Introduction:
For a business to run smoothly and operate at its peak, IT tools such as computers and servers must run optimally. But what if something goes wrong with these tools, or your in-house IT staff is unavailable? It will likely result in an interruption to your operations, which can lead to customer dissatisfaction and financial loss.
That’s why having access to 24/7 IT support could be vital for keeping your business running smoothly and avoiding such scenarios. Yet many business owners think that IT support is just for the big guys and that their business doesn’t need it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Whether a small business or a large enterprise, managed IT services can help your business run smarter with minimal downtime and better security.
With 24/7 IT support, you can be sure your business has a reliable and dedicated IT, staff, on call whenever there is an issue, be it during the day, at night, or on weekends. Let’s look at how professionals like Layer One Networks can help you make the most of your IT investments.
Benefits of Using 24/7 IT Support
Using managed IT support services from Layer One Networks is like having a 24/7 assistant in your corner, ensuring that all systems are up and running.
Here are a few of the benefits:
Faster Response Time
Every minor operation in your business can be impaired if something goes wrong with your IT setup. That’s why for businesses, it’s important to get a faster response time when their IT infrastructure breaks down. With managed IT services, you’ll have dedicated professionals monitoring your systems at all times and ready to respond quickly when something goes wrong.
High-End Services
One of the biggest advantages of partnering with an IT support provider like Layer One Networks is getting access to the most advanced and up-to-date technologies with experienced IT experts who provide specialized IT advice and solutions. In addition, all our team members are well-trained and hold certifications and experience specific to the industry.
Working with us will save you time and money on recruiting, training, managing, and maintaining your IT staff. The tech can be easily integrated into your existing IT infrastructure without disturbing your normal work operations.
Predictable Costs
To maintain a company’s IT system and tools, you can either build an in-house IT staff or outsource it. The former requires more money and is less cost-effective. On the other hand, when you partner with an IT support provider like Layer One Networks, you can be sure of predictable costs and a fixed monthly fee for services, so whether it’s a hardware issue, repair, and maintenance, all these expenses are taken care of in the fixed fee that you’ll pay.
How Do You Know If You Need 24/7 IT Support?
Although having a 24/7 IT support system is beneficial for all businesses, not every business requires such a service. Therefore it is important to assess your business needs and decide if you need 24/7 IT support.
Below are a few scenarios where having 24/7 IT support would be a good idea for your business:
Your Customers Require 24/7 Support:
If you are in a business that supplies services or products that customers may access out of hours (for instance, a service that operates online or an app-based platform), it is important to provide support during all hours.
Out-of-hours can mean something other than having a 24/7 IT service desk. For example, if your customers are in the same time zone as your business, you could extend IT support hours to late night/early morning.
It could also be beneficial to implement a self-service solution where end-users can access the IT system on their own and get IT-related help without having to speak with the IT support team.
Your Employees Work Remotely
If your organization has employees who work remotely or are spread across different time zones, having 24/7 IT support can help keep their operations running smoothly. Employees who travel often require access to the IT system even outside office hours; hence providing them with round-the-clock support can be a great way to ensure that operations run without any hiccups.
You Operate in a Time-Sensitive Industry
For some businesses, time is of the essence. For example, a minute-long system outage in finance and healthcare can cost them hundreds of dollars or ruin lives. Professional IT support could prevent such outages even before they occur.
24/7 IT Support vs. Self-service
Having identified a need for out-of-hours support, you must decide whether to go for 24/7 IT support or provide a self-service portal. To understand this better, you need to speak to your in-house IT team and understand what issues arise out of hours and what resources are required to tackle them.
If the majority of tickets raised can be solved using a self-service portal, then opting for such an option might be more cost-effective. However, if the tickets are more complex and require IT expert assistance, then a 24/7 IT desk is needed. Although this option is expensive, you will need to weigh the cost of downtime against the cost of support and make an informed decision.
However, when you outsource your service desk, you have an option where your team can handle the tickets during office hours and outsource them to a third-party service provider for out-of-hours support.
This option is much more cost-effective than having a full-time IT team and allows you to choose between self-service or 24/7 support, depending on the type of service request.
Why Partnering With a Professional is Worth the Investment
Many businesses think that using managed IT support services increases their costs, but the truth is that it can help them save money. Professional IT support services eliminate the need for hiring an in-house team which can prove to be costly and time-consuming.
Moreover, when you partner with a professional like Layer One Networks, you will get access to their resources and complete visibility into your entire IT infrastructure. Plus, you can be sure of an experienced team who can provide quick and effective solutions anytime.
From ensuring that your systems are running smoothly to providing proactive maintenance and management, the specialized managed IT services from Layer One Networks will help businesses achieve their desired goals quickly and with minimal effort. So if you want to ensure that your business runs without any glitches, particularly during out-of-hours, then having 24/7 IT support is undoubtedly worth the investment.