Any part of your business that works with technology will need support. When that support is provided as a service by a third party, it can be considered IT support services. Even the most tech-savvy employees can forget their passwords, and the more technology you implement, the more problems that can arise. That is where IT support services come into play—having the proper support in place can help ensure that your business will always operate as safely and efficiently as possible. High-quality IT support services can help your internal IT department focus on projects that bring value to the business instead of spending time on routine maintenance or trivial end-user problems.
Types of IT Support Services
When you hear the term “IT support,” you may think of an internal department. While this is a standard solution, many other types of services exist today. Depending on the industry you operate in, you could have particular IT support needs, which is perfectly fine. However, there are common types of support, and understanding each can help you determine the more specific solutions for your business later on. Here’s what you need to know:
Monitoring
Services that handle client information or require confidential credentials to access are the most vulnerable to attack. Monitoring services can watch over your network and quickly provide support when disaster strikes. A quick response can be the difference between a hiccup in service and a major disruption. Monitoring support can be implemented on any active service or software used by employees or customers.
Design
Sometimes the most challenging part of supporting your IT infrastructure is knowing how to get started or when to scale your IT solutions with your business’s growth. Another form of support service is IT design assistance. This is when an expert or team of experts comes in and evaluates your infrastructure so that they can help you expand or scale your IT services as needed. Most IT support service providers can also offer long-term support and warranties on any design they might implement.
Active Support
The most common type of IT support is active support. Almost everyone has used some type of active IT support at some point. Anytime an employee or customer needs live help with a product or piece of software, active support comes to the rescue. IT experts can provide real-time support over the phone or live chat through what’s known as a helpdesk.