Onsite Versus Remote IT Support
When choosing a company to provide IT support for your business, you have many things to think about. You need to know that the company you choose is reputable, reliable and professional. Just as importantly, you need to know that they can meet your business needs. One key area to consider is whether you require onsite or remote support. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options. Our guide explores the key benefits of each and will help you decide which one is most appropriate for your business.
Remote access
· Efficient
IT services companies offering remote support can usually offer very efficient support for minor day-to-day problems. In the time taken for you to make a phone call or send an e-mail an expert can take control of your desktop and see exactly what you are seeing. In most cases this means that problems are resolved extremely quickly and without causing much disruption to your business.
· Cost effective
Remote access tends to be a very cost effective solution. You don’t need to pay for a technician to be permanently onsite, nor do you have to cover the costs of the time he or she spends travelling to and from your office. Instead you just pay for the service you get and the time spent fixing the problem. This works for the provider too, as they spend less time travelling between clients’ premises or waiting around onsite with nothing to do. Instead they can focus all their energies on efficient technical support for a greater number of clients. This means they make considerable cost savings, some of which you can expect to be passed on to you, the client.
Onsite support
· Face-to-face contact
The advantages of face-to-face contact should not be underestimated. Many people find it easier to deal with people this way, rather than over the phone. Having an onsite technician will help your staff to build relationships with the people providing IT support, which can improve confidence in the system.
· Knowledge of your business
Having somebody onsite allows you to initiate him or her into the specific methods and idiosyncrasies of your business. This will enable the technician to pick up on areas of particular importance and recurring problems, as well as to predict and prevent issues that may arise in the future. Having an onsite IT technician also creates opportunities for a more forward-looking, less reactive approach. With a thorough knowledge of the way your company operates, he or she will become a valuable resource when it comes to planning how to take the business forward, ensuring that your systems are always maintained and developed in line with your company growth plans. He or she will also be very well placed to offer training to your staff, to ensure that your IT systems not only work properly but that they are used to their maximum capabilities.
· Prompt service for hardware issues
Not all problems can be dealt with remotely. This is particularly true of hardware issues. If something goes physically wrong with your server or PC, you need someone to be there to take a look at it. Employing an IT services company onsite means that this kind of problem can be dealt with promptly.
As you can see there are advantages in both options. You need to decide which is more suitable for your business. Many people decide that a combination of the two is the answer, with a small onsite presence, to deal with major problems and proactive services, supported by a larger remote team to deal with day-to-day issues. This is often a very satisfactory solution.