<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=111591952803728&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Skip to content
Our difference

We are on a mission to deliver innovative business transforming technology solutions that exceed our customers’ expectations.
 

Our culture

Our values guide us in everything we do and help shape our culture and customer approach. Find out more about our values and meet some of our team.
 

Our Microsoft Partnership

As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, we’ve been at the centre of the revolutionary changes that technology has brought to every aspect of life and we continue to stand by their side at the centre of tomorrow’s digital transformations.

Microsoft Solutions Partner

Our partners

We have successfully built relationships with multiple partners that prepare businesses for the future.
 

Carbon management

We understand our environmental responsibilities as a UK business and IT Managed Service Provider, and we understand how important it is for our customers to partner with responsible providers.
 

Careers

Our team is made up of a diverse group of people from all around the world, and we all have one thing in common: we’re passionate about providing our customers with outstanding solutions.

Thinking of selling your IT business?

Core is a well funded Microsoft Solutions Partner with a 30 year history of being at the heart of control in IT.

We are supported by our bankers and have funds available for strategic business acquisitions. Together with our successful acquisition track record and a commitment to making deals happen, now is the perfect time to talk to us if you are considering selling your IT business.

If you are interested in discussing a potential exit of your IT business, please complete the form on the right. All correspondence will be treated in the strictest of confidence and a mutual non-disclosure agreement will be exchanged prior to any discussions taking place.

Interactive Microsoft workshops

Our workshops are designed to help you realise the value of Microsoft technologies in your business, gain real value from your investment and transform the way you work.

The workshops are a collaborative and immersive experience; our experts will work with you to identify your business objectives and establish the Microsoft technologies to help you achieve them.
 

Request a workshop

Our range of workshops covers every aspect of the modern workplace including productivity, collaboration, identity, security and compliance and communication, with interactive and engaging sessions that bring the art of the possible to life.

Download our workshop guide

Read more about the interactive workshops we offer, and how they can benefit your business by downloading our guide.

MCI Workshop Introduction

Managed Services

Discover why Core is the first choice for many organisations looking to add flexibility, efficiency, and expertise to their teams.

Cloud Technology

From Microsoft’s leading platforms to bespoke cloud solutions, Core’s range of cloud technology solutions covers everything the modern workplace needs.

Professional Services

Whichever challenges you face on your digital journey, Core's professional services team has a solution to help, from IT Project Management to our innovative Smart Services.

Public Sector

Certified secure solution for the public sector, providing a reliable, flexible, secure and affordable IT solution.

Commercial Sector

Certified commercial sector solutions, covering all your commercial needs from financial and legal services, through to manufacturing.

Download our Frontline Workers white paper

Learn how technology can help to balance productivity with wellbeing for Frontline Workers.

White paper: How technology is revolutionising the health and productivity of frontline workers


Why customers choose us

Since we were founded in 1990 and started our Microsoft journey, we have supported over 10,000 customers on their communications and collaboration projects, and with the introduction of Microsoft's cloud technology, have grown our capabilities significantly across Microsoft 365 and Azure.

What sets us apart is a talented and passionate team who truly love what they do, demonstrating boundless enthusiasm and dedication in every single project.
 

logo-menu-david-lloyd

"It was apparent from day one that Core had a depth of knowledge in Microsoft 365, which we simply hadn’t found anywhere else."

Greater London Authority

"Core has a lot of experience working with the public sector, which was definitely a benefit."

Angel Trains

"There’s such a good working relationship with Core, it’s like having another permanent person in our organisation."

Talbot

"We had a really good, down to earth relationship with a few of the guys, and they know what they are doing."

Read our latest blog articles

Maximising Savings on Azure with Core’s Gain-Share Offer



Future-Proofing Your Business: The Perils of Rushing into Copilot for Microsoft 365
AI for All: How Microsoft's Latest Update on Copilot Opens Doors for all Businesses



Defending Against Modern Cyber Threats with Managed Services
The Core knowledge hub

Stay up-to-date with the latest insights, trends, and discussions from Core's team of subject matter experts through our blog topics and news articles.


