There are articles and blog posts all over the Internet that talk about having your own IT department. They'll talk to you about control and having the right efficiency levels as well as having much better customer service as a result. The problem is that these articles don't often mention that having your own in-house IT team can put you at a disadvantage. You wouldn't think it would be the case, but if you are a new business owner then you have to have the budget to be able to handle a full IT team in house. If you don't, you will end up falling behind, your business will be vulnerable to cyber attack, and you will still need help with your information technology.

Do you know anything about throughput? Would you know how to do the nuts and bolts of a firewall? If the answer to those questions is no, then you need to look at outsourcing. It's not always in your best interest to maintain an inhouse IT department if you are an owner of a small to medium size company. You might actually find that outsourcing is the better option, and we have four signs you should go ahead with that.

• Your current setup is costing you too much. Cost is always the main reason that people decide to outsource because outsourcing is much cheaper than in-house hiring. Most outsource companies will do everything that you need them to do for a fixed cost rather than you have to worry about spending out on more than one thing at a time. When you outsource, you pay that predetermined price for a package rather than for just one employee.
   
• You don't have to train anyone. Employees will always require upskilling if they are on the docket full time. When it comes to IT it's a little bit different because there are so many training options out there that unless you're a high level professional it's completely impossible to know where you should begin. Instead of hiring people and training them, you should take a look at outsourcing. Outsourced employees are already trained and they are already experts in what they do. You don't have to worry about trying to keep up with the latest and greatest trends, because they are already doing it for you.
   
• Your current team is just not keeping up. Information technology is evolving all of the time and your customers expect to be able to access your website and any of your payment pages with safety and ease. If your current IT team is not keeping up with these things, then you shouldn't be having them in-house.
   
• You just can't take the risk anymore. If you don't continuously update your security system then you are very vulnerable to cyber threats. This can include ransomware, zero day attacks and advanced threats that are just as persistent as you expect. Businesses can lose billions every year due to cyberattacks but you don't want your business to be a part of that figure. Outsourcing can help you to reduce that risk.