Outsourced IT Support FAQ.

Below is a selection of frequently asked questions relating to the IT Outsourcing industry. There are many advantages of working with an experienced IT Support company such as our own. If you are thinking of outsourcing your It then you may find the below Q and A helpful.

What Services can I outsource?

Just about every aspect of your business IT Network can be outsourced. Common examples of IT Outsourcing services include maintenance & administration of Windows and Exchange servers, application support and general troubleshooting for end-users, network management (internet, hardware firewall, patch panels and networking points), telephone support for businesses that use VoIP telephony and Project Management and Consultancy services for complex projects such as office moves and server/network infrastructure upgrades.

How is the Service provided?

IT companies such as our own offer a Professional IT Helpdesk service, which is provided by a team of qualified IT support engineers. The role of an IT Helpdesk is to provide end-users with 1^st & 2^nd line telephone and remote support for ‘everyday issues' such as problems with applications and peripherals for example, along with 3^rd line support services for more complex issues that may arise.

Professional field engineers provide IT Support for issues that require an onsite presence. Examples include new or replacement hardware installation, emergency onsite support for issues deemed as business critical and providing onsite training to end-users.

IT Consultants provide Project Management and Consultancy services. Examples of projects include complex server migrations and hardware upgrades, implementation of virtualisation and Disaster Recovery technologies, entire network infrastructure upgrades or migration to the cloud.  Common examples of IT Consultation includes Professional Network Audits, Network Stress testing and Network Security Audits.

What other Specialist Services are provided?

Just about every IT Support company out there will be able to provide you with a range of additional products and services. These will include Network monitoring, a service which allows companies such as ours to monitor the key aspects of your IT Network in real-time, Online Backup - the preferred alternative to a traditional tape backup solution, Disaster Recovery Solutions if the worst should happen, VoIP - IP based telephony solutions for the office, Virtualisation technologies for improving your server infrastructure and video conferencing solutions for business.

Many IT companies now provide ‘cloud-based services' such as Hosted Desktop, Hosted Exchange and even Hosted software solutions such as SharePoint for example. The popularity of cloud based solutions in the SME sector has grown significantly over the past two years and not without good reason. Moving to the cloud is a good way of improving your existing IT Infrastructure, while significantly reducing your annual IT maintenance and procurement costs.

What are the benefits of outsourcing?

Saving money.

Lowering annual overheads is one of the main reasons why so many companies look to outsource their IT services to companies like Our IT Department.  Outsourcing your IT can help reduce annual operational expenses such as staff training or hiring additional internal IT staff. An IT company with a vast amount on in-house knowledge and resources can also help improve your existing IT Infrastructure, even with little or no budget to work with. We can help reduce system downtime and improve the efficiency of your workforce. A problematic IT network can lead to reduced productivity in the workplace, and reduced productivity will ultimately cost you money.

Knowledge is power.

When signing a full-time IT Support contract, you will immediately gain access to a vast pool of IT Knowledge; in fact what you really get is your own full-time IT Department!! Outsourcing companies such as our own will employ a team of experienced engineers who are specialists in their particular area of expertise. Knowledge is power and our clients have certainly benefitted from the vast amount of in-house knowledge we have at their disposal!!

A flexible solution.

Outsourced IT Services are usually available in different flavours. There is ad-hoc ‘Pay as you go' IT Support which is usually paid for by purchasing support tickets or blocks of hours. Ad-hoc support Is perfect for clients with small IT networks that require very little support, or for customers that are light users of their IT Network. Full-time IT Support contracts are perfect for organisations that are reliant upon their IT Network to run their business.  Complimentary IT Services are perfect for organisations that already have full-time in-house IT expertise, but require sickness and holiday cover, 1^st line support only or Assistance with Complex projects.

What level of performance should I expect from my IT Company?

At our Company, ALL members of staff endeavour to answer the phone within three rings. There is nothing more frustrating than being put through to an automated call service and even though our own company has grown significantly over the years, we have always intentionally avoided implementing automated solutions. It is my personal opinion that you should always be able to speak directly to a member of staff when calling your IT Company.

Whether it is our company or another, be sure to request a copy of the SLA (Service Level Agreement) and make sure that the terms set out in the SLA are completely transparent. You do not want to be waiting 8 hours for a password to be changed!!!!

We hope that you find the above FAQ useful. If you have any further questions about outsourcing your IT Support then feel free to submit a comment or call a member of our team today on 0845 129 9940.