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In-House or Outsourced IT: Which Is Best for Your Business?

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |In-house or Outsourced IT|In-House or Outsourced IT: Which Is Best for Your Business?Presently, IT businesses have a lot of requirements and various tasks to be done from design, content creation up to development, marketing, and administrative work. Every task is important and requires human resources. The main question is whether to hire a full-time in-house team or outsource and bring in the experts only when it’s necessary?

In-house vs. Outsourced IT: What’s the difference?

The insourcing or in-house team is a practice when the work and tasks are performed within the operational infrastructure of the company. While outsourcing is a process of contracting experts, who are not affiliated with the organization, for completing specific tasks.

The main difference between the approaches is the way tasks, projects, and work are divided between the departments for strategic purposes. So, what is best for your company: an in-house or outsourced team? Both approaches have their own benefits and limitations. Let’s get to the bottom of the beneficial and negative impacts of each practice.

In-house IT team: Benefits and Limitations

Hiring employees to your in-house IT team, the huge advantage is that you can train them to your business’s specific needs, and the workers are always available. When interviewing the candidates, you choose only those who suit the requisite level of skills, knowledge, experience. Thus, you control, monitor, and track all the processes of hiring and work.

The deep understanding is the next advantage. The office workers know the culture of the company and are aware of all project aspects and business objectives. Besides that, they work with the project from the very beginning that means they know it in detail. Thus, the team can start to work immediately without a need to get familiar with it.

The high quality is an unquestionable advantage of insourcing that stems from the previous issues. When you build the in-house team, you can be sure that they will do their best, and you’ll get the results that suit your expectations.

The main drawbacks of hiring office workers can mainly relate to the initial financial outlay. Thus, you need to train the newbies of the team, and after you need to constantly update their knowledge and skills. That can be a costly affair.

That’s saying nothing about the regular salary with the full pack of employee benefits, including vacation, sick leaves, and so on. Besides, it doesn’t matter if there is a task for a worker or not, you need to pay a salary anyway.

Absence issues are the next pitfalls to mention. In case your team member is sick or just leaves the company, some time along with the money is needed on new hiring or endure project pauses.

Outsourced IT team: Benefits and Limitations

Due to the Deloitte global outsourcing survey made in 2016, there are two primary reasons companies outsource:

  • to cut costs;
  • to free the in-house team to focus on core business objectives.

These are the main advantages though. No need to pay high salaries or equip the workers. You can bring in the outsourcing developer, writer, designer, etc. with a specific skill set to take a certain task only.

That gives time for your full-time staff to complete and focus on core business functions. Outsourcing gives you access to the huge talent pool. Not only can you hire specialists all over the globe, but also the rates of overseas professionals can be lower.

The biggest cons of outsourcing IT teams is the poor quality of work and management issues. It can be a challenge to find a freelancer to meet the expectations and to accomplish the task in time.

Bottom line

Today the economic situation makes businesses more flexible and search for new approaches to stay afloat and competitive. Facing the choice between the in-house and outsourced team, it’s evident that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this dilemma. When dealing with the right in-house IT team, the time, patience, and diligence is required. Also, you should clearly understand what skills are necessary for the business to be successful in the long term. In its turn, outsourcing can be a more cost-effective and immediate solution. However, as evidenced in practice, the best way is to combine these two approaches. Take the most important roles in-house, delegating some tasks like guest writing, graphic design, problem troubleshooting, etc. on-call to make workflows more efficient without additional expenses added.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Alexey KutsenkoAlexey Kutsenko is CMO at DDI Development company, that provides custom web & development services to worldwide clients. Alexey has a vast experience in building marketing strategies for various clients, defining the client’s needs, and leading digital marketing strategies in the company.

Hot Desking, Dedicated Desks And Coworking Spaces – What You Need To Know

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article | Hot Desking | Coworking Space
 
If joining a coworking space, one can get lost in a maze of spaces, each offering similar amenities but also being very different in culture and attitude. In New Zealand’s coworking landscape, you can find a mash-up of spaces, but choosing one depends on the fit of your business. Unlike typical office space, spaces have a personality of their own.

However, many spaces have a basic menu that provides a place to work and use the amenities associated with most offices. Some spaces provide office support in the form of a receptionist while others might focus on improving the amenities. To maximise the use of the spaces, prospective coworking professionals should research hot desking, dedicated desks, and coworking spaces to get an idea of what they might encounter.

Let’s take a closer look at the coworking platform and all its variations so you can choose the best option for your business.

Ins And Outs

Excepting the basic coworking space that provides Wi-Fi access and a table to work at, and maybe coffee, most coworking spaces worth their salt provide businesses with a menu of options. In addition to both the hot desk and the dedicated desk, private office space is available as well. Many of these spaces include the use of meeting room space with some providing the option as a part of an a la carte menu.

