IT issues are bound to develop at any point in time. Picture this: a finance firm whose SaaS cloud-based backups fail to respond after a ransomware attack. Not so long ago this would have been a costly disaster met with time-consuming tech support calls, emails, and back-to-back chats.
Whether it’s a frozen workstation or a network that starts acting up right before an important presentation, standard practice sees the in-house IT department respond to these issues promptly. However, when your IT staff is overwhelmed with mounting support requests, a remote IT support team can provide ad-hoc support to ease the pressure and take over the technical aspects of the issue.
Facing Hybrid Work Challenges and the Role of IT Support in Business
IT managers are stuck in a perpetual race to identify the next security vulnerability with each added new user, thanks to the hybrid (and fully remote) work model. As employees move outside the regulated and secured in-house IT environment, screening every user action has become more nuanced than ever.
Your in-house IT department is further required to monitor your network’s active status, workstations, and infrastructure performance 24/7. Employees experiencing difficulty while accessing the network remotely must be tended to with the same meticulous care given to the organization’s customers.
Combined these tough working conditions can overwhelm even the most dedicated IT team. Recent studies have found that 57% of tech workers face burnout due to heavy workloads. In the same report, three-quarters of IT professionals put in more than 40 hours a week; more than they’re contractually obligated to work.
This underscores a profound need for external IT assistance. Traditional remote IT support includes basic troubleshooting and maintenance but has evolved lately into a full suite of managed IT services.
What Does Remote IT Support for Businesses Cover?
The basic premise behind remote IT support is that an experienced IT specialist can log into your system, diagnose issues, collect data, and attempt to fix the issue at first contact. If unable to complete the fix, they will escalate the issue to a higher-level support specialist (usually one affiliated with the product’s manufacturer or the service provider).
Some issues may warrant an in-person site visit. Site visits tend to have issues resolved much sooner. However, in some cases involving long distances, users will often get engaged in lengthy tech support phone calls.
A significant portion of remote IT support services can be delivered through remote monitoring software managed through a ticketing system. Frequent issues resolved remotely include:
- Virus and malware detection and removal
- Software installation, configuration, and troubleshooting
- Network performance optimization, troubleshooting, repair, and maintenance
- Cloud services setup and configuration
- User onboarding, training, and assessment
- Hardware diagnostics and system updates
- Disaster recovery
Remote IT support in Boston also helps develop and manage custom firewalls, perform regular system checks, and ensure operational data is always backed up for a future system recovery effort. In the event of a cyber attack, it’s this team that will foretell the signs, hunt and close down existing security gaps, and act quickly to mitigate damages and restore systems upon an incident.
Some remote tech assistants are part of a larger managed IT framework that runs essential operations behind the scenes, providing round-the-clock assistance and ensuring minimal disruption to your operations. Under the careful watch of managed IT and consulting services providers such as Welsh Consulting, every email sent, every document shared, and every time access is granted to a remote request, you can rest assured that your systems are being watched over 24/7.
Benefits of Remote IT Support for Business
Remote IT support plays a central role in driving business success through round-the-clock assistance and minimizing disruption to operations. The benefits of remote IT support come in many forms. Business managers cite cost-effectiveness, increased productivity, and enhanced cybersecurity protocols as primary benefits of remote IT support.
- Customers and employees enjoy accelerated issue resolution. With remote support, IT issues are reported, monitored, and resolved usually at first contact. Dedicated remote IT support providers tap into the intelligence gathered by their remote monitoring software and see what’s happening long before these issues develop. This cuts out the need for lengthy tech support calls and downtime later on.
- The convenience of remote technical assistance also increases productivity. With remote support, you won’t lose valuable time waiting for an IT specialist to arrive at your location. Remote assistance addresses issues as they arise, minimizing downtime and keeping operations running smoothly.
- Cost-wise, small businesses are able to avoid the expense of maintaining a full-time, in-house IT staff. Monthly salaries, benefits, insurance, and allowances are exterminated with remote support delivered by an external managed IT provider. Instead, you’ll only pay for the services you need when you need them. This approach can significantly reduce your overall IT overhead.
