System Architects’ Outsourced IT Support provides a blended support structure that provide businesses with a better, cost effective approach for managing their IT environment. System Architects’ clients benefit from this support structure and the associated services that are customized to fit any small or midsize business needs.
Outsourced IT Support has many facets, from providing your staff with help desk support and monitoring and managing your company’s IT infrastructure to assisting, recommending and procuring hardware and software products and services that best suits your company’s requirements. Every client has its own individual IT environment, which should be based on their requirements and budget. Designing a solution that is efficient and cost effective is System Architects’ goal. When solutions are based on best practices as well as designed and implemented properly, the ongoing management and support of your IT environment is reduced significantly and your business runs more efficiently. Support can be broken down into three phases, reactive, proactive and strategic. These three phases make up all forms of a company’s IT support. Each of these phases are important and having the right support structure is vital to have an efficient, productive IT environment that is cost effective for your business.
Reactive Support
Reactive support makes up a large portion of a company’s IT support. Typically if your company has a good IT support plan in place, reactive support can be limited to simple issues as a password reset or maybe a replacement keyboard. Connectivity issues, printer issues or retrieving a deleted file are also some of the issues that will arise. Help desk support typically can remotely solve many of these issues, hardware replacement may need onsite visit.Proactive Support
Proactive support tries to solve issues from even becoming issues. Proactive support is typically done behind the scenes and if done right end users never notice an issue. Proactive support can include running updates and patches within a sandbox environment before implemented into a live environment. It also can be replacing hardware in set time cycles before it fails to prevent any downtime. Monitoring your IT environment is a large part of proactive support and it may at times seem it is not a cost effective model but the alternative is far worst. Hardware failure is maybe one of the major causes for data loss and downtime in a business and the cost associated with these issues far outweigh the cost of having a good proactive support model in place.Strategic Support
Strategic support identifies ways in which a clients can enhance its long term business goals. Laying out plans and goals for the future and how to accomplish these goals are key parts of having a good strategic plan. System Architects with its wide range of services can assist clients with these plans and assist with any design, planning and more importantly costing of putting the right IT environment in place to accomplish the goals in a timely manner. Custom software development, engaging an ERP vendor like Microsoft Dynamics CRM, designing a Disaster Recovery solution or even ensuring your new office location is a right fit for your IT environment. All of these are strategic plans that need to be assessed and in some instances tested and audited before implementation.We have discussed the different forms of support and how they are all important in their own way. Having an Outsourced IT Support service provider like System Architects, assisting you with all aspects of your company’s IT support, not only will save your business money but also will give you the peace of mind. SA’s well trained staff that keep current with new technologies, promotions and trends in the business world can provide clients with informed recommendations that keeps clients up to date and highly competitive.
Written by:
Justin Roopnarine
System Architects Inc.
