What You Should Consider When Outsourcing Your IT

When an outsourcing provider charges you by the hour with an estimate of how long the project will run, you are putting your business in a vulnerable position. What if the project should, for whatever reason, take significantly longer to complete than initially estimated? Or what if the project takes much less time as your provider told you in the first place and while you're still paying their hours, they are still off to another client. How long a project really runs for, that is the unknown factor. And why should you be expected to pay for delays of technical problems? Yet often that's exactly what's happening. IT projects become bottomless pits. And you are the one paying for it.

Rather than being penalised for delivering late, the service provider is rewarded for their inefficiency or ineptitude by being paid for the extra time spent. The more time spent, the greater their reward. The client's expected ROI goes out of the window and they foot a hefty bill. Using IT consultants and contractors who are paid by the hour for project work can often be like writing out a blank cheque. If your IT service provider refuses to deliver for a fixed price, agreed to before commencement of the project, how confident are they in their own abilities to deliver on time and on budget? In turn you should ask yourself, how confident can I be in their abilities to do so?

So before outsourcing your IT work, have a close look at the providers you contact. Ask them lots of questions and don't be afraid to ask silly questions. After all it's not your job to have an extraordinary IT knowledge but theirs and they should know that and answer all your questions openly and honestly. And let them give you more information on their charging system. And then consider all possibilities. What if the project is solved faster as expected? What if it takes much longer? What if the project that started as a minor fix turns out to be a major revamp of your entire system? How much choice will they give you?

Computer systems are a critical point of your business, so don't act carelessly when it comes to your IT. Just remember if your systems are down, your business is down. And it's not just the time and money you are spending on fixing them again but all the money and profit lost from not being able to service your clients.

Steve A. Davis is the owner of CVW Technology - IT Management and Support based in Perth, Werstern Australia. CVW Technology provides IT Services and Support to small and medium sized businesses and was formed in 2007 out of the need for personable and reliable IT support for WA businesses.