Remote tech support providers understand more than anyone that the deployment of services over the internet brings with it additional security concerns. Onboarding more devices and users creates more potential vulnerabilities. If not secured well, these access points can become gateways to a devastating cyberattack.
It is for these reasons that remote IT support providers endorse encryption, custom-built firewalls, multi-factor authentication, and employee training as core elements of their cybersecurity strategy.
A growing preference for zero-trust architecture has been brewing in the IT management industry. Anyone and everyone can be a threat to your organization’s IT infrastructure. Zero-trust policies require that everyone trying to access your system remotely must verify their identity before access is granted. Combined, these measures entrench your business’s network and infrastructure in a tough defensive position against external and internal attackers.
Overcoming Challenges with Remote IT Support
While businesses can benefit significantly from the knowledge and expertise of professionals dedicated to protecting their systems from cyber threats, it is worth pointing out that remote support is often riddled with unique challenges.
Having technical support representatives access your system brings additional concerns about ethical data management practices and compliance. For example, consider a human resource manager facing serious problems with the organization’s HRM software. A remote support specialist would likely have to log into the system to understand the issue. In doing so, the external IT support specialist could gain access to personal employee information and other sensitive information.
The same can be said about healthcare providers, finance administrators, and military contractors processing highly sensitive and confidential information. Managed IT support providers understand the risks involved with remote data transfer. Most MSPs worth their salt will never ask for more information than needed. Should serious issues arise, several solutions are at their disposal.
These include the deployment of HIPAA, PCI DSS, and GDPR-compliant protocols alongside strict access permissions and encrypted connections. If the issue persists, local providers may provide on-site visits as part of their contractual obligation.
In extremely serious situations, e.g. where an advanced persistent threat (APT) begins to spread across your network, a bilateral decision between Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and tech support teams could see a complete shutdown of the system until the issue is resolved. Remember, the burden of security is a shared responsibility between remote support providers and businesses.
Who is Remote IT Support For?
Where remote IT support has been successfully implemented, the impact has been nothing short of transformative. Major industries that benefit from remote IT support include:
- Healthcare – Regional and national hospital networks can leverage remote IT to manage their electronic medical records systems. The added layers of security provided by security-first remote providers result in highly protected patient data records.
- Education – Much recently, educational institutions have increased their online learning capacity in response to remote learners’ demands. Seamless access to resources, learning material, and online examination facilities can be made possible through remote IT support.
- Retail – Local and international retailers can leverage remote IT support for the management of their inventory systems and POS systems. This leads to higher inventory management accuracy, more efficient transaction processing, and, ultimately, happy customers.
- Manufacturing – Manufacturing firms can tap into the power of remote support for cost-effective IT infrastructure diagnostics and repair.
In each case, the benefits of remote IT support are clear: cost savings, improved production efficiency, enhanced access, and better resource management.
Conclusion
Dealing with hardware and software issues remotely can be challenging. One significant issue businesses face is with the deployment of robust teams that understand the nature of the issue they’re facing. While selecting your ideal IT support provider, be sure to assess their level of experience, certifications, and qualifications in handling the issues akin to your industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How secure is remote IT support for sensitive business data?
Remote IT support’s security for sensitive business data is intimately tied to the provider’s protocols and practices. You’re safer in a professional’s arms if they leverage encryption, two-factor authentication, and strict access controls.
What are the costs associated with implementing remote IT support services?
Remote IT support service costs cover software purchase or subscription fees, hardware upgrades, training costs, and ongoing monthly service fees. However, it’s often less expensive than maintaining an in-house IT team.
How can I ensure effective communication with a remote IT support team?
To ensure effective communication with a remote IT support team, you need to establish reliable communication tools. Encourage the team to follow protocol when addressing customer and staff support requests while tracking and documenting each incident from reporting to resolution.
What specific tools and technologies are used in remote IT support?
Helpdesk software, remote desktop tools, cloud-based systems, and communication platforms like Slack or Teams are commonplace in remote IT support. These technologies enable efficient troubleshooting and seamless communication, regardless of distance.
