Your choice of an IT support company is one of the most important decisions you can make for your business success. This type of service provides your business with expert support for a variety of information technology needs, without having to employ, pay and manage a technician yourself. The services offered usually cover:
maintaining the operation of your systems
networking of computers, printers and scanners
desktop user support
managing server performance
network security
data backup
In addition, most suppliers of these services offer desktop support for users such as software installation, resolution of email problems and fixing of bugs. Each of these services requires a different skill set, and one technician would be unable to deal with everything – even in a small company.
Network Services
Installation, setup and management of a company-wide network is a critical part of most businesses’ operation. Network maintenance and management forms a large portion of the work handled by an IT support company. A well-designed network provides access to company data from all authorized workstations in the firm. The network is monitored remotely around the clock to keep it operational, and to optimize the network up-time and efficiency. Network security protocols help to defend your IT systems from hacking, viruses and spyware, and these services are managed by your support company.
Infrastructure Management
Your chosen IT support company should have a solid knowledge of hardware and software, and be able to manage patches, security and updates for all the company’s workstations. The technicians on call provide first level support by phone or email for problems experienced by users, and send a technician to your premises to deal with problems that cannot be resolved remotely. The IT support company has personnel who specialize in different aspects of IT management, and is able to send a technician with the right skills for each problem.
Website Management
This is an additional service provided by some companies. If your IT support company offers website management, it typically includes creating a website that conforms to your requirements. These may include the following aspects:
website design
development of site functionality
eCommerce, such as online purchase options
content development, such as copywriting
ongoing content management
Business website design also includes technology solutions to integrate the website with your brand identity and which merge creativity and technology seamlessly, such as automated eNewsletter management tools.
Search Engine Optimization
Optimizing your website for the search engines to be able to find it is an ongoing responsibility. If your IT support company manages the content on your website, it will ensure that the site make use of the appropriate keywords, headings and meta tags. It will commission fresh content to be written and update the site regularly with quality material that is written around the keywords. The company’s SEO reporting tools will continuously monitor your page ranking, measure the performance of your website and the success of your online marketing activities. An IT support company may also offer optimization of your exposure in local directories and online map sites, such as Google Places, Bing Local and Yelp.com.
Additional Services
A company may choose to focus only on hardware and software support, or it may offer a variety of additional technology services, such as email marketing and social media management. Email is a particularly cost effective form of marketing, based on the number of users it can potentially reach. An IT support company that offers email marketing services will help you build substantial email databases, create compelling email content, design templates, send out bulk emails, analyze the success of campaigns and evaluate changes for future campaigns.
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