Last Updated on July 16, 2024 by Team Experts
London has garnered a stellar reputation as a go-to hub for outsourced IT support in UK and around the globe. London IT support services has made quite a name for itself as a top performing industry and we want to know why. Let us take a look.
It can be safely presumed that after the fire and the wheel, Information Technology has been the single biggest game-changing discovery in the history of mankind. Information Technology is the backbone of our very existence. No wonder words like “online”, “offline”, “log-in” and “log-out” are part of our everyday vocabulary these days.
If you are running a business, no matter how big or small, having a solid IT infrastructure is an absolute must. From inventing and implementing something new, through coordinating among your employees, to interacting with your clients, you need IT to bridge all the gaps. But maintaining an in-house IT infrastructure can be quite the headache for small and mid-sized businesses.
What if you need more innovation and your in-house IT team is not cut out for the job? What if your in-house IT team is too small to respond to the growing demands of a rapidly expanding business? What if your star IT team member leaves all of a sudden?
Technology is evolving with every breath we take. Data has firmly established itself as the new-age currency. Hardware is more complex than ever. You need an IT team that can quickly adapt to change. That means paying for a team that is constantly on training mode! All signs point to the writing on the wall. Managing an in-house IT infrastructure isn’t the bog you need for your growing business. What then? Read on for the answer.
London IT Services and IT Outsourcing as a Business Strategy
North America (USA and Canada combined) makes for the second largest tech-hub in the world close in the heels of China. But North American IT outsourcing companies are the most expensive to hire. US IT professionals can charge anywhere between $115,000 to $171,000 per year. Canadian IT professionals aren’t far behind with average annual demands hovering around the $75,000 mark.
This makes Latin America a more lucrative destination for small enterprises who are strained for budget. Argentina and Mexico, with their average hourly asking rates hovering between $50 and $120, pose as pretty attractive propositions. But proficiency in English is a problem when it comes to global communication skills.
India, with her enormous IT and BPM workforce, makes for an ultra-cost-effective destination for outsourced IT solutions. The hourly asking rate is just around $11. But detractors doubt the quality of service.
Of late, Singapore and Philippines have come up as major hubs for business IT solutions. But a substantial time-zone difference with the Western Hemisphere often serves as a deal breaker for US and European clients.
Central Europe is gunning for glory these days. Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic and Ukraine have all proved themselves as major hubs for outsourced IT services. An army of skilled workers with good knowledge in English coupled with average hourly asking rates between $25 to $75 makes for a very lucrative proposition to US and Western European clients.
How Does the UK IT Industry Fare in the Face of Such Stiff Competition?
The United Kingdom is Western Europe’s IT and software development outsourcing hub. The country’s IT infrastructure outsourcing industry has been raking in magic figures in revenue since 2018. More than 70% of UK businesses believe in outsourcing and IT support is the most frequently outsourced function.
UK’s IT ecosystem beats Germany by a fair margin, with a value of $585 billion as opposed to Germany’s $291 billion (Tech Nation Report 2021). No wonder, UK has been crowned as Europe’s most technological nation. It is one of the top 10 countries in digital transformation readiness and, quite unsurprisingly, ranks as the world’s second biggest fintech investor. UK isn’t lagging behind in AI and blockchain ventures either! Globally, third in AI and fourth in blockchain ventures, UK is gunning for glory.
Did you know UK has as many tech unicorns as Sweden, Germany, France and Israel combined?
Why Choose London IT Support Services?
London has to compete with a clutch of IT hubs within the UK. East England (including the Cambridge IT hub), the North West (including Manchester and Liverpool), the Midlands (including Birmingham) and the South East (including Oxford and Oxfordshire) all compete for a peace of the same pie. Here is a list of reasons describing why London fits the bill as the best place to seek IT support in UK.
#1 London has Europe’s largest technology professionals’ pool. More than 50% of the UK’s software developers are based in London.
#2 There is nothing that the London IT services cannot do. With unabated access to latest technology and investment, London’s IT companies look mighty impressive. Tech companies delivering IT support services in London are the crown jewels of the UK tech domain.
#3 London IT services won’t turn you down due to geographical distances. UK is Europe’s most offshore-outsourcing-friendly country after all!
#4 London’s unique time-zone means it is not difficult for her IT solutions companies to serve North American as well as Asian clients with equal gusto.
#5 English is a world language now. We don’t have to tell you why London checks all the boxes when it comes to global communication, do we? It has one of the largest densities of native English speakers in the world.
#6 Outsourcing your IT infrastructure comes with its own set of benefits. Here are some of them:
#6-a Cost reduction: A penny saved is a penny earned. By outsourcing your IT infrastructure, you relieve yourself of the financial burden of maintaining a dedicated team of in-house employees.
You pay for what you need when you need. Besides, hiring and training IT employees puts a dent on your profits. Every time an employee leaves, you are left in the lurch. Why not save time and money?
#6-b Hiring experts for less: It is impossible to know everything there is to know. IT being a complex domain, this statement makes even more sense. You cannot possibly have an in-house IT team that is constantly adapting to new technology and serving your business needs simultaneously.
In the outsourced IT infrastructure market, you can find all the experts you need at a pocket friendly budget. You can hire multiple resources without burning a hole in your purse. The outsourced IT infrastructure market is ever teeming with talent and experience. If you have a job, there is always someone to do it for less.
#6-c Stay focused on the core business: This is especially true for non-IT businesses. Business managers can have a hard time micromanaging everything. With a domain as complex as IT, micromanaging technological challenges is like walking on ember.
Why get bogged down by the demands of a support function? When you outsource your IT infrastructure, you can focus all your energy and imagination into your core business and leave the complicated tech-stuff for the IT guys.
#6-d Stay ahead of the curve: An in-house IT team can take a while to learn, innovate and implement new technology. This ultimately leads to delay, increased costs and a whole lot of miffed customers.
When you outsource your IT infrastructure, you open a window to a whole new world teeming with experts. They can solve your IT challenges in no time and keep you ahead of the competition. It is easy to find bespoke IT solutions in London. With a constellation of the world’s top IT professionals, the London-IT-support-services industry can help skyrocket your business.
#6-e Say goodbye to expensive hardware: IT hardware isn’t cheap. Outsourcing your IT infrastructure abolishes the need to maintain expensive hardware. Everything is managed by the IT outsourcing company you hire.
Detractors of the UK and London IT industry will have you believe that asking rates of the London based IT professionals are a big let-down. But quality costs money and London IT services will help you save more than you can imagine.
