In any company, IT support services are critical. When a computer network is down, businesses can lose valuable information that is needed to interact with clients.

As a result, many companies outsource IT support to an external source in order to ensure that they get the quality service they need. While this does offer some benefits, there are some downsides to outsourcing.

Here are some of the disadvantages of investing in offsite IT consulting firms.

• Lack of Communication. Small business IT solutions can easily be outsourced to a third party, but at the expense of communication. When a client is having trouble accessing a cloud computing network, or there is a server crash, IT support from an external source could possibly take a longer time to fix the problem. If you have an in-house team, they can work on the issue immediately, cutting costly downtime. Also, you can communicate with them immediately, instead of having to call out to a support center.
• Data Security. There are more than a million IT workers employed in the U.S., and that means that at least a handful of them, if not more, will have access to your company’s data. While most IT companies have firewalls and other protections in place, you are essentially leaving the most important information about your company in the hands of a third party entity that employs people you do not know. Ultimately, outsourcing puts your data security at risk.
• Loss of Control. Most company owners and managers keep tabs on what happens in every sector of business. With external IT support companies, decisions on equipment, updates, and other new IT developments often happen without the knowledge of the client, as this is usually part of the package. By keeping IT in-house, companies will be able to asses which upgrades are truly worth the cost.

Business IT solutions that third party consulting firms offer can sometimes be cheaper, but they often bring a host of other concerns. By investing in their own team of IT professionals, companies can maintain the integrity of their data, and keep their network safe. Good refereneces.