By Robert Oliver
The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, Mass.
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) By outsourcing HR, IT and cybersecurity concerns, start-up leaders can focus on SCALING their businesses while leaving day-to-day maintenance issues to “for-hire” professionals who can troubleshoot specific problems.
Quincy, Mass.
Just consider the challenges faced by start-up company entrepreneurs. Shoestring budgets create a domino effect of limited staff, obliging the founder to take on too many roles, responsibilities and hours in an effort to not only get the business off the ground, but to keep it afloat.
Despite best intentions and stamina, there comes a point when the curtain will close on that one-person show. But by outsourcing HR, IT and cybersecurity concerns, start-up leaders can focus on scaling their business and leave some of the day-to-day infrastructure operations to for-hire professionals.
That adage “no man is an island” resonates with start-up founders; they might think they can wear many hats, but that’s more fallacy than truth. Recruiting the right talent, navigating employment laws, establishing workforce training and the many other human resources-related tasks all take time and specific expertise.
Here is where the services of an outsourced professional firm with a specialty in HR can do you and your start-up a world of good. An experienced HR partner can be as hands-on or behind-the-scenes as needed, working with you to develop an internal infrastructure to meet your needs and goals.
Ditto for an experienced partner to build your start-up’s IT roadmap. With technology changing virtually daily, attempting to keep up with the latest trends that impact your business could be a futile effort. There’s no “good enough” when it comes to having the proper technology in place – not only do you run the risk of falling behind your competition, you could do real damage to your status as an entrepreneur in the absence of a professional who knows all the IT ropes.
Such a partner can assume the responsibility of the day-to-day maintenance of all your systems and be on call to troubleshoot problems that arise.
Cyberattack – a word that causes fear in the heart of any business owner. Consider all the work you’ve done to get your start-up to a successful point and now imagine if all that money, time and effort was rendered pointless by cyber threats.
A cybersecurity professional can provide a team of digital experts; that team often includes an on-site or virtual Chief Information Security Officer who can act as your company’s security advisor to assist in managing security risks and ensure compliance with your specific industry’s standards and regulations. An outsourced cybersecurity team might also include a Data Protection Officer, responsible for dealing with data and privacy compliance issues and response to data breaches when necessary.
The responsibilities inherent to these three outsourced partners – HR, IT and cybersecurity – could realistically support dozens of full-time jobs. For most start-ups, there is not enough budget to maintain that many jobs in-house. A fledgling company simply cannot support or sustain the salaries, benefits and other expenses associated with hiring a full on-site staff.
Engaging a professional services firm that can provide HR, IT and cybersecurity expertise under one monthly retainer can help your new company meet its short- and long-term goals.
Robert Oliver is the director of business development in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Group at blumshapiro. To learn more visit blumshapiro.com.
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