Nearly 70 Percent of IT Service Businesses Rely on Independent Contractors When Staff Reaches Full Capacity

BOSTON, Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Service companies have a tough job trying to strike the right financial balance between growing their businesses and hiring full-time employees.  In fact, nearly 60 percent of those surveyed at CompTIA Breakaway 2011 earlier this month said that managing growth and fully utilizing full-time employees are the biggest challenges they face. Rising operational, fuel and administrative costs also ranked high.

"Ninety percent of those surveyed at CompTIA Breakaway are unwilling to turn down new business opportunities when they don't have the staff to support the work," said Peter Cannone, CEO of OnForce, the #1 source for on-site tech talent. "As a result, about 70 percent are tapping trusted third-party providers with the skills and certifications needed to ensure the highest quality work."

Expect Spikes in Networking and Security Services

Growing demand for cloud-based solutions and virtualization matched with increasing pressure to meet regulatory compliance is driving higher-than-average requests for networking and security IT services.  Not surprisingly, networking and security are the top two areas that CompTIA Breakaway attendees are planning to expand over the next 12-18 months – followed by VoIP/telephony services, printer and copier maintenance and retail system services.

"With so much sensitive information that needs to be protected and key industry regulations like SOX, HIPAA and PCI, there will always be demand for information security services," added Cannone.  "And as the cloud quickly becomes the standard for software delivery, we expect to see growing demand for router, switch and server installations and maintenance across the board."

Other interesting findings:

• 68 percent of CompTIA Breakaway attendees worry about insurance coverage when it comes to hiring outside techs
• Expertise and a proven track record of delivering quality work far outweigh cost when it comes to hiring outside technicians
• More than half said that at least 75 percent of their IT services team is full time, which can be a major financial risk in a business where variable demand is extremely common

OnForce's IT Field Services Cloud helps businesses of all sizes boost service efficiency and quality. The solution provides instant access to certified and insured technicians with demonstrated track records of success, covering nearly every technology segment and located in 99 percent of all zip codes across the U.S. and in all major provinces in Canada. By using OnForce's Field Services Cloud, companies can dramatically cut costs by more than 30 percent by reducing travel, staffing overhead and administrative processes. Also, technicians that choose to be a part of the OnForce community gain access to hundreds of local job opportunities that match their technical qualifications.  

To learn more about how OnForce is helping companies reduce service costs, or if you're a service professional interested in joining OnForce, please visit http://www.onforce.com.

About OnForce

OnForce is the #1 source for on-site tech talent in field services in the cloud. By partnering with OnForce, service buyers can connect with thousands of highly skilled service professionals to fulfill on-site work throughout the US and Canada. With more than 1.5 million service events completed, OnForce is a proven and trusted solution. Service buyers can gain extensive geographic coverage, lower service costs, extend skill-sets, and generate new streams of revenue on demand. The company supports more than 20 IT and CE categories, such as computers, printers, networking, VoIP, Point of Sale, and more. OnForce is the partner in service. For additional information, please visit www.onforce.com.

SOURCE OnForce