In Auckland and a few other cities, you might find spaces that cater to a particular type of business, as coworking has definitely evolved to include all businesses. Furthermore, the cost can run the gamut as well with high-end spaces catering to a more sophisticated crowd and more affordable spaces offering up practical amenities that can help businesses. Usually, the leases are month-to-month, or very short, and so being tied to a protracted lease is not an issue.

The coworking space is one that can be used to help your business comfortably grow. With larger spaces that have other plans, you can transition your business up or down to suit its needs. Finally, if lucky enough to find an internationally-operated coworking space you can benefit from spaces in other locations around the country and world.

Hot Desks Versus Dedicated Desks

While they occupy the same space, there is a marked difference between the hot desk and dedicated desks. The hot desk simply is a workspace that is shared with other professionals. You have access to the desk. In many cases, these spaces provide free Wi-Fi to professionals and come equipped with the standard office equipment you might find in your average office.

The dedicated desk, alternatively, is a permanent desk that professionals can lease monthly at a higher cost. These desks provide a little more privacy, and so if your business requires confidentiality, the dedicated desk is ideal for this option. While you might get more perks with the dedicated desk, you have access to similar office equipment.

Whether one is better than the other all depends on the needs of the business. Generally, sharing space requires everyone to leave the space clean. Furthermore, those who need workspace all the time might not be able to access a hot desk during peak times, but a dedicated desk is always available. Conversely, working alone in the dedicated desk, you remove opportunities to socially interact with others. Really, the advantage or disadvantage depends on the needs of the renter.

In The Know

These are the basics of the coworking space and the two most popular plans, but again once, heading out into New Zealand’s coworking community you are apt to find variations on the coworking concept. Any way you look at it, both options are still much cheaper options to even leasing the serviced office. More importantly, the potential to grow your business on platform primed to for success makes any choice good.

Benefits Of Migrating To Cloud Computing

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Benefits Of Migrating To Cloud Computing

More and more companies are moving their data to the cloud. The benefits of cloud-based computing are substantial and companies of all sizes and sectors are able to access these advantages.

Migration is the moving all of your data and applications away from a physical IT infrastructure onto a digital one is called cloud computing.

But, before you think of fully migrating to Cloud storage, you first need to consider an IT equipment disposal plan through a server disposal service provider or company. Here in Newark CA, there’s an expert by the name of “Dataknox” that offers complete equipment disposition, reverse logistics & equipment buyback, Cloud and asset management services.

However, some companies are still reticent to embrace cloud computing due to a number of concerns. They may not trust a solely, cloud-based system, fearing that it is more vulnerable to a cyber attack. Some companies do not like the thought of being beholden to an internet connection to run all of their key services.

Moving your IT functions to the cloud has a number of benefits:

  • Cost reduction
  • Scalability
  • Unlimited storage
  • Business continuity and disaster recovery options
  • Automation of common tasks
  • Security
  • Agile response
  • Increased uptime
  • Eco-conscious compared to standard IT systems

The most well-known cloud providers include Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud. The type of contract chosen depends on the storage and performance needs of the company.

Gartner’s research states that 83% of companies will be using cloud-based platforms bt the end of 2020. The industry itself is thought to be worth $240 billion annually.

Cost Reductions

Traditional IT systems use more hardware, which raises the overall cost of buying, installing, and maintaining your IT system. IBM estimated that IT labor costs are reduced by over 50% when a company switches to cloud computing.

By using a specialist such as cdsla.com to manage migration, you can further reduce costs by transferring your data and applications quickly and efficiently, causes little to no disruption to your services.

Reduce Downtime

Downtime is bad for business. It can cost companies money and their reputation. Standard, physical IT systems experience 4 times more downtime than cloud-based systems.

When deciding whether or not to move to cloud computing, consider how the impact of your IT systems going down for any length of time would affect you.

Scalability

Your cloud services can expand or contract in response to your business needs. This allows companies to adapt to changes without having to spend money on hardware to cope with temporary increases in demand.

If there is a sudden increase in demand for services, a cloud-based system can cope with these without any interruption.

Environmentally Friendly

The advent of cloud computing has decreased data center energy consumption by almost 40%. That is a huge reduction and one that can be further improved as more businesses move to the cloud.

Business Continuity

If there was a sudden emergency that stopped you accessing your place of business, or affected your data (such as a ransomware attack), how would you deal with it? Cloud computing can allow you to fail-over to backups almost instantly as part of a robust business continuity plan.

If someone is threatening to hold your data hostage unless you pay them, you simply failover to your backup systems.

Taking Inspiration From Google For Your Business Premises

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Taking Inspiration From Google For Your Business Premises

Renowned for creating incredible workspaces that aim to increase productivity in their staff, Google has 70 offices in 40 countries, each of them carefully designed to be an appealing and inspirational place to work. Here are just a few of the most exciting and design-led Google offices around the world.

