What is IT support and do you really need it? We break it all down in our latest article to answer your questions.
IT support is a term used to describe the professional assistance given to organisations and companies that need help with their IT, which includes technological products and systems.
IT support services may include fixing broken hardware such as printers or computers, or software issues around mail, programs and security. They provide onsite and remote support, and are generally there to help in times of need, such as computer down-time, or a cyber threat or attack.
For many smaller companies IT support is a sufficient level of support – having a support provider means when issues crop up they contact their supplier, and have issues resolved. IT support is especially ideal for those companies that are not very reliant on their technology to function, but need it for documentation and recording.
But for a growing number of companies this is not enough, and they find themselves frustrated. That’s because in 2021 downtime or IT issues mean being unable to trade or process orders, or carry out key operations. Much of the work of IT support companies is reactive, as opposed to being proactive, so downtime is inevitable. This is because they help fix problems rather than prevent them from happening.
Managed IT services, like those offered by Team Metalogic, differ from IT support. One of the biggest reasons is that they are more proactive as opposed to reactive. So rather than waiting for the client to have issues and respond to them, they have systems set up 24/7 to identify possible future pain points. The result should be a reduction in issues reported, and more actions taken in advance to avoid support requests.
As you continue reading, this article will help you understand what IT support is. We’ll also explain why you may or may not need it, and why managed IT services are more beneficial for your business.
What is an IT support company?
An IT support company is one that provides IT support services, and the majority of these services are concerned with fixing problems. They could be issues such as slow speed, email connectivity issues, network issues, file access and hardware issues with laptops or equipment.
These sorts of issues are normally flagged up by the client employee, as and when they experience them. The usual process might look like submitting a support ticket, and then waiting for that to go through the system and be allocated to an engineer, who then looks to resolve the issue.
We’ve already mentioned the idea of a reactive and proactive service. Because IT support companies work with you when something goes wrong, they offer a service that is reactive in its nature.
A better way forward – managed IT services
Managed IT services are a step up from IT support services. A managed IT service provider will offer you everything that IT support does and more. A managed IT service provider is both proactive and reactive – the best of both worlds.
Where managed IT services differ from IT support really begins at the start – the very start of the relationship.
As a managed IT services provider, one of the core values of Team Metalogic is to really understand the organisations we work with, how they use their IT and what systems they use and why. We even want to know what makes them different to competitors. We really like to get under the hood and understand how IT fits within their business, so we can build our IT support around their specific needs. By doing that, we can put in place specific systems, hardware and monitoring solutions to manage their IT more effectively. It’s definitely not one-size-fits-all.
As well as being more strategically aligned, a managed IT company will have a whole suite of systems running 24/7 to monitor the performance and stability of an organisation’s IT. The whole ethos of managed IT is built on working in the background to predict areas that might create disruption, and taking proactive steps to avoid them. That might consist of security upgrades, or recommendations for hardware and software. Basically anything that might cause a future issue. Most future issues can be avoided, so that means you spend less time dealing with issues and more time focused on your organisational goals and processes.
Think of us as less of a supplier and more as a strategic partner who can help your business run smoothly.
Managed IT providers will of course also be on hand to help with issues as they crop up, just like an IT support provider. You can still submit a ticket and have issues resolved, but the whole service and philosophy is on another level.
What’s included in managed IT services?
A managed IT services package can include many different things that all come under the umbrella of business IT support.
At Team Metalogic, our managed IT services extend across a wide range of IT and telecommunications.
Our main services include:
- Cloud computing, including managed Cloud backup and Microsoft 365 for business
- Telecommunications and connectivity
- Hardware and software monitoring, and recommending the best versions that benefit you and your business
- Preventative mitigation from cyber attacks
- Responding to threats and attacks timely
- Operational projects, both large and small
- System upgrades
We also offer both onsite and remote support, and we’re always available. Due to our commitment to you and your business, there’s an experienced team member for you to contact day and night, all year round.
What are the benefits of managed IT services?
We’re very proud to offer the extensive range of services that we do, and we’re thrilled to have helped many businesses with their IT. But it’s not just these services that really benefit you.
The main benefit of working with a managed IT service provider, such as us, is more than what we offer in terms of your technology support. The value lies in our dedicated ways of working.
1 – The strategic partnership we develop with all our clients
As mentioned above, we use our extensive knowledge and years of experience to benefit your IT, yes. But we also go the extra mile by becoming a strategic partner of your busines
We don’t want to just be the company you call on in times of need. Instead, we build trust and understanding with all our clients to become an extension of their team.
After we’ve built this relationship and fully understood your aims, we can recommend the best hardware and software that will help achieve these outcomes.
2 – Our attention to detail
Whether that’s paying a close eye to every aspect of your cyber security to check for areas that are weaker and need boosting, to noticing how you could improve your software with the latest upgrade. We spot potential benefits for your IT to continually improve.
Our dedication to you means we want the best for your business and its IT. Our passionate team also has a dedication to making everything look good, smart and professional to reflect you.
This even includes going the extra step to tidy up cables when we install new hardware. These are the small things we both notice and action that end up going a long way.
3 – Our response times
As already mentioned, we have support systems available to you every hour of the day for every day of the week. Not only this, we also have exceptional response times when you need us.
Our outstanding customer retention and satisfaction rates shows how our rapid response times benefit our existing customers.
If you have an urgent issue that has a high impact on your operations, we will respond within one hour. Take a look at our full explanation of our response times here.
4 – Our dedicated resources for high performance and reliability
A managed IT service provider has a wider range of resources to use that benefit you. Our resources are dedicated to improving your IT’s performance and reliability over a long period of time. This ensures that the work we implement is longstanding.
We don’t just install one element for a quick-fix job that’ll work once. We’re dedicated to working with you to improve your business’ IT for the future. That’s why we’ll provide you with regular Technology Business Reviews to discuss your business objectives and technology roadmap.
All the staff at Team Metalogic are passionate, dedicated, experienced, knowledgeable, and skilled in IT and telecoms, allowing our managed IT services to go above and beyond to benefit you and your business.
Conclusion
You may need some form of IT support, but relying on IT support companies alone has its limitations. This type of service offers generic support to all companies, which can help you keep your IT on track.
IT support services may be useful, but with managed IT you get a completely different level of service. With less downtime, fewer issues and constant monitoring you’ll run your organisation smoother than ever. And mixed with a more proactive approach that understands your business needs, you’ll gain a competitive advantage in your sector.
Considering managed IT services?
Team Metalogic is a leading managed IT services provider based in Cardiff. Founder and CEO, Mike Parfitt, began the company in 2003, meaning we’ve been operating as “Team Metalogic” for nearly 20 years.
With our ever-growing team of dedicated engineers, we have years of combined experience. This all fully equips us to handle any IT support request and become your strategic IT services partner.
We pride ourselves on our ability to deliver effective results while still speaking your language, and avoiding confusing jargon – we want to work with you, not against you after all.
Want to discover how our dedicated managed IT services can benefit your business?
Get in touch with us today – our team would love to chat with you!