Businesses are increasingly seeking to hire external IT support services rather than invest in their own internal infrastructure, it has been claimed.

Writing for Business Daily, Okuttah Mark explained that companies are looking to lease server space, secure remote storage and gain access to hosted services.

This option allows businesses to free up capacity, time and other resources to concentrate on their core businesses, he explained.

Mr Mark added that the guaranteed back-up provided by a specialist operator is also highly appealing to modern companies.

Gateway Business marketing director Tom Tudor told the news provider: “By outsourcing their IT services to managed service providers, companies eliminate the entry barriers such as investing in hardware or skilled IT staff.”

Last week, a study conducted by Brocade indicated that 76 per cent of firms are looking to raise network performance, simplify management processes and improve business efficiency.