How to succeed in IT outsourcing?

The company's computer systems, whatever its activity, have become essential to both its existence and its development. However, the more complex they become, the more difficult it becomes for the company to ensure internal management of the system and IT maintenance, not to mention an in-depth digital transformation.

This is why specialized service providers offer their IT outsourcing services. What is IT outsourcing? Who are the IT outsourcing services for? Is it a simple IT maintenance? How do you finally choose the IT outsourcing that best suits your business? Here are some answers.

What is IT outsourcing?

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Company equipment and IT maintenance: Before talking about IT outsourcing, it is essential to take stock of the place of IT in the functioning of a company. First of all, there are the machines, the computers of each workstation, but also the server on which an operating system is installed, generally Windows or Linux. The latter manages not only the company's software, shared or not, but also peripherals, scanners and printers for example, messaging, access to the web and the company's website, connection access, etc. This hardware and its software must of course be secure and computer maintenance must be ensured so that this equipment is always in good condition. And beyond IT maintenance, the optimization of the operation of the company is also at stake. The question then arises of IT outsourcing.
Manage IT maintenance: outsource certain tasks with IT outsourcing?: The more complex IT systems become, including for VSEs and SMEs, the more IT maintenance becomes crucial and specialized. If large companies can afford to have an IT department or an IT department internalising these skills, the smallest are faced with a real difficulty: that of choosing whether or not to hire a specialist for its IT maintenance. That said, the trades are also becoming more and more specialized and a technician, a specialist in IT troubleshooting, will not necessarily have the skills to rethink your IT system infrastructure, manage the increase in flows of your website or ensure the security of your databases.

IT outsourcing appears here as a perfectly suited solution. Indeed, IT outsourcing is a service that offers to outsource all or part of the IT maintenance and system administration tasks. A contract is then established between the two parties, the company on the one hand and the IT outsourcing company on the other hand, precisely describing the outsourced tasks included in the IT outsourcing contract.
Why choose IT outsourcing?: The first strong argument is that IT outsourcing can significantly reduce costs for the business. Indeed, by outsourcing IT maintenance, the company limits its staffing needs. It is no longer necessary to call on a dedicated team. Fewer staff but also fewer premises to accommodate them. Second, the evolution of hardware and software, IT solutions but also the Internet environment, requires regular monitoring and updating. Again, this takes skill and time that costs the business. The IT outsourcing service provider, of which it is the core business, will always be able to offer the most innovative and efficient solutions. The company will thus be able to gain in competitiveness and efficiency.

Finally, security has become an essential problem of any computer system. Data confidentiality, resistance to various attacks, access management, these issues are constantly evolving and require constant attention, well beyond simple IT maintenance. IT outsourcing can relieve the company of these concerns and focus on its development and know-how.
How is IT outsourcing organized?: E-commerce, gaming company, company managing confidential databases, booming start-ups, each activity has its specificities and constraints. IT outsourcing services adapt to these many situations.

What does IT outsourcing generally include?

While each IT outsourcing contract may contain specific clauses and be adapted to the wishes of both parties, it usually includes several points :

The IT maintenance of all the company's computers as well as its server is the first and almost essential element of an IT outsourcing contract. It is as much the repair of a damaged hard drive as the replacement of a keyboard, passing by the general renewal of the computer equipment to guarantee the performances of the company and the adaptation of its equipment to its activities.
The administration, securing and monitoring of networks and the server constitute the second point of the IT outsourcing service. Adding new access for the employee who has just been hired, managing the flow of access to databases, removing a scanner from the network, are some examples of tasks that can be performed within the framework of IT outsourcing. It can also be about designing the infrastructure of your server to best adapt it to your activity but also to its development (the creation of a new department for example).
• IT assistance is often included in the IT outsourcing contract. Redefining a lost password, managing a firewall problem, unblocking a "crashed" workstation, are part of the IT outsourcing service.

Different forms of IT outsourcing

IT outsourcing can take different forms depending on the needs and requirements of both parties. That said, we can list several major types of IT outsourcing.

For example, the company can call on a company to provide IT outsourcing only for its IT equipment. The service provider therefore takes care of maintenance and prevention of equipment and network failures. Depending on the IT outsourcing providers, the contract may provide for the immediate intervention of a remote or on-site technician. In this type of IT outsourcing, the company retains full autonomy in the administration of its server, its IT system and its software.
IT outsourcing can also be what is called application IT outsourcing. The service provider is then in charge of managing the company's software and software packages. It is the company that remains the owner and must therefore manage the licenses and renewals.
If the company does not wish to manage software ownership, it can subscribe to IT outsourcing for the provision of applications. In this case, the IT outsourcing service provider is the owner of the various IT solutions. It thus relieves the company of this financial cost but also of the various inherent procedures - market study, negotiation, license renewal, etc.
Finally, we speak of global IT outsourcing when the IT outsourcing contract covers each of these positions. In more and more cases, the IT outsourcing service provider can also rent a dedicated IT server to its customer in its own premises. These dedicated server or shared server solutions are popular with companies because they reduce material constraints - securing premises, guaranteeing continuous operation, managing flows, for example - and thereby reducing costs for the company. business.

How to choose your IT outsourcing?

IT outsourcing providers are numerous and it becomes difficult to choose among all the proposals.

What to know before choosing your IT outsourcing

IT outsourcing is planned for the long term. It is the subject of an IT outsourcing contract established on a flat-rate basis and generally concluded on a multi-year basis. It is therefore necessary to consider IT outsourcing as a partnership over time and not as a one-off aid. It is therefore essential to reflect on its terms in time.

There are several ways of looking at IT outsourcing. This can be a simple way for the company to reduce costs by outsourcing a task that requires too many human resources in-house. However, with the increasingly marked digitization of activities, IT outsourcing can be seen as a solution for integrating business transformations by adapting tasks, optimizing skills and processes.

The IT outsourcing service provider, more than a manager, becomes a real player in the transformation of the company's systems.

Choose your IT outsourcing provider

To find the IT outsourcing service provider that will suit you, you must first define your needs, including in the medium term. If your needs are limited and you do not plan to fundamentally change the structure and activities of your company, a simple IT infrastructure outsourcing may be suitable. As it will ensure the computer maintenance of your equipment, it is better to look for a geographically close partner.

Costs are not the only criterion to take into account and it is essential to see in detail what are the elements taken into account in your IT outsourcing contract. It can also be combined with the rental of a dedicated server or the hosting of your own server.

Establishing precise and detailed specifications with your IT outsourcing provider is the best way to ensure your satisfaction and to be able to objectively compare the different IT outsourcing offers.

Simple provider for IT maintenance or a true partner for the digital transformation of your business, IT outsourcing is an innovative and scalable solution to reduce your costs and increase your efficiency and competitiveness. Discover the different IT outsourcing solutions!