Small to medium-sized law firms manage job-critical tasks and administrative functions that support those key tasks. As the office manager, you are responsible for driving success and profitability. You know it’s the small but essential job roles that contribute to thriving operations. You might allocate payroll resources to hire paraprofessionals who handle administrative tasks. What do you do when it comes to IT? Let’s discuss the benefits of outsourcing your IT infrastructure, which in turn makes you leaner and more agile.
What is IT Infrastructure?
What exactly do we mean by “IT infrastructure?” IT infrastructure is the technology that props up your firm’s operations. There are three branches of IT infrastructure:
- Hardware
- Software
- Network functions
Hardware includes all the critical devices that your practice uses, such as PCs, laptops, tablets, and cell phones.
Software refers to the different program solutions that make your business run. These can be a number of discrete programs such as billing software and office productivity tools like Microsoft 365, or an all-in-one enterprise resource planning (ERP) program or a customer resource manager CRM.
The network is the vehicle that connects your business to the wider world. Whether you use it to obtain information and resources or promote a work from home (WFH) business model, your networking considerations are essential for your IT infrastructure.
The Benefits of Outsourcing Your IT Infrastructure
Outsourcing your IT infrastructure to a third party is an easy, beneficial way to offload a concert of information-related administrative tasks from your core business. Below are eight key benefits of outsourcing your IT infrastructure:
1. Cost reduction
Saving money is the main reason most firms consider outsourcing in the first place. By designating IT-related tasks to a hired contractor, you save on the cost of expensive software, networking solutions, and staff charged with managing information and the infrastructure required to do that.
Outsourcing takes all those individual costs and packages them together into one lower price point, saving you valuable resources in the process.
2. Access to trained and qualified experts
Each new system that your law firm implements comes with a learning curve. It’s possible to be semi-proficient with software without having mastered it. But that means you don’t realize the full value of the product. By outsourcing IT infrastructure, you gain access to qualified and highly-trained professionals, augmenting your company’s operations in the process.
3. Adaptability/increased access to new technology
Technology constantly advances. New technology comes to the market all the time. Sometimes those changes simply make operations easier. But sometimes leaps in tech change the entire industry. Keeping up on your own takes a heavy toll on your budget, not to mention the time sink involved with implementing new technology. IT outsourcing gives you access to an ever-increasing network of new technologies that might otherwise be unavailable. Outsourcing gives your firm parity with its competition by boosting adaptability.
4. Security
It helps to have a second set of eyes. Many businesses, specifically law firms, handle sensitive information on a regular basis. Protecting client confidentiality is paramount. An IT outsourcing specialist manages complex data security for you, serving as a trusted professional and advisor. Outsourcing adds an extra layer of protection to safeguard your clients’ privacy.
5. Improved scalability
You are a medium-sized law firm now. If all goes according to plan, you won’t be for long. Progress and growth are your goals. While you may experience plateaus, few professionals are comfortable remaining stagnant.
With increasing business comes an increase in costs and necessary resources. It’s difficult to scale up your business without outside professionals; by partnering with an IT outsourcing expert, you gain increased leverage and scalability.
6. Built-in strategic consulting
Form dictates function. In order for your business to grow, your IT infrastructure and your business goals must sync. An IT specialist (vCIO) works with your company to develop a strategic plan that best utilizes your IT resources to overcome challenges and support prosperity.
7. Maintain regulatory compliance
Security and regulatory compliance go hand in hand. Your law firm has both an ethical and legal responsibility to safeguard your clients’ data. There are numerous national standards in play to help ensure that you store your customer’s data in a secure format. IT professionals are up to date on all of them.
8. Renewed focus
If you manage a young firm, you expect to wear multiple hats during the initial phases of startup. Your core business it is at the heart of your profitability and continued solvency, but other tasks often draw you away. The cavalcade of small yet essential administrative tasks is never-ending. With an IT outsourcing partner, you can offload these tasks onto a third-party support assistant, freeing yourself to pursue the health of your growing business.
Vertex: a Trusted IT Partner
Engaging an experienced, managed IT professional revitalizes your small- to medium-sized legal practice by refocussing efforts on law-based tasks and committments. Vertex specializes in IT management. We are a trusted partner in Toronto’s legal industry when it comes to IT infrastructure.
Vertex brings industry-specific compliance expertise to your operations, aligning with your clients’ best interests. Vertex positions you on the forward edge of software and technology with industry-best support. We provide a mix of security, strategic planning, and software management coupled with continual oversight to ensure the health of your business now and your growth tomorrow. Offload your IT burdens so that you can focus on what’s most important: your client. Are you ready to outsource your IT infrastructure? Contact Vertex Corp today.