As businesses begin to see the very early signs of green shoots in the economy and their own performance, they will have to consider an important choice.

That’s the view of Peterborough IT support service provider Complete I.T., which is recommending that organisations carefully review the important operational and resource decisions that are looming.

Managing director Colin Blumenthal said: “In recent years, investment and headcount have often been reduced, particularly in support functions, such as marketing, finance, HR and IT.

“As organisations see the slow signs of recovery and growth, re-investment will be needed and this offers a perfect opportunity to re-evaluate whether the functions are best managed in-house or outsourced.”

outsourcing to specialist organisations offers several benefits, such as resource levels that can be flexed with changing demand, access to specialist expertise and knowledge from the supplier and the opportunity to focus on the core business and activities that make the business successful.

Many SMEs do not need a full-time resource in areas such as IT, finance, marketing and HR. Specialist providers can offer a highly flexible and responsive service.

“It can be difficult to find qualified experts prepared to do part-time work, so outsourcing offers an ideal business model,” added Colin.

The growth in outsourcing has spawned a large number of organisations offering services in these functional areas, but the recession has also hit this sector.

Colin said: “Clients enjoy the benefits and flexibility offered by outsourcing, but many suppliers have struggled to stay in business in a crowded marketplace.

“The survivors are typically those who deliver a first-class service that the client cannot afford to lose, or those who have developed a significant number of clients to soften the blow of any contract losses”.

Complete I.T. Peterborough supports 50 clients in the Cambridgeshire area and more than 300 nationally through its network of local support offices.

Peterborough-based Mobility Aids specialises in meeting the needs of its disabled and elderly clients, and previously managed its IT in-house before moving to Complete I.T.

Managing director Jason Watling said: “We had no quality internal IT experience and didn’t know how to proceed. I knew what I wanted, but had no idea how to bring these dreams to life”.

Commenting on the decision to outsource to Complete I.T, Jason added: “It’s like having another day per week for everybody in the business. All functions are now connected and we can genuinely focus on the needs of our clients rather than IT.”

Colin said: “We’ve seen how outsourcing of IT support has really benefited our clients, but it’s not for everyone. If you are planning the future of your business, this is an ideal time to ask the question.”