If you are considering outsourcing your business IT requirements as a means of saving money, you will have likely asked yourself many pertinent questions. For example, what exactly is covered by a remote IT support agreement, are on-site visits an option if you don’t have IT staff available to implement fixes, and in which areas will money be saved?
For those considering outsourcing IT, let’s look at how getting remote IT support from a professional provider could save your business valuable time and money.
Remote IT Service – What’s Included?
Depending on the nature of your business, you may be wondering if certain elements of your IT infrastructure will be covered by a remote IT support agreement. For example, if your business relies heavily on telephony or other audio-visual means of communication with B2B clients or B2C customers, you may be searching for clarity over whether the support available will cover the specific hardware and software requirements of your business. Here’s the type of IT support you can expect to receive form a professional remote IT support provider:
- Email monitoring and support
- Installation and monitoring of security software
- Network support including server maintenance and connectivity issues
- Communications systems (this will include all audio-visual equipment, both in terms of hardware and software)
Naturally this level of remote assistance would involve ongoing system monitoring. This would mean that the provider could report on fixes and hidden issues in real time.
Saving Money with Remote IT Support
There are many ways in which remote IT support could save your business money. In general, the money saving aspects of such services are seen as long term. For instance, where you are undergoing business expansion, your support provider may be able to provide access to onsite engineers who will oversee the correct installation of all networking and cabling hardware. This will save money in the long term where further fixes in this area will not be required.
Ways in which remote IT support could save your business money include:
- Software and driver updates – this will reduce the risk of unexpected downtime
- Realtime system monitoring – this will serve to highlight any hardware failures meaning downtime can be reduced or avoided
- Internet connectivity and workstation performance monitoring – avoid any foreseeable IT issues that could affect single or multiple workstations
Where system monitoring is in place, your provider will also be able to report in real time on any potentially harmful uploads performed in house. This could help to prevent any accidental virus uploads (Bring Your Own Device – known as BYOB – is one way in which companies could be open to accidental file corruption and viruses).
How do I know what I’m getting in my agreement?
Your support package will be underpinned by a Service Level Agreement (SLA). This is an important document that outlines both the services required from your remote IT support provider and the timeframes within which each service is expected to be delivered. Your provider will work with you in ensuring all of your business needs are met relevant to your budget.
