Monthly Archives: December 2020

Facing and Defeating IT Help Desk Challenges

Manage Service, ,
IT help desk worker accompanied by his team. Smiling customer support operator at work. Young employee working with a headset.

Limited resources, changing technologies, & other challenges don’t have to put additional pressure on your IT help desk team.

With technologies changing at a rapid pace and strategies following the lead, the Information Technology Service Management will soon experience a major development. We anticipate the Information Technology Service Management market will continue to grow at a steady rate.

However, when we think about the major developments that will take place, it is important to obtain a clear understanding of what IT help desk systems and software will look like. As more developments continue to take place, there will be major IT help desk challenges that businesses and organizations will have to overcome in order to stay afloat in the industry.

If your support team cannot provide employees or customers with the tools and information they need when they contact the help desk, employee productivity and customer satisfaction can be at a great risk. Over the years, an IT help desk can face a variety of challenges that can impact the ability to provide support and serve employees and customers.

Some of the major challenges that some IT help desks will experience include the following:

Technologies that are always changing

Over the last ten years, a wealth of new technologies have come into view and have evolved significantly. While the technologies can be used to significantly help businesses, customers, and employees, the long list of changes can also come with a long list of challenges.

In order for an IT help desk to remain competitive and stay on track, your IT help desk will need to have the tools and strategies that are needed to access the system on a daily basis with zero problems. Your IT help desk team will need to be able to access the system and switch between multiple applications on a consistent basis, and this will improve the productivity and the performance of your team.

Juggling a long list of trouble tickets

It is important to have an IT help desk system that can effectively and efficiently handle all the trouble tickets and requests. Issues will need to be addressed in a timely manner, and the manner in which the issues are handled should be handled efficiently while meeting the high-quality standards that have been set.

We understand it can be difficult to handle so many requests, especially when the IT support team will have to deal with other daily issues. If members of your support team can only handle one service request at a time, the trouble tickets and service requests will begin to pile up and a long list of impatient customers will begin to form.

It is important to meet the needs of your customers and your employees, and this can be created by using the tools that are needed to address multiple trouble tickets at one time.

Limited number of resources

We understand that some of the issues you can face when working the IT help desk can be challenging and frustrating to deal with. When customers and employees do not have a system they can use to help them with their problems, they will continue making calls or sending emails to the IT help desk system.

Can you imagine how much time your service team can have to address other issues if customers had a self-service management system or answers to Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)? When there is no tool for customers or the support staff to use, it could lead to more trouble tickets being created and more customers not receiving the assistance they need in a timely manner. If there is no self-service system in place, the support team’s productivity will decline and the response and resolution times will be poor.

While improvements in technology can certainly lead to a more productive and effective workplace, it can also lead to challenges if you do not have a plan in place that can add to its value. Contact us today for more information on overcoming IT help desk challenges.

The 5 Security Benefits of an IT Help Desk for Remote Employees

Manage Service, , ,
A woman provides customer service at an IT help desk

When working remotely, reliable IT support is more important than ever.

Companies across the planet are transitioning some or all team members to remote work-at-home positions. Whether you are building new remote teams, transitioning together, or recruiting new remote employees; IT support is a must. Not only will your IT help desk assist the team in setting up their home offices, installing the software stack, and connecting to your collaborative software – they are also responsible for remote team cybersecurity.

In the office, you have an encrypted internet connection and a firewall-secured internal network and wifi signal. You can have secured internal workstations and even isolated data servers that only connect at protected access points. Working from home changes all that. Employees are working on personal devices, and even company devices still share space with family, roommates, and guests. Residential wifi is rarely secure by default and most professionals don’t know how to configure a business-class firewall with specialized access to shared company-only ports.

Let’s dive into the five main ways that your IT help desk is essential for remote employee cybersecurity.

1) Properly Install and Configure Home Firewall

After a home device has installed the company tech-stack of software, it still needs to be secured. The most important element is the firewall, often paired with support tools like virus scanners and encryption.

Your IT help desk can walk each remote employee through the process of installing, securing, and then custom-configuring their firewalls for work purposes. This includes closing common hacker-accessed ports and opening specific unusual ports used only by the team’s software. Your IT team can help employees encrypt their connections and set up disaster recovery systems for any local work.

2) Set Up a Secure Home Wifi Network

Internet and wifi are an important subject when discussing remote employee security. Not only does your team need a high-speed connection for calls and collaboration; they also need encryption and secured home wifi so neighbors can’t tune into their network. Your IT help desk can walk employees through everything from choosing a high-speed internet provider to configuring their wifi router for secure work and family use at home.

3) Personal Guide on Security Best Practices

In addition, most people could use a refresher or their first lesson on the best practices for home cybersecurity. Those who have worked almost exclusively in secured business environments may be less experienced at avoiding phishing attempts, at protecting their online spaces, or at managing their own disaster recovery routine.

