What is IT Support? A Guide to Get Started in 2024

The term IT support often evokes images of technicians fixing office computers — but this is far from the whole picture. IT support services can include a varied range of technical assistance, from cybersecurity to cloud application management. 

In the modern world of work, businesses big and small increasingly outsource different elements of IT support to improve operations, save money and provide smoother experiences for their employees and clients. In fact, global IT support is expected to reach $5.06 billion in 2024. 

If your business lacks time and technical expertise to keep up with rapidly evolving demands of technology, an IT support company could be the answer.

What is IT support?

IT support covers a range of technical services relating to computers, networks, devices, printing and other technology. Support can be onsite or remote and involves troubleshooting and resolving issues, setting up systems or improving the management or running of apps or programs.

Common IT support services include:

• Help desk support: Providing IT assistance to employees internally or customers externally to identify and resolve issues
• Cloud support: Helping companies set up or migrate to Cloud solutions such as hosted desktop and Microsoft 365
• Data protection: Ensuring data is secure, including backup and disaster recovery, and compliant with fast-evolving privacy laws like GDPR
• Cybersecurity: Safeguarding sensitive information through implementing multiple security measures like firewalls, email security and cybersecurity tools.
• Communication support: Facilitating effective and affordable communication systems from online phone systems to chat
• IT infrastructure: Improving the IT infrastructure with services like virtualising networks to rely less on hardware, or managing servers and storage.

How can IT support benefit my business in 2024?

IT support has multiple benefits in businesses today, allowing them to function at their best and remain profitable. 

Improved communication

IT support services improve communication by deploying and maintaining advanced tools like email servers, cloud-based systems and video conferencing platforms. Cloud-based communications allows employees worldwide to now access whole business networks and edit documents in real-time.

IT support can also help businesses integrate various communication channels for a unified experience. IT services can help companies improve network performance to enhance the quality of voice and video communications, especially for remote teams.

Security peace of mind

IT services can help businesses implement security measures to encrypt data and protect sensitive information such as the personal details of customers. This keeps them protected from disastrous data breaches saving businesses costs and reputational damage.

More workplace efficiency

Businesses rely heavily on high-functioning IT infrastructures to maintain and build their success. Therefore, if they encounter a technical problem, this can negatively impact their reputation and customer relationships. The best way to prevent this is to work closely with an external IT support agency.

Proactively monitoring and identifying IT issues before they happen reduces disruptions, allowing employees to focus on important tasks. 

More efficient costs 

Rather than setting up an expensive internal IT support system, involving hiring and training multiple staff members, IT support offers instant access to specialists at a reduced cost. IT support can also contribute to reduced business costs through improving efficiency, reducing downtime, preventing issues and optimising resources. 

Finally, as IT support usually charges a fixed fee per employee, outsourcing support is scalable and makes it simple and easy to ensure IT infrastructure keeps up with growing business demands. 

What is the role of an IT support analyst?

An IT support analyst is responsible for maintaining the IT systems within a company. Their primary role is to analyse their clients’ existing systems and diagnose any issues with the software or hardware. They will recommend the ideal solutions, including modifications to or replacement of equipment. They can also move old networks across to new ones.

At Arc Systems, we provide high-quality IT solutions to businesses, always adhering to budgets carefully. In addition, we pride ourselves on keeping up to date with the latest software and hardware in the technology industry. As a result, we can give our clients the very best business models to boost the efficiency of their current IT system.

What is an IT support officer?

This role is a little more hands-on! An IT support officer must respond quickly to any IT issues, providing technical support to workers across the company. They will physically install and configure computer hardware, software and office equipment such as printers and scanners. When introducing new applications, they will set up an account for each user.

IT support officers are also expected to repair and replace old equipment; therefore, they require a high understanding of the internal workings of technical machinery. Lastly, they will test new technology to ensure it is suitable for the company and achieve the aims set out in brief. You can save your business time and money as you won’t invest in new IT resources unless thoroughly vetted. As this role requires a lot of experience, IT support officers also train junior staff.

Here at Arc Systems, we offer uncapped remote IT support and helpdesk calls. We also conduct a full technical site survey and health check every piece of equipment we cover. In addition, our complete IT support package offers unlimited break/fix remote or on-site support. Visit our services page to see how we can help.

