Free up your IT-staff to create value in Dynamics 365

Many companies have highly skilled in-house IT professionals. Yet too often, they spend time on tasks that neither develop the business nor motivate them in their work. This could be operations, troubleshooting, technical support or handling minor system tweaks.

In a modern company, it’s not just about having skilled people. It’s about placing them where they create maximum value.

IT’s most important role is connecting business and technology

IT is not just technology. IT is the foundation for growth, innovation and competitiveness. When internal IT staff spend all their time patching holes and fixing everyday issues, your company misses out on their greatest value. Because their most important role is to act as the link between technology and the business.

Their job is to ensure that IT platforms and services support strategic business goals. To enable business growth and expansion into new markets, whether organically or through mergers and acquisitions.

If IT is seen merely as a technical department that fixes problems, something is wrong.

Red, yellow and green: A simple model to prioritize resources

Not all IT roles make sense to keep in-house. That’s why many companies work with a simple color-coded model to distinguish between what should stay internal and where it makes sense to rely on external specialists.

This model helps businesses avoid tying up resources in roles that are rarely needed and better handled by specialized service partners. Red roles in particular can be hard to attract and retain, as specialists prefer working with the latest technologies rather than getting stuck in repetitive tasks.

If they can only spend a small part of their time on their core expertise, it rarely makes sense for either the employee or the business.

When skills are misused: Costly hours on the wrong tasks

One of the biggest pitfalls is when internal specialists are used for low-level tasks. The result is frustrated employees and time and money spent on the wrong tasks.

Examples:

• A highly educated developer answering support calls.

• An experienced architect stuck in manual data extractions.

• A technical project manager handling daily operations instead of strategic development.

Such misallocation doesn’t just cost money. It drains motivation and means the business fails to fully leverage its talent.

IT as a bridge builder and partner

When internal IT staff are allowed to work closely with the business, their role changes. They become liaison officers helping management make the right decisions. They’re the ones who translate business needs into concrete solutions. And they’re the ones who ensure technology actually delivers value.

This role is difficult to replace externally. It requires insight into company culture, processes and goals. That’s precisely where companies should invest in their own people – or establish a close partnership with an experienced service partner who can deliver strategic IT guidance.

Modern IT attracts modern talent

A key point is also attracting and retaining talent. Skilled IT people want to work with modern technologies and exciting projects. If their everyday work is merely firefighting or small adjustments, they quickly look elsewhere.

By assigning internal staff to the right tasks and letting external partners handle specialist jobs, companies create an environment where employees can develop and thrive. This benefits not only the culture but also the bottom line.

It’s not about control, but about creating value

Many fear losing control when outsourcing tasks to external partners. But the truth is that control comes from having visibility, governance and clear roles, not from trying to handle everything internally.

By using internal staff wisely and outsourcing the rest, businesses get the best of both worlds: stable operations, access to specialist knowledge and internal forces driving the business forward.

At the same time, the ability to leverage new technologies like AI becomes a key competitive advantage. Technology can proactively generate insights, predict problems and optimize the business – rather than simply reacting when something goes wrong.