Whether you’re looking to outsource your entire IT department or are looking for additional support for your existing one, outsourcing can offer the support you need at a fraction of the cost of onboarding an internal team or a new hire. The top Houston IT company, Xvand, provides a wide range of IT support and management services to help you take your business to the next level.

Everyone needs IT support—even outside of the workforce, people utilize the different tiers of IT support every day. What are the levels of IT support? IT support is divided into five tiers (Tier 0 through Tier 4), with Tier 0 indicating the absolute minimum amount of professional IT support and four being the highest. 

You’ve probably used Tier 0 support when learning how to connect your flatscreen TV to your WiFi (user manuals, website FAQs, troubleshooting, and connecting with other users on web-based forums or communities). 

Outsourced IT services fall into the Tier 4 category, offering you the maximum amount of support when you need it.

What Does 'Outsourced IT' Mean?

‘Outsourced IT’ refers to when some or all of your business technology is outsourced to a full-time third-party expert. These are commonly called Managed Service Providers (MSPs), IT Services Providers, or IT Consultants. 

The specific services offered depend on the provider and package. Some opt for an ad hoc hourly rate support team (often referred to as a 'break-fix') that is there when you need assistance. Others charge a monthly fee to provide everything from a help desk to network monitoring and management.

There are two main types of outsourced IT:

Fully Outsourced IT

A fully outsourced IT service means your business has decided not to hire an in-house IT team and instead refers all of its IT to a third-party provider, like an MSP. This gives you an all-in-one service, including:

• Remote support

• Help desk services

• Troubleshooting

• Security monitoring

• Backups

• Software updates

• Off-site data centers

• Cloud management and transference

An MSP can ultimately function as your strategic technology partner. It can manage and maintain your entire network and technology, keeping your uptime maximized and available 24/7.

Co-Managed IT

Co-managed IT specifically refers to businesses that already have an internal (in-house) IT team or department, but have tasks or projects the team doesn’t have time for or skills to manage. This kind of support is ideal if you are looking for short-term assistance.

You can hire co-managed IT to run your day-to-day operations, as well, while your IT team focuses on larger projects. You can also do the inverse and have them tackle projects while your in-house department keeps business running as usual. These services can include:

• 24/7 security monitoring

• Computing system updates

• Backups

• Help desk services

Pros of Outsourcing

Outsourcing your IT services offers you a wide range of benefits, but these can be boiled down to saving you money while offering premium support services. What more could you want from your IT management?

The Cost Breakdown

Depending on the service provider you contract with, outsourcing your IT department in any capacity will likely be the most cost-effective. Some MSPs charge monthly on a per-user basis, with an average of $95 to $450 per month. Others, like XVand, will thoroughly take into account your current setup, needs, and projects to draft a customized estimate of a consistent monthly fee. 

This fee will cover all your needs, including the strategy legwork and research on our end to make sure your business is up-to-date with the latest systems and technologies, and 24/7 help desk support.

Onboarding a new staff member or an entire department is time-consuming and uses more money than just the salary. Hiring two in-house employees can cost around $155,000 per year, not including benefits. Also consider the hours you’d pay existing staff to post the ad for the position, review applications, interview, and train these new hires. You'd easily spend tens of thousands of dollars on top of that $155,000. 

Next, consider the likelihood of paying overtime; if your servers crash after hours or your in-house employees need hand-holding through a new system, your team can burn out quickly and wrack up a hefty paycheck. You may need to outsource anyway because your department doesn’t have the skills required to tackle certain projects!

With outsourced IT, you have 24/7 support at a fixed cost that you can expect.

Streamlined Support

We mentioned 24/7 access to experts, but MSPs also handle the background work you need. They are committed to recurring planning and strategic consultations while doing research on the latest programs and technologies your company can invest in for your workspace. 

At Xvand, we offer Tier 4 support round-the-clock. This means you aren’t stuck Googling answers, sitting through a phone tree, or working with AI support that never quite answers your question. We offer a 99.99% uptime guarantee, our help desk representatives use easy-to-understand language, and we resolve 90% of tickets in just ten minutes or less!

Ready to make the switch and save money without sacrificing quality support? Contact us today for your free consultation!