Making Good Use Of The IT Support Department In Your Business

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.

In a lot of companies at that time, users would often attempt to fix any problems themselves, rather than call for help. This has all changed now. Networked systems, and sophisticated software, have meant that the support engineers have to be highly skilled, and understand many different systems.

As the complexity of the IT systems grew, the manpower required in the team needed to increase. There was a requirement for people with various skill sets in order for the department to cope with the variety of technologies used within a single company. However, there was still the legacy equipment to look after, along with its inherent compatibility problems.

As companies continue to grow, and multinational businesses evolve, these departments are required 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is very rare that you can pick up the telephone and talk to your local support engineer, who is sitting in a tiny room in another part of the building. It is now more common to send an e-mail requesting assistance, or raise a ticket on the support page of the company intranet.

Some people question the value of working this way when the fault could just be on a single computer. However, this method is a good way to make sure that the correct person is tasked to deal with the problem. This means that they will have a better idea of the overall picture, and your report may help them prevent other users having the same problem in the future.

What seems like a simple localized e-mail failure report could actually be a symptom of a greater problem. The same fault might have been reported by individuals scattered all over the world. The fault might actually be traced back to a system server problem, this is why a mixture of skill sets in the team is very advantageous. With the technicians all working together, a fault can be escalated, and solved quickly.

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.

IT support has had to change a lot to keep pace with technology. It is unrecognizable from from its humble beginnings. It is looked upon in a different light by companies and their employees, and is no longer the butt of jokes. The engineers and technicians that work in these departments have to be highly skilled individuals, and up-to-date with the latest technologies.