In today's business world, companies face a variety of IT challenges for which there is usually not just one obvious solution option. There may be many scenarios that can be solved by internal IT, while other scenarios may require an outside specialist. With this article, we would like to provide IT managers with a decision-making aid that can be used to better answer the question "Make or Buy" - do it yourself or buy it in.

Several factors must be considered when deciding whether IT solutions should be purchased or can be developed in-house. Internal factors to consider when deciding to implement IT solutions include IT expertise, technical skills and resources available for development, and the cost and timeframe for development. External factors include third-party expertise and fees, risks associated with outsourcing such as communications and security issues, and long-term maintenance and support.

First of all, the question arises as to whether you even have the internal competence in your company to tackle certain IT challenges yourself. In many cases, this question cannot be answered with a concrete yes or no, but it is necessary to find out under which conditions the solution can be developed in-house. Perhaps the solution can be developed in-house if an external project manager is bought in who already has experience in the relevant task and can guide the internal team. However, you might also come to the conclusion that the internal IT team has too few skills in this area and that major training measures would be necessary to take on the challenge. In this case, therefore, it must be weighed up whether the training effort is worthwhile or whether the company's own resources would not be better deployed elsewhere and the IT challenge should be outsourced.

Time constraints also play a role in the decision-making process. If it is an IT challenge with a time-limited resource requirement, training Internal IT resources may not be worthwhile. Outsourcing may be a good option when time is a critical factor, as it allows leveraging third-party expertise to develop solutions quickly. However, if the task is one that will persist for an extended period of time or even have no end in sight, the return on investment for internal training efforts may be greater.

There are also various risks to consider when making the "make or buy" decision. For internal IT, companies should be aware of the potential threat from insiders, such as employees who intentionally or unintentionally compromise the security of the company's data and systems. They should implement strict access controls to limit employee access to sensitive data and systems.

For external IT support, organizations should carefully vet their third-party vendors and service providers to ensure they have robust security measures in place and comply with industry standards and regulations. They should also establish clear protocols for sharing sensitive data with third-party providers and regularly review and update these protocols.

In general, organizations should regularly review and update their security protocols and provide ongoing training and education to employees and third-party vendors to ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the latest security threats and best practices for preventing them. In addition, a well-defined security incident or breach response plan can help minimize the damage caused by such events.

In summary, deciding whether to manufacture or purchase IT solutions is a critical decision that can have a significant impact on a company's success. By considering factors such as key strengths, costs, time constraints, risks and long-term maintenance requirements, you can make an informed decision about the best course of action for your business.

If you are faced with a similar decision, we at Netpoint can offer you further support in this regard. Our consultants will be happy to advise you on various scenarios and check whether you can and should tackle a particular IT challenge yourself, and what further measures would be required to carry it out yourself. In addition, we offer to take over complex IT projects completely, so that you can deploy your resources elsewhere, and possibly better.