* SMBs should consider third-party support
The IT department is perhaps the conical business group where “do more with less” is simply accepted as the rule rather than the exception. And increasingly, this mantra has reached new extremes for small and midsize businesses.
SMBs are in an interesting predicament. Often, they are growing organizations that must compete larger companies who have more people, money, and buying power. But the advantage they may possess is that coveted entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to turn on a dime.
What’s more, they are willing to leverage technology more than their large-enterprise counterparts: 27% of SMBs define their IT culture as “bleeding edge,” compared to only 8% of large enterprises. As a group, they view IT as a differentiator, and a way they can compete more effectively with the big guys.
But when small businesses are no longer a handful of people working in a small office, and instead, 100 or 300 people working in several remote locations, the IT staff becomes even more taxed. That’s one key reason why we see 57% of SMBs relying upon third-party services to help them keep employees productive at the branch office.
Considering the SMB average IT budget increase is only 2% for 2007 (compared to 4% among large enterprises), it’s difficult for the IT staff to keep pace with the growing requirements of remote locations. Rather than try to get approval for new headcount, they’re turning toward third parties—carriers, vendors, systems integrators, and regional value-added resellers—to help with a variety of tasks.
These third parties—if properly managed—can be a solid extension to the IT staff and quickly resolve numerous issues, such as product or service installations, Level 1 support issues, training, and network optimization.
It’s imperative for SMBs to consider using third parties to meet end-user expectations of IT performance. And, it’s crucial for these third-party companies to understand the unique requirements of SMBs and their remote locations. More on that next week.
