Outsourcing IT support? Features, advantages and disadvantages
To be competitive, a company must invest most of its time and resources in its core business. At first glance, this seems obvious, but many companies are dragged down by low productivity due to not knowing how to properly manage and maintain their IT infrastructure. New technologies have served and continue to serve to improve and evolve processes within companies, but sometimes their maintenance becomes a real burden. The solution sometimes involves outsourcing the service.
What are the functions of the IT support department?
The functions of the IT support department are numerous and have evolved over the years. Today, we could mention the following:
- Management of email, private user network and instant messaging system
- Management of the company's telephone network
- Maintenance and management of Internet services.
- Administration and maintenance of the corporate website
- User support for IT service upgrades or repairs
- Installing and updating software and hardware
- Removing malware
- Data recovery and database management
- Employee training
- Review and update of security criteria
Regarding IT support, there are two roles that we must differentiate, according to the ehow.com blog.
- Computer support technician. This is a person from outside the company who, via telephone or email, advises, answers questions or helps resolve problems related to the company's IT infrastructure. The technician asks a series of questions based on the problem to help the user resolve it. Repair, installation and update services are also included. with o hardware.
- Computer support specialist. This is an internal person of the company whose only mission is to manage the company's IT infrastructure as well as helping his colleagues to solve computer problems. The specialist is the one who trains the other employees in the use of new hardware y with , in addition to creating user manuals.
At this point, it is worth asking what the best option is for a company: whether the IT support professional is external to the company or is part of it.
Outsourcing IT support has several advantages, including cost savings. IT service providers include in their product packages IT support provided by specialized professionals who can assist employees in training and adopting new IT solutions, perform repairs and maintenance, and even support the company's CIO (if there is one) with software and hardware management . This frees the company from investing time in these tasks, allowing it to focus on sales. The savings in both time and money are clear.
One of the main reasons companies are hesitant to outsource their IT support services is the limitations of that support. Typically, service providers offer services focused on a specific product line, and those products may not be among those chosen by the company for its IT infrastructure. Another factor to consider is whether the company uses proprietary software installed on its local server, and whether the maintenance of that software must be performed by an in-house IT support specialist.
However, in general, outsourcing IT support services is effective in that it covers most possible scenarios in an effective and economical way for the company.
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