What is Proactive IT Support?
All companies require some form of IT support, whether it comes from dedicated in-house staff or via an expert IT services company.
Whatever business sector you work within and however large your organisation, IT solutions will form part of your day-to-day running, it might be communications, workflow, customer ordering and processing, manufacturing or the provision of goods and services.
It’s important to understand the role that efficient IT support plays in your business and how correct IT management can minimise the potential for costly downtime or even severely problematic data loss.
In this article we’d like to take you through some of the essential information on IT services and particularly the importance of proactive support within IT infrastructure.
Understanding proactive IT Support.
Technology makes our lives easier, but our reliance on it is expanding exponentially, a fact that is undeniable. As need and use grows, so do the problems and complexities around every aspect of tech use, from keeping data secure to maintaining reliable, glitch-free continuity of service.
Some companies have a form of in-house IT support from dedicated staff members who deal with day-to-day issues and lead on projects like upgrades and on-going maintenance.
Other organisations use an expert IT support company to help fulfil their IT requirements. Employed on a contract basis, they will be on call to respond rapidly when any digital, IT or technology issues arise whether large or small.
An IT support company will usually provide a variety of different services all designed to meet the unique needs of each client. Although the range of solutions may vary, there are essentially two key types of IT support a managed service provider (MSP) will offer.
They are commonly referred to as proactive solutions and reactive solutions.
In recent years the general movement from all business sectors has overwhelmingly been towards choosing proactive IT support. Most likely this is because of the many benefits it offers, but let’s take a look at both and explore the pros and cons.
What is a reactive IT service provider?
Reactive IT support is also commonly referred to as break-fix support, and essentially is the resolving of issues as and when they occur.
Whether you have an in-house team or employ a specialist external IT support company, with break-fix support, you will only reach out to your IT team when something goes wrong.
At its heart, reactive IT support is daily trouble-shooting which works well if your department or chosen company is quick to respond and can efficiently resolve the issues you are experiencing.
Break-fix IT support may also be the result of a shortage within an in-house IT department, with available staff stretched across a greater workload. The solution to this would be replacing staff or employing more personnel but this can be a lengthy and expensive process.
In a break-fix IT support scenario it’s likely that your staff and customers will experience downtime while issues are resolved. Some larger and more complicated problems can cause severe disruptions to workflow and could be costly in terms of lost revenue.
Break-fix is often a more cost effective solution, great for companies who require very little support and who are happy to wait for IT technicians to respond and complete any fixes.
One major downside is that reactive, break-fix IT support will not include any strategic roadmap for the digital future of your business. It deals with the here and now, rather than looking forward and planning for business growth and expansion. This approach could end up holding you and your business back and costing you more money in the long run.
What is proactive IT support and how will it benefit your business?
Proactive IT support is the active monitoring of your digital systems, alerting you to potential issues and resolving them before they escalate. Proactive IT support also includes regular updates as well as reliable, secure back-ups for your company’s data.
All of this means that instead of daily fire-fighting, your systems run smoothly 99.9% of the time because they are being closely monitored.
With scheduled back-ups, your data is safe and in the unlikely event of data loss or a cyber security breach, you and your staff can be back up and running quickly and without fuss.
What is proactive support and how will it help your business:
- Attentive specialists who constantly monitor your systems.
- Responsive experts who can spot and solve issues before they escalate.
- Reliable back-ups of all your data and company IP.
- Forward-thinking, strategic planning to anticipate and allow for future business growth and development.
- Informed and experienced IT professionals, up to speed on all the latest technological advances.
- A positive IT experience for your team and customers, issues are resolved quickly and efficiently.
- Downtime and lost revenue implications are minimised with speedy resolutions and expert guidance.
- Less time wasted on fire-fighting daily glitches and more time spent growing your business.
Proactive IT support is being adopted by more and more businesses for these reasons and many more. It’s a more nuanced, forward-thinking and tailored solution to the unique IT needs of each business and in the long-term it’s far more financially beneficial.
Proactive support from the Acronyms team.
Although reactive IT support often comes with a smaller price tag than proactive solutions, these savings may only be surface deep. The lost income from frequent IT issues that cause downtime for your staff are likely to be more costly in the long run.
Bringing a proactive IT support company on board could save your business money and minimise disruptions in your day-to-day operations whilst providing a strategic approach to anticipating and delivering on your customers’ support needs. At the end of the day, the type of IT support service you choose will all come down to the needs of your business and we’d always advise getting in touch so that you can fully understand the services and potential benefits.
Acronyms IT support has been providing cost-effective, proactive IT support to businesses across the South West since 2003. We have an experienced and knowledgeable team of technicians, engineers and consultants who will provide sensible solutions and never bog you down with complicated jargon.
If you’d like to discuss how proactive IT support could help your business, get in touch with Acronyms today.
Alternatively, here are a number of resources you might find useful:
Our IT Support Services
Cattewater Harbour Commissioner’s Case Study