What is first-line IT support?

When you raise a support ticket, the problem is initially handed to the first line support. The first-line IT support team is the first point of contact as they can resolve general, fundamental IT issues quickly and easily. This process allows the customer or employee to continue with their day with minimal interruption. They will collect as much information as possible regarding your issue, and if they cannot solve it themselves, they will pass this on to the second-line support team. For even more complex issues, there may be a third-line support team. 

 How to improve IT support?

Here’s how you can offer reliable, fast and advanced support to your teams.

Outsource to an external provider 

The most effective way to improve and enhance your current IT support system is by outsourcing it. This will instantly save your company time and money as you will no longer need to employ an expensive in-house IT technician but instead pay a fixed monthly fee. This fee is determined by the level of support required.

Build a knowledge base 

Support your staff by building an internal IT knowledge base. For example, you can create a shared folder consisting of practical ‘how-to’ articles and other self-help resources so that your employees can solve simple IT issues independently. In turn, this will free up your IT agents to focus on the larger, more challenging problems whilst reducing the number of support tickets generated.

Don’t allow foreign devices

Review your ‘bring your own device’ strategy. Whilst this may make your staff feel empowered and motivated, using a device brought from home brings a host of security risks to your company. As a result, this could create multiple technical issues. Always ensure that external devices have functioning security protection software installed and check them before use by your IT support team.

Offer replacement technology 

Lastly, always provide a fast solution for lost, stolen or damaged hardware. Nothing is more demotivating than losing access to company files and waiting around for replacement technology. Also, conduct regular opportunities for employee feedback so that you are always meeting their needs.

Never lose another file again by installing a cloud storage system. All employees and managers can save their work to one access-controlled location. Therefore, even if the physical IT equipment is no longer available, you can open your files on another device anytime, anywhere. Your IT support will improve as far fewer file recovery requests will be required.

Questions you may be asking

How much should IT support cost?

• IT support costs depend if you require long-term monthly servicing and monitoring or ‘reactive’ support, meaning you only receive assistance when needed.
• Adhoc, reactive support can cost between £75-90 per hour with additional call-out fees to cover travel costs.
• At Arc Systems, we highly recommend that you invest in a managed support agreement. We include 24/7 monitoring, checking for viruses and hardware/software faults. The price per computer can range between £25-50 per computer per month.

What are the benefits of outsourcing IT support?

• By outsourcing your IT support, you ease the pressure from using just one qualified in-house technician. You automatically reduce the wait time for your employees as they may raise support tickets simultaneously.
• Gain access to an experienced, advanced IT support team for a price that suits you, quickly implement as part of your monthly budget.

How can IT support help my business?

• IT support plays a vital role in improving the efficiency of your business.
• Every business holds sensitive personal data such as employee details, salary, HR documents. This data should be highly protected. An IT support team can suggest and install security measures to protect against potential data breaches.
• Experienced IT support teams can help solve complex problems that could delay and push back deadlines, avoiding damaging your companies reputation.

What should I look for in an IT support company?

• Short term contracts (30-60 days) so that if you’re unhappy with the service you’re receiving, you’re free to leave
• Proactive management – your IT support team should have monitoring strategies in place to seek out issues before they develop, solving them before they become a bigger problem.
• Complete data security expertise – the IT support company should hold regular training sessions with employees to stay up to date with the latest cybersecurity. Failure to do this may put your company at risk if they aren’t protecting you against the latest security threats.
• Clear response times – your IT support team should have clearly outlined guides as to how long it will take them to process certain technological issues. If they can’t provide this, you should question their integrity.

Get started with IT support services today 

If you are lacking key elements of IT support, don’t have the time and resources to run effective systems, or want to take the stress of IT off your plate, outsourcing IT support can help. 

Arc Systems provides managed IT services from full onsite support to remote help for specific services. At Arc, we pride ourselves on being completely transparent. We are proactive, offering an extensive monitoring service to stop security issues in their tracks. We will not hesitate to provide precise response times to give you peace of mind and will always give you the chance to increase or minimise your level of cover with us. 

Check out our fully comprehensive IT support packages and help protect your business and employees today. 

If you’d like to discuss these further, please do not hesitate to contact us at Arc Systems on 01268 288100