Should You Consider Outsourcing?
Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) need their core communications services to not only be reliable, but also to be available anywhere and anytime. They also need to be able to archive their key business data to meet stringent and complex regulatory compliance requirements. Lastly, they need to securely manage growing network and data assets for employees across numerous and disparate locations.
Another major concern is security. In fact, according to a recent survey, the top four electronic messaging priorities reported by SMBs are spam, spyware, e-mail archiving and viruses. Cost is another issue, although many SMBs tend to underestimate the cost of implementing and managing a messaging system in-house, which includes downtime, training and storage.
Outsourcing has found increasing favor in recent years among SMBs either unwilling or unable to manage the daily headaches and related cost of software implementation and upgrades, network maintenance, and support. The related benefits of the software as a service (SaaS) model therefore come through the use of off-site hardware and access to key business applications via the Web. These include messaging and collaboration tools, which allow employees, customers or key business partners to access critical applications 24/7 from any location.
SMBs can leverage the benefits of evolving technology without a large upfront investment in either infrastructure or staff to manage and maintain the technology in-house. In short, outsourcing gives SMBs an enterprise-class solution at a small-business price.
Outsourcing also offers comprehensive physical, network and application-level security. SaaS providers generally maintain secure data centers with full data backup capabilities, redundant power systems and top-of-the-line security features. These facilities are housed in unmarked buildings, with access limited and protected on a 24/7 basis by technical and human sensors. Video cameras watch over all activities, locked cages separate customer-dedicated equipment from that of other companies and electrical power…
