What is a Managed IT Provider and How Can It Help HR Leaders?
Wondering how to save time and streamline all your IT Tasks? Outsourcing it might be the answer.
Here's what you need to know:
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Outsourcing HR Can Save Hours for HR Leaders
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Leveraging a Managed IT solution for device procurement ensures machines are set up correctly and are secure
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With a Managed IT Provider, HR teams can simply submit an onboarding or offboarding request, select the appropriate employee profile, and let automation take over the rest.
HR teams face competing demands on their time every day. Employee engagement and development may be a top priority, but excessive admin and manual tasks tend to get in the way of more meaningful work. Technology promises to alleviate some of this workload, but without effective management, your tech stack can quickly become a burden rather than an asset.
As technology becomes increasingly intertwined with HR processes and operations, many companies are turning to Managed IT providers for help. By relying on an outsourced solution, People Ops Leaders can enjoy all the benefits and efficiencies of dedicated HR technology, without losing valuable time to in-house IT management. Ultimately, employees experience streamlined processes, and HR teams can get back to focusing on what matters most. So, how can you get started?
How to streamline and save time on IT Tasks
HR teams handle a variety of repetitive processes, whether it’s scheduling interviews, overseeing employee onboarding, or ordering laptops and other equipment for new hires. As a result, HR teams are often forced to choose between completing these critical tasks and investing in more strategic initiatives. Below are three ways technology can restore this balance and take manual tasks off HR teams’ hands – particularly if outsourced to an external solution provider.
1. Onboarding & Offboarding
Onboarding and offboarding are two HR responsibilities that can be extensively automated. Onboarding a new employee involves a long list of tasks, from collecting and completing paperwork and scheduling training, to procuring devices and equipment. That’s before the seemingly minor work of installing the correct software, setting up email addresses and cloud accounts, providing appropriate access to systems and apps, and establishing any remote work protocols.
Similarly, offboarding a departing employee demands careful oversight by HR teams. If performed correctly, this involves revoking access to company apps and data, retrieval of company equipment, and resetting any multi-factor authentication associated with the employee’s credentials.
In both cases, much of this work can be handed off to a Managed IT provider. With the right support in place, HR teams can simply submit an onboarding or offboarding request, select the appropriate employee profile, and let automation take over the rest. Depending on the provider you choose, your HR team will also retain full visibility into the status of these onboarding and offboarding requests, so managers can confirm progress at a glance.
2. Device Procurement & Provisioning
Whether you purchase a new device for each new employee, or re-use existing hardware as teams expand, HR teams have their work cut out when it comes to getting the setup right. Internal IT teams play a valuable role in this process, but finding time in busy schedules to complete basic device provisioning can be a challenge.
Leveraging a Managed IT solution for device procurement and provisioning comes with a range of benefits, including:
- Faster configuration of new hires’ devices, so they can get to work quickly
- Improved device security, as the correct software and protocols are observed from day one
- Better device inventory management, so you can monitor and maintain the health of all employee devices
By outsourcing these functions, you can streamline the process of getting a new hire up and running, improve the employee experience, and accelerate productivity. Incorporating Mobile Device Management in your device provisioning also enables you to track company devices and equipment for optimum performance and security, even in remote environments.
With a standardized provisioning process in place, your devices will also be appropriately configured and managed in accordance with company policy, providing peace of mind for HR and IT departments alike.
3. Access Management & User Permissions
Identity access management (IAM) is critical to controlling company devices and keeping data secure. This practice grants specific user permissions to employees to ensure they can log in to all of the apps and systems they need to do their job, without giving them unlimited access to sensitive company information that they don’t need.
Properly enforcing these rules helps ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It also saves HR and IT teams time that would otherwise be spent manually approving or revoking access for each individual file an employee requests to view.
Additionally, access management plays an important role in today’s cybersecurity landscape. When you deploy an access management solution with the help of an external specialist, you gain a more robust layer of protection, centralized control over who has access to what resources, and the ability to manage changes in real-time. You’ll also be able to keep an eye on network activity to identify suspicious behavior and take action before it becomes a problem.
Benefits of Outsourcing IT for People Teams
As outlined above, HR teams can substantially streamline their workloads with the help of managed, outsourced IT. However, this is just one of the benefits on offer. Other advantages include:
- Cost savings. Since the Managed IT provider delivers all of the hardware, software, and support you need to keep your systems up and running, you’ll see cost reductions in many areas when compared to sourcing each of these in-house.
- Faster response times. If employees encounter IT issues or require technical assistance, they will typically experience a faster response time with outsourced support. This eliminates troubleshooting distractions for your in-house IT team, and improves the employee experience by quickly resolving technology-related frustrations.
- Improved productivity levels. Improved support and more seamless connectivity to company resources makes it easier for staff members to communicate and collaborate on projects. Whether your team is in-office, fully remote, or operating a hybrid model, productivity is more consistent with the help of outsourced IT.
- Access to expert knowledge. While HR teams handle a wide range of technical tasks, they shouldn’t need to be IT experts to perform their roles. Managed IT providers offer broad expertise and rapid resolutions to IT issues that could take in-house teams hours to figure out.
- A more stable network. A managed IT solution can spot and fix any problems on your network before they become serious issues. This means you won’t have to worry about sudden crashes or other failures that cause downtime for your users.
- Improved compliance. Managed IT providers can help you comply with industry regulations and standards. No matter which sector you operate in, they will be able to assist with the necessary requirements and help you avoid costly violations.
- Improved security. A Managed IT provider protects your network from cyber attacks and threats. Rather than expecting the HR team to monitor employees for safe cybersecurity practices, an external team of specialists can oversee vital protection and prevention.
Get Back to Strategic HR Projects with Outsourced IT
People teams are busy enough without taking on additional IT responsibilities. To set your HR department up for success, you need to offload the repetitive, manual tasks on your plate. Outsourcing IT-related work saves time and money, while improving the employee experience. For a trusted partner that handles everything from onboarding and offboarding, to device procurement and credential management, get in touch with Electric today.
