Managed IT Services For Associations

Why Does My Association Need Managed IT Services?

Whether you run a soccer association, country club, or a community organization, one of your biggest worries is probably your Information Technology.

Many local and nationwide associations could benefit from managed IT services. In some cases, associations don’t feel they have the budget for these services. But they are more cost effective in most instances than in-house IT staff. Why? Read on and we’ll explain.

The True Cost of An In-House IT Department

You may think that in-house IT is cheaper than outsourcing but have you considered this?

• The average salary for an IT tech is now around $60,000 per year.
• You must provide insurance, vacations, sick days, and other perks. The cost of this can be thousands of dollars per year.
• How do you know if your in-house IT staff is really doing their job? Maybe they spend all day talking to friends online or hanging out at social media sites.
• What if a vital team member gets a better job offer? They’ll up and quit leaving your IT department short-staffed.

The Cost of Outsourcing

Outsourcing makes financial sense. You won’t need to invest in the equipment or software necessary to do a job. Your IT contractor will provide their own tools or include the cost of procuring the equipment in their monthly fee – and the price will usually be less than hiring your own people.

You can designate the cost of outsourcing as an operating expense rather than a capital expense. This can give you a good tax savings.

Managed IT Services give your association a lot of dependable services for your money. Just about everything will be covered for an affordable monthly fee. Those services are available each and every day and you don’t have to worry about an employee quitting or not doing their work properly.

Plus, training requirements never stop. If you employ an in-house team, you’ll have to pay for their skills to be updated each year. The cost of certifications can be substantial as well. Your outsourced IT company will pay for their techs to be trained and certified so you never have to worry about these issues.

Reasons Why Associations Don’t Outsource

Often, budgetary requirements are the number one reason why Associations don’t outsource their IT service. However, once they see the true cost of in-house techs and weigh that with all the benefits of outsourcing, they usually change their minds.

Truth be told, you’ll get much better IT services with a managed provider and save money in the long run. Plus, this takes one huge worry off your plate. Many organizations are struggling to survive these days. Memberships may be down. Donations might be low. There are constant worries that a data breach could occur and expose you to fines and charges.

Flexibility & Scalability – Outsourcing Wins

Outsourcing provides you with a professional team of people that can help with everything from cyber security to special projects. You can use outsourced services on an as-needed basis. An IT company can “jump in” to assist on a project when you need extra help. Or you can allow them to handle everything all the time so that you never have to worry about your technology again.

Associations are outsourcing IT service and support for many reasons. Here are the most common reasons why:

• Allows you to focus on your core responsibilities.
• Reduces and controls operating expenses.
• Gain access to world-class proficiencies and years of experience.
• Share risks with a partner company.
• Increase efficiency for time-consuming activities.
• Free up internal resources for other tasks.
• Maximize the use of external resources.

In the end, you must consider all the pros and cons of outsourcing and decide what option best meets your organization’s ongoing requirements.

At ICS, we’ve been doing this long enough to know that when an association has specialized help with their IT needs, they get better services that benefit their membership. The chances of a data breach are greatly diminished with professionals handling your cyber security. Just one breach can cost over a million dollars now, so this would definitely pay for itself. We believe outsourcing is a great idea and that your association will realize significant benefits.

Contact Your Managed IT Services Team

Your organization should be utilizing today’s best technology to improve member enjoyment & experience. But it must be safe, secure and offer your members peace of mind. This is the way to increase membership and improve profitability.

ICS specializes in providing IT service and support for associations of all types that will improve safety, enjoyment, and peace of mind. Managed IT Services and cloud computing from ICS will give your organization the edge it needs to grow. Contact us! We serve Houston, San Antonio and Austin with best-in-class managed IT services for all types of associations, even non-profits.