From the unprecedented surge in e-commerce to the dramatic digital transformation, the current economic environment (largely impacted by the ongoing pandemic) has made one thing clear: technology is vital to business growth. Enterprises have realised this by now and are starting to make the necessary adjustments in their operations—and your UK-based SME should too. Fortunately, for start-ups and established but smaller organisations alike, the perfect solution for technological dilemmas can be found in remote IT support.

What is Remote IT Support?

Remote IT support is defined as support services provided off-site by external providers to users of technology services and products. What distinguishes remote IT support from in-house tech support is the capacity for IT personnel to offer technical assistance outside of the organisation’s premises and beyond the traditional working hours.

This is made possible by the remote work solutions that allow tech support personnel, regardless of their location, to connect to the company’s IT ticketing system and address the inquiries, concerns, and requests for assistance received from internal and/or external customers.

Key Benefits of Remote IT Support

For larger enterprises who maintain their own IT organisation, remote support could be rendered by their own IT team members working off-site or from home. Smaller companies on the other hand, also have the option of acquiring outsourced remote support services through a managed IT services provider. It is in this aspect where remote IT support could prove to be most beneficial for your enterprise. Here’s why:

1. Lower overhead costs

   Remote support one-ups on site technical assistance by eliminating or reducing a host of overhead costs, from rent to utilities to transportation and administrative costs. And with third-party IT support, it’s easier to keep within the IT manpower budget because you only have to pay a fixed fee (often monthly) for the services they provide, without having to worry about a higher pay grade IT manager.

2. Continuous availability and quick response time

   It also provides steady, reliable manpower that ensures operational continuity without the disruption of employee turnover. Given that the work is done remotely, immediate and real-time aid is accessible practically from anywhere and at any time, since most remote IT services could be made available 24/7 should you opt for this. This is especially useful if you have customers or employees based in different parts of the globe and therefore, don’t just require IT support London. Your managed services provider could ensure that a technician will always be available for you and this could prove to be very valuable in urgent issues such as system downtime or potential security breaches.

3. On-demand IT expertise

   Outsourcing remote IT support offers a significant advantage over directly employing in-house tech personnel because your organisation is no longer limited to the skills and knowledge of the in-house team. Instead, your managed services provider can give you access to IT experts when they are needed. For instance, if your SME is UK-based, in addition to remote IT support London, your provider can also offer IT consulting services on a host of other areas such as security, cloud computing, virtualisation and other technologies that are relevant to your industry. You may even acquire their services in recommending and then deploying new workplace solutions, and get continuing remote support for that moving forward.

4. Better business focus

   Remote IT services allows management to prioritise growing the enterprise and achieving primary objectives, rather than sorting out IT problems. With technology playing a huge role in every organisation, it’s important that tech issues are handled by capable people who know what they’re doing. This allows the company operations to run smoothly, giving the organisation’s leaders the focus they need to execute business plans and develop other projects.

5. Higher employee productivity

   The old adage time is gold is as true when applied in business as in day-to-day life. With the 24 hours in a day a person is given, only about eight hours or so are allocated for working and employees need to make use of these hours efficiently. It’s difficult to do this however, if even the simplest tech issues bog you down: slow PCs, forgotten passwords, intermittent connection, printer problems, and the like. If these are dealt with immediately by tech support staff, the time and effort needed for IT troubleshooting is eliminated, allowing employees to focus on their strengths and their tasks. Stress is minimised, efforts are directed more productively, and results are maximised.

6. Increased security and better business continuity planning

   IT security has become a very critical issue in organisations, no matter the size, industry, and location. Part of the services that your off-site IT support in London can offer is to evaluate your network security and make recommendations based on their assessment. They can also assist in implementing a workable business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) plan by advising your SME on proper data backup policies and/or recommending reliable BCDR solutions.

7. Proactive system maintenance.

   Remote IT support offered by a managed services provider is always on the lookout for any technical issues. These problems may come to their attention from the type of tech support tickets they receive, a snag they encountered while dealing with a particular issue, or from directly evaluating your system. Regardless of the trigger, IT support can look for any potential problem areas in your network and your employees’ practices, and can find ways to address these and/or advise your company before they turn into bigger concerns.

Remote IT Support in the Changing Times

Now more than ever, enterprises need to adapt to crucial changes in the business landscape. Even when (or if) we revert back to the normalcy we once knew, some fundamental shifts in the workplace are now here to stay. Technology, virtual solutions, remote working—and with this, remote IT support, are key strategies that will keep your business competitive and boost its growth.