Lucy WrightJun 1, 2018 3:52:43 PM4 min read

Pros and cons of outsourcing your IT

Outsourcing is a business strategy in which a company contracts out certain functions to an external provider. A business may choose to outsource for various reasons, including:

  • Reduced operating costs
  • Shared risk with the service provider
  • Access to industry experts, better skills and better software
  • Streamlining the company focus
  • Freeing up internal resources

Accounts and payroll, human resources and increasingly, IT functions, are all business functions that are commonly outsourced. There are, of course, both pros and cons to outsourcing your IT, and whether outsourcing would be beneficial to your business depends on many factors.

If you're contemplating outsourcing some or all of your IT, consider these pros and cons before reaching a decision...

Pros of outsourcing your IT

Cost-effective

Outsourcing elements of your IT to a third-party is often a more cost-effective way to operate compared to paying an IT specialist a yearly salary or employing a full service desk team. Using a Managed Services Provider for your IT means your monthly outgoings are reduced and consolidated, with one predictable monthly cost. It also removes the potential cost of recruitment and training, should a key member of your IT team leave.

Shared and minimised risk

With a third-party providing IT support and monitoring, you share the risk of downtime, outage and data breach with someone else. Multiple backup servers and a disaster recovery plan will help ensure business continuity in the event of a disaster. This professional support should give you the freedom to be more flexible and agile as a business, and concentrate on providing the best service or product to your customers.

Easy scalability

If you need to scale up quickly, having outsourced your IT allows this to happen easily. Conversely, you can also scale back just as easily should you need to,

managed services icon

Access to expert knowledge

While all businesses strive to attract the most capable people, using a professional Managed Services Provider could give you access to a pool of people with expert skills and knowledge which may not have been attainable if hiring in-house.

Keep competitive

As well as giving you access to the most skilled individuals, outsourcing IT certain functions should also give you access to the very best technology, software and resources. Software will be updated on a rolling basis, so you will always be using the very latest versions, which is also more cost effective given how quickly software evolves.

24/7 support and monitoring

Using an MSP for your IT support means your systems can be monitored 24/7/365, which is not possible if your in-house IT team is only available during office hours. It also means that any system errors, failures or data breaches will be spotted and can be resolved quickly.

Free to focus

Outsourcing elements of your IT means that you are free to focus on what you do best: providing a service or product to your customers. You can relax knowing that support is always available, and the technology and procedures are in place to make sure your business won't be affected by downtime or disasters.

Cons of outsourcing your IT

Communication issues

Where is your MSP located? Is English their first language? Do they prefer to communicate by phone or email? These are all things to consider when choosing a provider. Sometimes, face to face contact is the most effective way of sorting out an issue, but this is something you may have to forego when certain IT functions are performed off-site. Outsourcing won't work if you aren't able to communicate with your provider when you want to, how you want to.

Less control

While there are many benefits to outsourcing your IT, businesses do relinquish a certain amount of control in doing so. While requests can be made -and met- businesses may feel they do not have the level of control over activity that they would if certain roles or their IT support were still in-house.

Less than expected service

Sometimes, reality fails to live up to expectation. Your chosen MSP may deliver a service that is not up to the standard you were expecting. This can be mitigated by ensuring a Service Level Agreement is in place, and that both parties are clear on the terms.

Data security

Outsourcing your IT to a third-party immediately gives more people access to your data, which poses more of a data security risk. However, outsourcing should also mean that your data is more secure and robustly protected than ever, ultimately minimising the risk of a data breach.

Next steps

The advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing your IT are largely dependent on the needs and nature of your business. Most of the downsides of outsourcing can be avoided by choosing your provider carefully and doing research to make sure they are the right fit for you.

Core provide IT support to businesses across a range of sectors, including financial services, legal, retail, government and membership bodies. To discuss your IT needs further, contact us today and we will guide you through the options available.

Looking for more ways to outsource administrative tasks so that you can concentrate on growing your business? Check out this article about outsourcing your property management to a virtual assistant.

avatar

Lucy Wright

My name is Lucy and this is my author bio.