Your IT department, whether in-house or hired in, does far more than sit around drinking coffee, while asking your employees, “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”. Between dealing with customers and battling phishing attacks, it’s not so much a case of why IT support is important, but more that you really can’t do without them.

So, what do they do and, seriously, why are they (almost) as important as a secure supply of good old Yorkshire tea to your business?

What is IT support?

On a typical day, your IT guys and gals could be doing everything from answering calls and helping out your employees with problems, to monitoring and protecting your network and setting up software for new starters.

To say that no two days are the same is the very least of it.

You might find your support team:

• Upgrading software and hardware

• Buying, installing and configuring everything from new software, mobiles and tablets to your network

• Looking after your servers

• Training your employees to use new systems and software

• Ensuring backups run smoothly

• Looking after data protection

• And a lot more than that!

Why IT support is important

Basically, your IT support team is responsible for making sure every aspect of the technology your business uses is working correctly, backed up, understood by those who need to use it, and protected from attacks.

We’d say that’s pretty important!

What does all that involve?

1. Protecting your business against cybercrime and malware

If your network is taken over by ransomware, caught out by a supply chain hack, or infected by a worm or virus, that can result in a very expensive and very long clean-up, which can result in your business losing money, time, customers and trust.

A good IT support team will do everything they can to protect you from cybercrime and malware to begin with, and should there be a problem, they’ll know what to do to fix it, and how to get you up and running again quickly.

2. Data security

With sensitive information, such as financial reports, customer details, supplier details and more, no business can afford a data breach. This is even more true with the large fines handed out to businesses for such data breaches since GDPR was introduced in 2018. Your IT team will make sure your data storage is properly, and securely, stored, and that access permissions are granted only to the right people.

3. Top class support

Every piece of software out there has bugs and at least the occasional problem, and your IT team will be available to monitor your systems and catch as many hiccups as possible before they affect your business. They’ll also be there to take care of anything your staff might need, for example, if they delete the wrong file and need a restore, or their computer crashes.

With the right support, instead of spending all your precious time fixing problems and wrangling tech, you can focus on growing your business and doing all those vital tasks that bring money in.

4. Smooth communications

Not only is it vital that all your systems across the business can work smoothly with each other and talk to each other, but you also need to ensure that your employees can easily communicate with each other, with remote working employees, and with customers. Your IT support team can ensure smooth communication across all aspects of your business.

5. Plan for now and the future

A good IT team will support your current IT needs and advise you on what works best, optimising and modernising your current systems. They will also be on hand to keep up with the latest technological developments and help you plan for future growth and changing IT needs.

What to look for when choosing the right IT support company

Experience, knowledge and qualifications

Look for people who really do know their onions. Find the right people who are familiar with the systems, software and hardware you use. Check their qualifications and look for continuous improvement and a candidate or company that keeps up with the latest technology, so you can too!

Keep calm and carry on

When things go wrong with IT systems, they can really go wrong! The last thing you need is anyone who panics and can’t take the time to think things through carefully. Look for people who really work well under pressure.

No jargon

If your IT people can’t tell you about your systems without sounding like they’re speaking Klingon, then it’s time to replace them. You should get clear explanations, without the jargon, that tell you exactly what they’re working on, why, and how long it’s going to take. They should communicate properly and work with you as part of your team.

People you can trust

Your IT team will deal with all of your most important systems and your highly sensitive data. Take up references, do a DBS check and make absolutely sure you’ve got an honest team you can count on and trust with everything.

How responsive are they?

With many IT issues, you simply can’t wait around for hours to get your IT people on the problem. Look for people who really will be there for you in the evenings, at weekends - whenever you need them, and ensure you have enough people to give you cover 24/7, 365 days a year. If you’re using an external company, make sure you have direct contact information and a service level agreement that clearly states what response times you’ll get. 

Costs

Obviously, you’ll need to consider how much everything costs and part of that will be getting a range of quotes. Check what services will be provided, if there are any added extras, and make sure the quote only covers what you need. Make a point of meeting the people who’ll be providing your IT support, not just the salespeople, so you know exactly what, and who, you’re getting.

We’ve covered why IT support is important, and we think a good IT team is something no business can afford to be without.

If you’re looking at outsourcing your IT support and you’d like a no-obligation chat with a professional, experienced team, why not get in touch?