. If your sales manager spends more time helping staff with computer problems than selling, then you know it’s time to make some changes.

Flexibility

Outsourcing is also a very flexible option. The biggest benefit of short term outsourcing is that you are able to bring in an expert for a defined period of time to perform a task without long term commitment.

Even if the hourly or project rate is higher than hiring an employee, you may save a significant sum by not committing to an annual salary and benefits etc.

This flexibility is also seasonal which means you can scale up or down quickly and accordingly – Ideal for temporary or short term operations – such as seasonal fulfilment, tax preparation or upgrading your infrastructure.

A service desk is often outsourced because those providers are better equipped to handle high volumes of calls on demand. It provides longer- term service desk needs as you gain operational efficiencies and skills that you would have a difficult time replicating in- house.

Outsourcing: when is the right time for you?

The correct time to outsource is different for each company. Some businesses have in-house staff to handle daily activities, but may need outside help to undertake new projects that don’t warrant another full-time employee.

When you are unable to manage the day-to-day business of your company and you have the desire to grow to the next stage, it may be time to consider outsourcing.

For most, the right time for outsourcing is when you have no time left to pursue growth.

If your company is without IT support, we can implement our services within a week. If an existing agreement is ending, we can transition the service during the month of the incumbent suppliers contract end (if required). A comfortable timeframe can be agreed to take into account your needs.

Can your business afford in-house IT support?

Making the right level of investment in IT support can be a tricky juggling act for SMEs.

Either you end up with too many resources and not enough work for your IT team. Or the opposite: insufficient resources, not enough team members and painfully slow response and resolution times that can impact the entire business.

IT performs two primary functions with most organisations. Strategic and therefore value added, where the work your team performs will generate long-term benefits. And at the same time, IT is immediate and necessary, a troubleshooting and business operational role, to ensure everyone has WiFi, email, access to systems and the network and other mission-critical services.

Security is interwoven in both roles, increasingly vital, considering the constant threat organisations of every size face from cybercriminals and malicious hackers.

Why is in-house IT support so expensive? 

IT talent doesn’t come cheap.

Naturally, those with more experience can expect higher salaries. However, even those with only a year or more experience (recent graduates) can be tempted by higher salaries offered by venture-backed startups and big tech firms. Competition for talent in the IT market is fierce, making it harder to recruit people in-house for service desk analyst roles.

Talent competition is one reason for higher than expected IT costs. IT professionals also need resources. Software, hardware and other equipment and services necessary to deliver support services. Attempting to work out how much – human and software – support is needed isn’t easy. It partly depends on what technology your company uses to operate. Do you use legacy software and hardware or have you undergone a digital transformation recently?

Older tech often requires more specialist support, making it more expensive to operate. You could recruit great IT talent, only for them to run first and second line support services. On the other hand, if your organisation has recently updated your tech, you could have an over-staffed IT team with not enough to occupy their time. Especially if a digital transformation project involved the implementation of self-service and other cost-saving tools.

Other costs associated with an in-house IT team include management, tax/NI, insurance, pensions, holidays, absences and various associated fixed costs. Budgetary pressures across an organisation could also mean that IT can’t make strategic improvements that would save money in the long-run.

Another option: outsourcing IT support 

Unlike strategic projects, first and second line support can be easily outsourced. How much IT support your business requires depends on the nature of the problems encountered on a weekly and monthly basis. Some issues may only appear sporadically, and with the right support, problems are proactively managed, so they don’t impact productivity anymore.

So why employ a team on a full-time basis to manage IT problems when they may only happen every so often? From a budgetary perspective, this doesn’t make much sense. Not when outsourcing support functions are far more cost-effective.

Consequently, this doesn’t mean you need to downsize your team. Instead, they can focus on long-term strategic projects that will save the company even more time and money, making everyone more productive whilst releasing budgetary pressures. Outsourcing IT service desk is the way forward. For long-term gains and to ensure your mission-critical services stay operational around the clock.

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