IT infrastructure and its challenges: outsource or hire? (quick lesson)

As a business grows, supporting the staff's IT needs reaches a tipping point where the do-it-yourself approach no longer makes sense. You must determine when the time commitment and skill level of personally supporting IT efforts results in a negative cost-benefit when compared to the opportunity cost of continuing to work with sub-optimal IT solutions. At what point is your current boot-strap approach to technology a hindrance rather than a cost-saving measure?

In most cases, your options are to outsource specific tasks or hire an IT staff person. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and selecting one over the other involves many considerations.

This quick lesson is designed for small to medium-size business (SMB) owners and decision makers who don't have a lot of time or money to dedicate to technology.

In this quick lesson, you'll learn to recognize common indicators that signal the need for additional IT support resources. You'll also understand outsourcing pros and cons—the types of IT tasks that are ideal for outsourcing and those that aren't—and analyze the costs and benefits of hiring a full-time IT staff person.

By the end, you should be able to make a decision based on your particular environment and needs. That decision might be outsourcing, making a full-time hire or a hybrid approach. First, let's take a look at the signals that indicate you need additional IT resources.