Authored by: Kelly Ross, Chief Technology Officer
Oustsourcing your hosting is a change worth exploring. Each year, the door swings open for tech innovation and new opportunities to make impactful modifications for both small and large businesses. Concerns you may have had about loss of data privacy or operational control, or software contracts that became a barrier to innovation, aren’t always the reality with third-party hosting. And it’s possible to tailor your outsourcing to your specific needs. Rather than begin with your entire system, you can outsource only your operations hosting, or hosting for a particular application. We have many clients who host with us as they transition to Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Business Gains You Can Make Through Outsourcing
The market you compete in and your organization’s place in your digital transformation journey can dictate the blend of benefits you gain from outsourcing hosting. The clients we host for in healthcare, manufacturing, logistics and more are making these business gains with their outsourcing decision:
Reduced costs and increased value. This is a primary driver for outsourcing hosting. Organizations that provide managed IT services can offer a high-quality support experience with proactive monitoring at a lower cost because they’re specialized. Outsourcing frees your IT team from time-intensive infrastructure or operations management tasks.
Ability to scale your support team. When a sudden hosting issue occurs or you’re deploying a new application, an outsourcing team can swarm together for quick resolution without pulling your IT team away from their priorities.
Access to experts. It can be difficult (and expensive) to maintain an IT team with wide-ranging technical knowledge and skills. Outsourcing gives your IT team access to partners with specialized and in-demand resources for as little or as long as you need them.
Maintain concentration on your core business. There’s never a shortage of demands on internal IT teams in today’s digital environment. Having hosting managed by an attentive expert allows your IT leaders to stay focused on moving your business strategy forward.
Ability to utilize new or quickly evolving technologies. The time and cost of training internal resources on quickly advancing technologies can diminish the value and even the possibility of utilizing those tools in your organization. An outsourcing partner can provide qualified staff with deep specialized experience, enabling your organization to take full advantage of state-of-the-art tech.
How to Select a Hosting Partner
At TESCHGlobal, we’ve found that a top priority for managed services clients is finding the right blend of flexibility and defined support. Look for a partner that offers service options that fit your needs without requiring you to pay for what you don’t need. That’s the flexibility piece. When it comes to support, ask about clear and concise support guidelines, and the vendor’s protocols for response time and support mode. The vendor should have an online portal for ticket management supporting those protocols. The support definitions will give you a clear picture of the service and communication to expect.
There will also be some boxes that need to be checked, such as being local or U.S-based to eliminate any linguistic barriers, and evidence of appropriate, industry-specific security and training in compliance for your hosting team. Another baseline requirement is that your organization will maintain control of your data.
Part of this decision will also come down to your gut. Does this vendor prioritize lasting client relationships? Do they have good references beyond the honeymoon period? Do your interactions with them give you confidence in their abilities and their commitment to your organization? When you find a hosting vendor that inspires your trust, you’ve found an outsourcing solution that positions your company to make significant strides forward.