Google Zurich, Switzerland

Step inside Google’s European engineering HQ, and you’d be forgiven for assuming you were atop an Alpine ski resort. In fact, you’re in one of the company’s many zoned conference areas, which encompass a snowy “North Pole”, complete with penguins, an aquarium chill-out zone, and swing chairs for (literally!) hanging out while you work.

Google Tel Aviv, Israel

Another innovative Camenzind Evolution design that can inspire your business, this sales and engineering hub sits in a prime spot in Israel’s coolest city, focusing on Google’s EMEA activities. The office has themed designs across its seven floors. Each reflects an authentic Israeli scene; hence an in-house orange grove tipping a wink to one of Israel’s most famous exports, corridors mocked-up to look like heritage cobbled streets (complete with window-boxes bursting with colourful blooms) and even a tractor-turned-lounge to complete the weird and wonderful décor.

Google London, United Kingdom

The Central St. Giles Building in Covent Garden is situated in the heart of London’s theatreland, playing host to Google’s London “Super HQ” within an unmistakably British space. Designed by British firm Penson, the patriotic theme starts from the Union Jack-swathed reception and continues on throughout the building with Chesterfield-buttoned velour lounge seating in British Racing Green, reminiscent of a vintage town hall, and kitschy chintz wallpaper and wing-back armchairs suggestive of a retro “Granny Flat”. This quirky style of interior design celebrates all things London with tongue firmly in cheek.

Google Amsterdam, Netherlands

Finally, engaging local design firm D/DOCK to refurbish its Amsterdam offices, Google’s newly refreshed reopened in January 2014. With eco credentials just as impressive as the design focus, this makeover adhered strictly to an approved materials list that minimised toxins, while maximising efficiency in power and water consumption. You can easily take inspiration from this, creating an industrial environment by engaging a pallet supply company and re-using materials and equipment in order to create an office space that inspires and amazes all at once. The wellbeing of the staff was also a major driver, with all employees afforded a 180° view across Amsterdam from the multitude of windows that line the offices. Thoughtful decorative touches appear everywhere, with bikes featuring heavily in the design (a nod to Amsterdam’s pedal-power transport culture), plus cute and comfortable 1960s caravans, complete with deckchairs and faux grass, repurposed as enticing meeting rooms for staff to enjoy.

As you can see, Google has gone a long way to ensure their office spaces are inspirational and truly incredible. You can take this approach with your business premises, irrespective of whether you have a number of offices or you own a warehouse. You can still make the place exciting while productive and adhering to safety regulations.

5 Ways Small Business Can Cut their Shipping Expenses

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | 5 Ways Small Business Can Cut their Shipping ExpensesShipping is a major expense for many small businesses. Yet, you can’t keep on expecting your customers to pay, and there’s a point when you’ll have to reduce costs in order to stay competitive. Thankfully, there are lots of things that you can do to keep these costs under control. Sometimes, all you have to do is make some minor adjustments, or look at ways that you can streamline your processes. Let’s take a look at a few ways small businesses can cut their shipping expenses.

Look at Shipping Insurance Software

One thing you should do is automate your shipments, insurance process, and tracking. Find a shipping insurance software company that offers third party insurance, and will allow you to save money in the process. Not only will you be able to find insurance for less, but you will also be able to get insurance on items that other carriers usually won’t offer. Find a tool that will allow you to manage all of your packages in one place, file claims, and get automated notifications about things like risk zones among other things.

Have Things Shipped through Your Shipping Account Number

A lot of businesses will have a tendency to have inventory shipped directly to them and get billed, but a better option would be to ask them to ship through your account number. Not only will it increase your volume, which translates to lower costs, but you also won’t have to deal with suppliers padding their shipping fees.

Use Your Carrier’s Packaging

Another thing you should do is use any packaging your carrier is providing instead of your own. If your packaging does not meet the size regulations of carriers like FedEx or UPS, you might have to deal with “dimensional fees”. Doing something as simple as putting small boxes in a FedEx envelope could save you tons of money.

Look at Regional Carriers

You should also consider working with regional carriers as well. Many of these carriers do as great of a job as national carriers like UPS but at a fraction of the cost. Some examples of great local companies include Lone Star in the state of Texas, Spee Dee in the Midwest, and OnTrac on the west coast.

Look for Association Discount

If you aren’t a member of a professional association in your industry, we suggest you start looking immediately. If you are already, then you should check to see if you can get a discount. You’d be surprised at how much you could end up saving. As a matter of fact, you could save up to 50% on shipping fees if you join the right organization. Not only will joining an association allow you to save on costs, but you’ll be able to get tons of visibility through directories and discounts on all sorts of things.

Conclusion

These are just some of the ways your business could make significant savings on shipping costs. This could have a big difference on your margins and allow you to offer better shipping terms to your clientele.