December 9, 2021 | By stephen

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What’s Hybrid IT? How It Works and Its Benefits

• LeadingIT

According to IBM, a data breach cost small companies (with an average of 500 employees or fewer) $2.74 million in 2019 and  $2.35 million in 2020. For larger companies (with an average of 25,000 employees or more), a data breach cost an average of $5.11 million in 2019 and $4.25 million in 2020. One dilemma business leaders face in the IT world is whether to outsource IT support or maintain in-house staff. Each option has its fair share of advantages, making it challenging to select one over the other. But what if you could have both at once? This article highlights how hybrid IT helps you get the best of both worlds and its benefits.

In-house vs. Outsourced IT Support, What Are Your Options?

Gartner predicts that the global cybersecurity market will reach approximately $170.4 billion by next year. In many organizations, IT is one of the most expensive departments. And reasonably so—it involves acquiring and updating different hardware and software, hiring and remunerating IT specialists, continually training your staff to keep them abreast with emerging threat patterns, and the list is endless.

#Option 1. Hiring an IT Guy

Most small and medium-sized businesses may prefer having an IT Guy who they call when necessary. The IT Guy may not be a permanent employee. They may not be entitled to bonuses and allowances, making them pretty affordable. Also, you don’t have to train them to keep them informed at your expense. The challenge with an IT Guy, however, is that they may not understand your systems to detail. They may also fail to take time to learn your networks and design customized IT solutions.

VIDEO: One Guy Cannot Support Your IT | LeadingIT 050

#Option 2. A Small IT Department

An IT department is the next best alternative to an IT Guy. In-house IT employees exclusively handle your system, giving them time to learn and master every bit. That enables them to deliver customized solutions and provide the best IT support. The challenge of maintaining an in-house IT department, however, is that it’s costly. According to Glassdoor, for example, an IT specialist earns an average of $69,294 annually, exclusive of bonuses and other allowances. Depending on your organization’s size, you may need a couple of specialists and an IT leader. You have not factored in the hardware and software that you’ll need. The other challenge is that IT is a very broad concept, and just a few personnel in your IT department cannot master it all.

#Option 3. Outsourced IT Support

According to 2019 Varonis Global Data Risk Report, only 5% of an organization’s folders are fully protected against a breach. As your business grows, the internal team will inevitably be overwhelmed, since your support needs will become more advanced. That leaves you with one option—outsourcing IT support. It can grant you access to a wide pool of vastly experienced experts at a fraction of what an in-house department would cost. Besides, managed IT service providers always come with the best software in the market.

The problem is that you already have an IT department. And it makes little sense to disband the entire team and dismiss your staff for fully outsourced IT support. The in-house department may have its shortcomings—yes—but that’s not enough to make you overlook their dedication and the good work they have done so far. So, what do you do?

Get the Best of Both Worlds With Hybrid IT

Hybrid IT, popularly known as co-managed IT, is an arrangement in which we work with your existing IT staff. Instead of disbanding the department for fully outsourced IT support, we come in and help it perform better. Think of us as an external extension to your existing team.

VIDEO: Co-Managed IT| LeadingIT 055

With this arrangement, you can enjoy the benefits of having an internal department and those of outsourcing support simultaneously. Some benefits of hybrid IT include:

• It’s cheaper: IT support can be expensive, there’s no doubt about that but you can lose up to $17,700 per minute through phishing attacks, according to a report by RiskIQ. Adding more salaried personnel to your payroll would make it even more costly. Hybrid IT enables you to access the extra staffing at a small service fee without paying additional monthly salaries and bonuses.
• Eases scalability: As your business grows, its IT support needs also change and become more advanced. Unlike your in-house team, outsourced managed service providers have experience in helping other businesses maneuver through this growth process before. Therefore, they have the requisite skills to help your organization scale up and adjust your IT support accordingly.
• Creates more time for your in-house staff: You can list the services of an external team to handle time-consuming, routine tasks like customer support and patches. Doing so creates more time for your internal department to focus on other core business responsibilities.
• Gives you access to experienced and knowledgeable personnel: In-house staff have an in-depth understanding of your systems, but they may not have all the expertise. Outsourced personnel are vastly experienced, but they may not understand your network as the internal team does. Hybrid IT enables you to bring both personnel together to deliver the best IT support.

According to Cybersecurity Ventures, global cybercrime costs will soar to an all-time high of $6 trillion annually by the end of this year. While IT support may look expensive, data breaches are even more expensive. Combine your internal IT department’s efforts with an external team’s experience for the best IT support.

LeadingIT offers 24/7, all-inclusive, fast, and friendly technology and cybersecurity support for nonprofits, manufacturers, schools, accounting firms, religious organizations, government, and law offices with 10-200 employees across the Chicagoland area.