IT support includes the full range of services to provide support to a technological infrastructure. IT support is responsible for ensuring the proper operation of all devices, tools, and equipment in a company’s technology system.
An IT support expert helps implement technology processes. In other words, this professional is responsible for training and providing instructions to employees who use technology resources. Then, it is possible to ensure data security and the effective use of the company’s tools by its employees.
Understanding a little more about what IT support is and how it works is essential for entrepreneurs from all sectors. After all, technology is part of the routine in many industries today, in both organizations and personal life.
With that in mind, we’ve written an article on IT support. You will learn more about it and, mainly, you will see how to choose the best IT support solution for your company.
In this article, we will talk about:
- What is IT technical support department?
- In-person IT support: advantages and disadvantages
- Remote monitoring and management (RMM): advantages and disadvantages
- Intelligent management of your IT team’s activities
Enjoy the article!
What is IT technical support department?
IT support covers all services for the proper use, maintenance and implementation of a company’s technological resources.
This is an essential department for the proper functioning of any type of organization that has at least a simple computer network. After all, technology is part of the routine of any company today.
Have you ever thought about what activities can be performed in a company without any technological support? You probably use computers, the internet and a management program to perform your daily tasks.
Then, even small companies need an IT support team. Of course, small companies often don’t have resources to maintain their own information technology department. However, it is not a reason to make companies vulnerable to security flaws and breaches in terms of technology.
Today, there are many options of IT support outsourcing, which are scalable and highly effective, ensuring proper operation and growth of companies of all sizes.
However, before hiring an outsourced service of IT support, it is important to have a better understanding of the technological needs of your business. It also applies to entrepreneurs who want to have a specialized IT support department in the company.
How does an IT technical support department work?
When studying about IT support, you will probably see terms like ‘help desk’ and ‘service desk.’ Although they are very similar and often used as synonyms, there are differences between these two services.
Help desk is the first level of support service. It means answering simple calls or calls focused on a single platform, such as internet issues, problems when using devices, and software issues.
Service desk involves more complex tasks, which often require highly qualified professionals. It typically involves meeting specific demands from the company’s IT department, providing strategic support for the implementation and maintenance of the company’s IT infrastructure.
IT support can be provided remotely or in person. We will discuss that later in detail. These both types are used by most small and medium-sized companies.
Remote support is usually the type of service adopted for simple problems (addressed by the help desk). It is much cheaper and more convenient for small problems.
Service desk demands usually require the presence of a specialized technician on site. In order to solve a problem or implement a new solution, the IT expert often needs physical access to machines or software.
Despite that, the IT expert can also be contacted remotely, depending on the situation. This is the case, for example, with software configuration issues that can often be solved using a remote machine.
In-person IT support: advantages and disadvantages
In-person IT support is typically associated with more complex issues. In particular, those related to hardware – that is, machines and computers. It is a more specialized type of service that demands more time, since the IT expert has to travel to the company.
See below the advantages and disadvantages of in-person IT support.
Advantages of in-person IT support
Unfortunately, many technology-related issues cannot be resolved remotely. Then, in-person support is mandatory when solving these problems.
A company that is implementing or updating its software or hardware will likely need an on-site technician, who will help install machines or software programs.
In addition, in-person services usually ensure a more specific view of the problem. Then, the technician can identify the causes with more precision and speed, without depending on the description of system users.
See below some of the main advantages of this type of IT support:
- guarantee of specific problem identification, as the technician doesn’t need to rely on third-party reporting;
- more chances of correct problem solving, since the service is provided after the expert’s own evaluation;
- the IT expert can better assess the real needs of the infrastructure.
Disadvantages of in-person IT support
In addition to being more time consuming, this solution is usually much more expensive for companies, as it usually requires scheduling a visit of a highly specialized professional. After that, the IT expert will have to travel to the company, which will take more time and involve other costs.
See below some of the main disadvantages of this type of IT support:
- even simple troubleshooting will consume much more time than it should, which may affect productivity;
- the costs of in-person support are very high when compared to remote support.
Remote monitoring and management (RMM): advantages and disadvantages
Most of the IT problems of companies can be solved remotely, especially today, with cloud storage, with most data accessed from any device.
This is great news for any company that wants to save time and money with its IT department.
See below the advantages and disadvantages of remote monitoring and management (RMM).
Advantages of remote monitoring and management (RMM)
As mentioned above, this option is much cheaper for companies. Remote monitoring and management (RMM) is usually faster, since it is not necessary to make appointments and there is no travel of technicians.
Also, most daily problems can be easily resolved through remote monitoring and management.
See below the main advantages of remote monitoring and management:
- RMM service saves time, since problems can be solved as soon as the manager calls the IT expert;
- it is a much faster solution, reducing downtime and preserving team productivity;
- offers excellent value for money, especially for small companies.
Disadvantages of remote monitoring and management (RMM)
Unfortunately, remote monitoring and management still has some limitations. For example, if a problem is in a computer or network infrastructure, it will have to be resolved in person.
This is just one of the limitations in this type of service. And, with the popularization of resources like cloud storage, it is likely to become a small obstacle.
Another characteristic of RMM that can be an issue is the technician’s dependence on the customer’s description of the problem. Users who are not trained in identifying important details of the problem can increase the problem.
See below the main disadvantages of this type of IT support:
- the manager reporting the issue to the IT support expert must be able to accurately describe the details of the problem. Non-specialized users find it difficult to detect important details;
- this and other communication problems can extend the downtime period and the effective problem resolution can become more difficult;
- it may not be a suitable solution for large companies, which have more complex infrastructures.
Intelligent management of your IT team’s activities
Choosing between in-person and remote IT support largely depends on your company’s needs. However, most organizations may need both solutions, depending on their current demands.
The most important thing is to have an effective and complete platform to manage the actions of your teams and, preferably, offer intelligent automation options. This way, your managers will spend less time performing repetitive tasks and perform other important tasks, optimizing the work of your team.
The Milvus platform offers perfect solutions for your company. It is an intelligent IT management and support system. Milvus tools allow process optimization, which results in increased productivity and efficiency when delivering results.
When using the Milvus platform, you don’t have to spend huge amounts to change your company’s IT infrastructure.
Take a free trial of the Milvus platform.
This tool offers features such as:
- organized and effective asset management;
- list of online and offline devices and endpoints;
- automated inventory control;
- remote access directly from the browser;
- full monitoring of devices and assets;
- license manager;
- link monitoring;
- file transfers via remote access;
- and much more!
Have access to all these features with simplicity and efficiency through the exclusive OneClick technology. With this tool, you can start a ticket directly from the desktop, offering speed, comfort, and quick access to your company’s processes.
Up to 80% increase in productivity with centralized ticket management, SLA control, service queues, and much more!
Learn more about all the advantages of our platform.
Conclusion
IT support is essential for the proper functioning of companies. Today, technology is fully integrated into our daily lives. Then most companies experience huge losses when they have problems in their technological infrastructure.
Fortunately, most of these problems can be resolved remotely, quickly and conveniently, in particular because of cloud storage technologies. Small and medium-sized companies rarely request in-person IT support.
Therefore, you can save time and money by hiring a simple, optimized and effective IT support platform such as Milvus. This article has everything you need to know to make the best decision for your company when hiring IT support services.
Thanks for reading our article and, if you have any questions, write your question in the comment field! See you soon.