Why IT Weekend Warriors are Like Eating Steak at Golden Corral

[Audrey McNeil <audrey () riskbasedsecurity com>]

http://www.business2community.com/tech-gadgets/weekend-warriors-like-eating-steak-golden-corral-01101322

Everything can be done for less. Agreed? You can buy a delicious prime
steak dinner for $75 and you can buy a steak dinner at Golden Corral for
$9.99. It’s all steak, so what’s the fuss? What’s that you say? They’re not
the same? Hmm. So, let me ask you – if that’s the way you shop for steak,
why don’t you shop for your IT services the same way?

When businesses settle for 1-man IT departments or, worse, the weekend
warrior (meaning they have a full time IT gig, but they’re working on your
business stuff on the weekends), it always makes me cringe a little. Don’t
get me wrong, I understand the logic. Managed Services are expensive. But
when you opt for a single man IT department, it’s just not the same thing.
Not even close.  Read more on why we think bringing on IT weekend warriors
are like eating steak at Golden Corral.

Your client’s won’t respect it.

Your clients rely on you to make the best possible decision regarding your
technology so that you’re available to serve their needs and provide them
with the quality produces and services that you offer. If your phone system
or servers go down mid-day and you have to wait until your IT guy gets off
work to take care of the issue, what does that say to your customers? It
says that saving a buck matters more to you than ensuring that your
technology can support them. Sound a little harsh? It’s just reality. In an
age of technology and instant gratification, companies that refuse to
innovate and invest in their IT get left behind.

The service just isn’t as good.

Have you ever gone to a really high end steak house? You know they have a
guy specifically dedicated to removing the crumbs from your table? They
don’t exactly go to that level at Golden Corral. You can’t pay
exponentially less and expect the same level of availability and support to
serve your users that you would get with a full Managed Services provider.

It’s not the same thing.

IT services are IT services, right? Wrong. A comprehensive Managed Services
strategy from a team of IT industry professionals is completely different
than “Managed Services” from a weekend warrior. IT companies spend
literally hundreds of thousands of dollars investing in tools to maintain
your networks, offer remote support and create reports to allow you to
understand how your technology is working for you. Your weekend warrior
just doesn’t have that. Make sure that you’re comparing apples to apples
when you’re analyzing the cost.

You’re going to regret it later.

The majority of lesser quality restaurants typically come with a
predictable consequence. Unfortunately for you, when you choose poorly with
regard to your IT provider, the resulting issues are far worse than
indigestion. They include complete data loss, failed backups, lost
productivity, user inefficiency, extensive downtime, poor support and a hit
to your bottom line.

So, tell me this: what do you really stand to save in the long run by
saving in the short term? When you’ve worked for decades to build a
business, you want to make sure that you ensure that your technology will
support it. When you hire a weekend warrior or single man IT department
that just can’t happen. Make sure you understand exactly what you’re paying
for when you get an estimate for comprehensive managed services and avoid
the unfortunate consequence that comes with making the wrong choice.

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