As an industry worth US$1.42 trillion in 2024 alone, the IT support sector is clearly central to the business world. At first, your mind might hop to the image of desk-bound IT consultants. But post-pandemic, IT support has become far more proactive than reactive in its approach to solutions. An IT support service has much to offer your business, some of which you may not be aware of. This article will fill you in on what you need to know.

IT Support in a Nutshell

IT Support is a broad category of services and offerings that revolve around the protection, maintenance, and upgrades needed by a business’s networks, hardware, and software. Providers are certainly good at fixing a busted printer, but a versatile provider will offer so much more.

Every business has different IT needs, and every IT provider offers their own range of services to answer the call. It’s not uncommon for a professionally managed IT service provider to offer comprehensive support in many areas. This kind of provider is often referred to as a managed service provider or MSP.

The versatility of MSPs is sorely needed in many businesses. Not only are there cyberattacks to contend with, but hardware and software constantly need to be upgraded and maintained. So, an external support provider who makes IT their business can be an invaluable partner for your company.

The Main Types of IT Support

Businesses will enter into contracts and service periods with an MSP, which stipulate both parties’ roles and responsibilities. Within this agreement, many services can potentially be offered. These will depend on the size and needs of the company and the areas of expertise of the IT support service.

When looking for an MSP for your business, it’s helpful to know the major types of support on offer. Though not exhaustive, here is a selection of some of the major IT support services commonly offered:

Cloud Services

Post-pandemic businesses have become more flexible in their working arrangements, increasing the need for enhanced cloud computing. Cloud services revolve around maintaining and monitoring cloud infrastructure and applications, ensuring that your data stays safe and your systems run smoothly.

Cloud services also play a role in backing up company data to the cloud. This comes with its own responsibilities, as online backup data needs to be stored in compliance with regulatory standards like the GDPR. It can be hard for a business to know what hoops to jump through, so it’s often easier to entrust regulatory data compliance to the experts.

Data Backup and Recovery

Speaking of backups, as a business scales, it quickly faces the problem of rapidly accumulating data and files. If this data is lost or compromised, it can not only spell financial disaster but the exposure of sensitive and private information of both companies and clients.

IT support services provide backup solutions using consistent and comprehensive methods of data backup and storage. Backups can be conducted manually at set intervals or automatically using software. Backed-up data is typically stored off-site to prevent loss as a result of any man-made or natural disasters.

In addition, these services can also help a business draft a disaster recovery plan. This plan should lay out how to restore critical systems in a time of crisis and mitigate any loss of productivity.

Security

Digital security is nothing new, but the cyber-threat arms race continues at breakneck speed. That makes some form of protection – be that a simple antivirus or dedicated support team – vital for any business.

A cybersecurity MSP will analyze the setup, needs, and budget of a business before choosing the best protection possible. This can take the form of device and application protection, controlling access through biometric and password protection measures, and installing firewall and antivirus software.

Monitoring Services

Monitoring is a form of security applied across all forms of business networks. A monitoring service application will keep a proactive eye on data traffic and access requests. This provides protection against real-time attacks, but can also help smaller companies with across-the-board updates and device monitoring. Problem reporting may also be factored into the package.

Print Services

Besides all these newer services on offer, there’s still a need for services focused on older technology, like printers. Print services have their own special title: managed print services (MPS). These services can be offered by a dedicated print provider or by a provider offering diverse IT support services. Depending on the agreement, the provider will do everything from keeping office printers stocked with paper and topped up with toner to repairing machines in the event of a breakdown.

Over and above these basic services, some providers will also monitor print networks. This is valuable not just for access and security purposes, but also to audit usage and keep costs low.

VoIP Services

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a method of communication that’s become a replacement for phones in the modern office. With VoIP, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) handles your calls instead of a traditional landline company. VoIP services are subscription-based and allow for chat options – something that a traditional phone can’t offer.

Remote Support

In-house support is a boon, but the truth is many businesses cannot afford the costs of an IT team on the payroll. Remote IT support services not only serve multiple businesses at once but can reduce costs for all of them simultaneously.

Remote support can resolve many software-based issues and provide online support through control programs and applications. More serious matters will still need physical support, which can be provided by the remote support team.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Many software products that are staples of the modern office are offered on a subscription basis. It can be tricky keeping track of all these SaaS subscriptions, not to mention expensive. IT support can keep track of your software subscriptions and occasionally offer net discounted options for your business.

Data Analytics

Businesses that store large amounts of data might be sitting on a goldmine of market insights and consumer behavior. Some IT services can help parse this data and organize it into usable forms, offering pertinent data analytics to identify trends and make informed decisions.

A Solid Partnership

When looking for an IT support partner, it’s important to consider your needs, setup, and budget. But it’s just as important to choose an expert in the business as your service provider. If you’re in the St. Louis, Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, and Western Illinois areas, no one can match our 75 years (and counting) in the IT support industry.

At Da-Com, we exist to offer the best IT solutions for your business to keep you up-to-date, compliant, and secure. We’d love to put our expertise at your service. Contact us today.