How To Make Good Use Of The IT Support Department In Your Business

By Gloria Munger


When IT support services were first introduced to the business world they were usually only manned by one or two technicians. Their main responsibility was to ensure that systems were backed up, and computers were kept working. These departments were quite often based in a small room where the technicians could be found surrounded by diskettes, tapes, and broken computers.

It was quite common in most companies for users to attempt to solve any problems themselves. This was usually quicker and easier than trying to get the attention of a team member to come and help them. Over time, this habit has changed. The introduction of networks, and server-based software, requires that the engineers supporting the system have to be specialists.

As IT systems started to become more complex, the number of people needed in the dedicated service team had to increase. A number of different skill sets were required within the team to be able to cope with technologies such as web development, network systems, and the installation of hardware and software, to name but a few. However, even though some companies are investing in sophisticated technology, there will always be legacy equipment to maintain, and that also comes within their remit.

The way that an IT support team operates has had to change to cope with the growth of multinational companies, all working in different time zones. The departments are normally open 24 hours a day throughout the week, especially if there is just one support team for the whole global network. This means that if a user wants to report a fault, it is typically done by raising a support ticket on the company intranet.

Raising a ticket, or a request for help, may seem a bit extreme to a user who is just having problems with an e-mail account. However, this information can then be targeted at an engineer who is experienced in such problems, and therefore, be able to rectify the situation quickly. They might also find an underlying fault in the system due to this single report.

On a few occasions, what seems like a basic e-mail failure report might be an early symptom of a much bigger problem. It could be that similar faults have been reported by people in different locations throughout the world, and this would only be noticed if there was somebody to collate all the tickets. With this knowledge, problems can be escalated, and more members of the team allocated to solve them.

The systems that need supporting these days can be extremely complex, and a large number of businesses use external companies, rather than keep the department in-house. These consultancies will then call on freelancers local to the company in question to help rectify the problem. The cost-effectiveness of using this method depends on many different factors, such as the budget and size of the business.

Over the years IT support has changed quite dramatically. Companies have come to realize that without these engineers, business can collapse very quickly. The manpower used in these departments have to be highly skilled and understand, and keep themselves updated, in many different technologies.




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