The threats and challenges facing enterprise security teams are multiplying at a rapid pace. The combination of a growing volume of cybercrime attacks and the coronavirus pandemic shifting tens of millions of people into remote work made 2020 the worst year on record for cyber-attacks on companies, individuals, and governments with 37 billion exposed records. The emergence of new technologies powered by machine learning and AI, new connectivity, and transitions to cloud-based environments has added a greater load to already stressed IT teams and resulted in a more sophisticated threat profile.
Adding to the anxiety of increased threats is the lack of skilled individuals in the job market. The IT skills shortage hit an all-time high in 2020 of 3.5 million jobs, a 350% increase from 2013. Not only are there not enough people with the skills needed to fill open positions, but the number of new skills needed is only growing. McKinsey estimates that digital transformation efforts focused on AI and machine learning will lead to the displacement of 400 to 800 million traditional jobs by 2030, most of which will be replaced by technical roles designed to manage new systems and technologies. It’s a huge barrier to overcome for companies already struggling to keep up.
To address these challenges, many companies are evaluating how to supplement their internal IT team with outside support. By leaning on the expertise of an experienced firm that works with the newest technologies day in and day out, internal IT teams can more effectively manage both the day-to-day and emerging issues in their organizations. Let’s take a closer look at some of the specific benefits big companies gain by looking for expert outside support.
A Larger Pool of Knowledge without Having to Hire
Even in larger organizations, IT teams may be limited. In smaller and medium-sized companies, your “IT department” might be just a handful of people, and no matter how good they are, there are likely areas in which they don’t have the same level of expertise.
That leaves companies with limited options: either hire a new internal team member to spearhead new initiatives or provide the training and tools your existing team needs to tackle them. The latter may be tempting, but with most IT teams already stretched to the limit, it’s not always possible.
By supplementing your internal IT team with an outside provider, you can fill gaps in existing knowledge, address emerging technologies or cyber threats, and stay on top of the comprehensive needs of your company as they develop.
Cost-Effectiveness of Supplementing Your Team
Most companies opt to have a core internal IT team – technicians who know the infrastructure, business policies, and priorities inside out and can spearhead new initiatives on behalf of the executive team. But it’s not always cost-effective to hire for every gap on your team.
It can take weeks to hire a full-time employee, the cost of training is significant, and there is the risk of turnover in a very competitive market. At the same time, there may be key tasks for which you don’t need a full-time team member. Maybe it’s a temporary project like standing up a new ERP or migrating an Active Directory. In these cases, it can often be more cost-effective to bring in external resources for a limited period of time who can supplement your existing team.
Improvement to Workload Management
One of the most common concerns we hear from IT teams in large organizations is how difficult it can be to prioritize and manage workloads. IT professionals either prioritize high-level objectives like cloud migration, or they remain focused on the key elements of day-to-day tasks. In either situation, something is getting left out. The short-term needs or the long-term initiatives that will benefit the organization as a whole.
By supplementing your IT team with a managed solution, you can ensure the day-to-day elements run smoothly while focusing the attention of your IT leaders on the big picture initiatives that will help add value and grow your business.
Immediate Industry Expertise
Adding to the difficulty of hiring new IT staff are the specific compliance standards and requirements of industries like finance and healthcare. Finding the right person at the right time with the right credentials can be a major challenge for quickly growing companies.
By leveraging outside IT resources, you can fill temporary gaps and scale your IT efforts with professionals who know your industry and its unique requirements.
Security Management at Scale
One of the biggest growth challenges faced in any sized organization is scaling to match the unique security needs of a company, especially as it initiates digital transformation initiatives like cloud migration. Companies with hybrid cloud solutions especially often struggle as IT teams are asked to split their focus between on-premise infrastructure and cloud-based resources.
Maintaining best practices, complying with strict security standards, and completing the necessary audits to remain compliant can be incredibly time-consuming. It’s difficult to scale limited resources to meet these needs as they develop. That’s where an external IT resource can help, guiding the transition to the cloud, ensuring audit compliance, and helping guide your organization through the process.
Taking Your IT Efforts to the Next Level
Supplementing your internal IT team does not mean replacing them. Most IT teams are overworked and understaffed, with insufficient resources to address every immediate issue and long-term initiative on their plate.
By bringing in additional resources with experience working in your industry, you can scale your digital transformation efforts, align IT initiatives with your business strategy, and ensure consistent, efficient use of resources. This all helps get more out of your existing IT team.
Learn how Bedroc works with medium and enterprise-sized businesses to augment existing IT resources and tackle large initiatives that will help grow and improve their long-term plans.