Overwhelmed IT: how to maximize efficiency and increased productivity with the cloud

As technology evolves as a critical component of business success, it is now more important than ever for companies to leverage their IT team’s expertise to remain competitive. While tech professionals possess skillsets and knowledge that can provide valuable insight into business operations, the reality is that many IT departments find themselves overburdened with menial, day-to-day maintenance tasks, leaving little to no time for strategy, analysis or planning. How can your company fulfill mundane but necessary daily support functions while ensuring you get the most value out of your IT specialists?

Many SMBs lack the budget to staff a large IT department, servicing entire company’s needs with just a few department members. A 150-person firm, for example, may only have two or three people to handle all helpdesk functions. Inundated with service ticket requests for printer installations, password resets, device troubleshooting and more, these teams are stretched too thin with no time for anything else.

With so many requests and so few support staff, the response time is slow in addressing even the simplest issues, and larger, critical problems often go unsolved. In addition, overworked, overwhelmed IT professionals generally have lower productivity levels and tend to burn out quickly, losing the company valuable staff. By outsourcing these tasks, companies can free up their IT specialists to focus on larger projects aimed at future business growth and productivity.

Migrating servers to the cloud and contracting an experienced provider to handle all maintenance, security and support needs can be an efficient and cost-effective solution for firms looking to streamline IT functions and increase efficiency. The right provider can take the burden off internal staff by assuming all front-line helpdesk responsibilities. A provider that staffs highly skilled, senior engineers can rapidly respond to service requests and deploy experienced specialists to develop an immediate, custom solution to every issue.

With daily support and maintenance handled by a cloud solutions provider, internal IT techs are free to concentrate on high-level tasks. CIOs, CFOs and IT specialists are able to focus their time and energy on developing technological infrastructure to optimize workflow and increase productivity. And, through data analysis, they can provide their company with valuable insights into the business process and form strategies to facilitate sustainable growth.

From a cost savings perspective, a cloud provider may be the way to go. While the initial response is often that a monthly outsourcing fee is too expensive, firms need to consider how much they are already putting into their IT department and what value they are currently getting for their money. For less than the annual cost of hiring a single IT person, they can contract an outside provider and take advantage of all the resources they offer to accomplish more for less. With these outside support services, a 200-person company, for example, can run seamlessly and efficiently with a CIO and only one internal helpdesk employee.

If your business is need of a sustainable IT support solution, take a close look at your current operations and see where your techs’ time and energy are being spent. If you find your IT staff overwhelmed and declining in productivity, it may be time to outsource tech support to an experienced cloud provider. You will get the most value from your IT specialists’ skills when they are focused on the big picture: maximizing efficiency, improving business processes and enabling future enterprise growth.