Benefits of Nonprofit IT Services In North York, ON
Technology is an essential element of running an efficient nonprofit organization. Prepping for board meetings, fielding calls with important donors, or simply emailing colleagues are crucial day-to-day operations dependent on technology. With so much on your plate, your organization can’t afford to come to a standstill due to technological failures. However, most nonprofits have a limited IT budget and rely on a break-fix model. While managing your IT with an in-house team may seem feasible at first, it’s nearly impossible to stay up to date with the ever-changing landscape of technology to keep your hardware and software current without the help of a managed services provider.
By outsourcing your IT, you can ensure that your IT infrastructure is secure, your platforms and donor management apps are working harmoniously, and your staff has the necessary resources to be productive and carry on with your mission. An outsourced IT provider can develop a strong IT strategy to help your organization achieve its goals, aid in fundraising initiatives, leverage the latest tech to tackle big challenges, scale with you, and allow you to focus on your mission.
Benefits of Outsourcing IT Services Vs. Hiring In-House for Nonprofits in North York, ON
More and more nonprofit organizations in North York, ON, are realizing the benefits of outsourcing IT services. These include:
1. Reduced Operational Costs
Nonprofit organizations already work on tight budgets, and hiring an in-house IT professional can become expensive, eating up more of your limited budget. Not only will your administration payroll increase, but the addition will also impact the hardware/software budget, the training budget, and let’s not forget the pinch on office space. You also have to consider other costs like taxes, health insurance, and other benefits. Outsourcing eliminates all these costs since you only pay for the service provided, saving you thousands of dollars, which you can use to further your mission.
Additionally, most outsourced IT service providers operate on a flat-rate model where you pay a flat rate for all the IT services you need. This removes the guesswork involved with determining your monthly expenses, improving your ability to plan the budget for the year. For most nonprofits that work with limited and sometimes shrinking budgets, consistency in spending is very important.
2. Access to Skilled Talent
When you hire internally, you get one person’s expertise since no single person can be an expert in every area of IT. But when you work with an outsourced IT provider, you get access to the expertise of an entire team, ranging from cybersecurity experts, network administrators to helpdesk IT experts. And because outsourced IT companies work with multiple clients across different verticals, they have a greater range of experience and can provide you with innovative solutions that your internal team wouldn’t have thought of. These IT providers also invest heavily in their employees by training them to stay updated on the latest IT trends and solutions. Essentially, outsourcing IT is an efficient and cost-effective way to access a wide skill pool covered by a manageable monthly fee.
3. Reliable Support When You Need It
It’s not feasible to expect your single IT manager to monitor every single aspect of your IT environment 24/7, 365 days of the year. If your server goes offline overnight, or your systems become exposed to a potential threat out of business hours, without the right support in place, you could experience disruptions that can negatively affect your organization.
With outsourced IT services, you can choose a level of support that covers these eventualities and provides 24/7 maintenance and monitoring to keep your computers, servers, and systems up and running. This means that should anything go wrong, you can rest assured that the technicians will be alerted and will have you back up and running before you’ve even got to work in the morning!
Having an IT support team on hand means problems can be resolved faster, and employees can return to work sooner. This means less time is spent dealing with technical issues, and more time is spent on the tasks which deliver value for your organization. An outsourced IT provider is also can identify larger issues that could cause an outage or technical problem in the future and suggest ways to solve it, preventing downtime.
4. Increased Efficiency
Through outsourcing, you can reduce the time spent on complex IT issues so you can focus more on your mission. Employees can spend less time trying to fix IT by themselves, technical issues can be resolved faster, and you can get expert advice on IT infrastructure problems.
By outsourcing your IT, you can also quickly implement new technology. Outsourced IT service providers will have the resources to start new projects right away. Handling the same project in-house might involve weeks or months to hire the right people, train them, and provide the support they need. IT companies will bring years of experience, saving time and money.
5. Increased Security and Better Disaster Recovery
Nonprofits rely on donations and, as such, collect private information on current and potential donors, including names, addresses, and contact information. This information is a goldmine for hackers because it is often not adequately secured. By outsourcing your IT, you gain access to security services like data monitoring, protection, and backup. Your IT provider can test your network vulnerabilities, monitor and flag suspicious network activity, and implement a robust cybersecurity strategy. They can also train your employees to recognize phishing emails and avoid malicious websites.
What’s more, IT providers will help keep your data and other critical information secure, ensuring continuity in case of data loss. Having a viable business continuity and disaster recovery plan in place for when disaster does strike, whether in the form of human error or natural disaster, means recovering from that event more quickly and with as few negative consequences as possible.
Need Nonprofit IT Services In North York, ON? Tektonic Can Help!
As a nonprofit, you have an important mission to fulfill and need a strategic IT partner to help you focus on what really matters. By working with Tektonic as your nonprofit IT services provider in North York, ON, you can optimize your IT infrastructure, improve efficiency, increase mission impact and enhance sector competitiveness. We provide comprehensive nonprofit IT services ranging from cybersecurity, managed IT services, mobile management, data backup and recovery, IT consulting, Microsoft 365 support to internet-based business telephones. We can grow and change with you as you find the best ways to work toward your organization’s cause. Contact us today and discover how our nonprofit IT services in North York, ON, can bring your organization closer to reaching its mission.