Choose an IT supplier for your business

Advantages of using IT support services

Guide

Technology can fail in any business, regardless of how big or small it is. To safeguard your systems, you should think about having some level of IT support in place.

Start by considering carefully how much technical support you need. This depends on how much IT expertise you have in-house, how important it is to keep systems running smoothly, and how much you can sensibly afford for a support contract.

Types of IT support contracts and services

Support services that could benefit your business include:

  • set up tasks, such as installation and configuration
  • staff training and upskilling
  • remote monitoring and management, enabling rapid response to errors and failures
  • telephone, email or online support
  • guaranteed response times, as part of supplier SLA, reducing downtime and revenue loss
  • on-site support
  • IT asset management and inventory
  • security management, including software patches, virus protection, and storage and backup task

Importance of IT support for your business

Running a business relies heavily on IT systems. Because of this, problems and issues with IT systems can cause significant difficulties for your business, including:

  • data loss
  • data storage and processing
  • service interruption
  • business interruption
  • cyber attacks

Having a dedicated IT support service in place means that you have access to highly specialised talent and resources as and when you need them.

You should weigh this against the costs of procuring such service to determine the real benefits to your business. See IT system cost evaluation.