Debunking the Myths about Outsourced IT for Multifamily

You’re in the multifamily business, not the computer business. But ask the typical property management company why they manage their own IT – hardware, software, upgrades, tech support and the rest – and they’ll typically offer some combination of the following three reasons: They might be doing it because they believe it saves them money to “DIY” rather than outsource. They might do it to maximize “control” – believing that having an outside resource handle IT for them would mean giving up ownership of a vital component of their business, or putting their data at risk. Finally – and this is often the case – it could be that they simply don’t know the value of alternatives to having in-house staff select, maintain, upgrade and support their computer systems. Let’s take a closer look at these main myths associated with outsourcing IT in multifamily: Myth #1: Outsourcing IT loses me money Buying hardware and software for your business is hardly an exact science. You do the best you can to meet your needs now while guessing what you’ll need over the coming months and years. And of course, you can’t know what advancements are on the horizon. Unless you’re uniquely lucky, you will sometimes buy more than you need, sometimes less, and sometimes technology that simply doesn’t fulfill its promise – or doesn’t integrate well with your other solutions. The question is: why buy all this stuff in the first place? One of the beauties of outsourcing is that you have the option to pay only for the software you use, as you use it. There’s no capital expenditure for technology that might fail to meet your needs or turn out be excessive – or obsolete earlier than you expected. On top of this, your IT costs can become predictable. If you do choose to invest in your own infrastructure, you can take advantage of RealPage’s buying power to enjoy the...