An IT help desk can walk each remote employee through the initial best practices, share learning resources, and provide support if your team has any questions as the work gets underway.

4) Fast Response to Security Risks

Every team eventually has a cybersecurity scare -whether or not a consequential breach occurs. When an employee is worried they might have just been malware infected, calling the IT help desk will guide them through the securing, scanning, and recovery procedures to keep their business data safe.

If a professional’s device is acting strangely, if they accidentally shared a file with the wrong account, or if it looks like there’s a hacker in their chatroom, having the IT help desk on-call is essential for quickly securing these risk concerns.

5) Secure Solutions to New Problems

Finally, your help desk team is there when a new security challenge presents itself. When you need to transfer large project files to a new platform, safely supervise a chain of data custody, or incorporate new safety regulations – the IT help desk team is there to make sure every remote team member adapts together. Whether you need innovative in-the-moment security solutions or to implement a new security transition, your IT help desk team can help.

Does your remote team need the support of an IT help desk service? Contact us today to consult on the scope and particulars of your IT help desk needs.

Change Your Backup Disaster Recovery (BDR) Habits

Data Backup, ,
disaster recovery, BDR, data backup, sensitive data, technology

Performing routine backups has gotten easier and affordable for the small business market

You can compare poor IT habits to weeds, they can pop up everywhere and you will have a challenging time getting rid of them. Bad IT habits especially increase in backup and disaster recovery. IT team members can pick up bad habits from their leaders and pass them down to other members of the team.

Since there are so many parts to keep up with and take care of, it is no surprise to us that many IT teams use processes that do not produce the results they are looking for. Let’s take a look at some Backup and Disaster Recovery habits that should be eliminated.

Complexity

Have you found yourself going through too many processes and solutions? If you have, you are definitely aware of how challenging and complex the task can be. You are not spending your time completing tasks that could benefit your business or organization. Instead, you are spending your time trying to ensure your backups are working, running tests on your devices, and trying to get your tools and equipment to work the way they were intended.

Even when you do make changes and eliminate some of your solutions, the chances are high that one of your solutions will require you to complete over five steps. One of the best ways for you to address this problem is to create a comprehensive solution that will allow you to recover data with only one click of the mouse. A one-click recovery system will also allow you to complete automated tests and other features that will no longer require you to spend hours on laborious tasks.

Uncertain Backups

Do you remember the time when your backups did not require you to have them encrypted? Today, there is always the risk of threats and attacks that could result in the retrieval of sensitive data. The threats and attacks are not slowing down, and this is one of the reasons why it is so important for you to encrypt your backups.

When your backups are encrypted, they will play a key role in the recovery of your data if you are involved in a malware or ransomware attack. When you take the necessary steps to ensure your backups are available, you will give your business operations a better chance of staying up without having to pay the attacker anything.

Your Disaster Recovery Plan is Obsolete

Do you have a documented plan that explains how the backup and disaster recovery plan will be carried out? When was the last time your plan was tested? If your backup and disaster recovery plan has not been tested recently and is outdated, that plan may no longer work for your current processes.

Processes and solutions are constantly changing, and it will not take much for your plan to become unusable. It is important to consistently conduct tests and risk assessments to ensure your plan will work. When you test your plan, you will also be able to identify any holes that need to be filled. One small hole that has not been filled can result in a major problem down the road.

Backup Disaster Recovery(BDR) does not have to be a complex and laborious task, especially when you have the right processes and solutions. When you have the processes and solutions that fit your system, you will have the tools you need to expedite your recovery and reduce manual labor.

Are you ready to improve the performance of your infrastructure? Contact us today for more information on the importance of Backup Disaster Recovery and how you can implement the right plan for your operations.

Are The Signs Pointing To A Switch To VoIP?

VOIP, ,
VOIP, communications, remote, phones, technology, systems, technology trends

VOIP is becoming increasingly common. Can your company keep up with emerging trends?

The internet has completely transformed the way business is handled. From messaging platforms to collaboration and video conference platforms, the day-to-day working lives of professionals have changed dramatically over the years. However, this does not mean that everyone has caught up to the times.

In fact, there is still an area of professional life that has not made as big of a leap as other areas. Can you guess what that area is? Telephony. There are many professionals who are still using the conventional landlines in their offices; they have yet to make the switch to VoIP. However, making the switch to VoIP could lead to better savings, better time management, and the ability to streamline your business communications.

We understand that you may be hesitant because you do not know if this is the right time to switch. We want to share 5 signs that you should be aware of as indicators that it is time to switch to VoIP.

Sign #1: Your Business Is Growing, But Your System Is Not

As a business owner, one of the things you hoped would happen is business growth. When anyone starts a business, there is hope that the business will grow into one of the most well-known and popular in the industry.

If you are currently operating your business under a lightning -fast internet connection, you already have the tools you need to be a part of the VoIP movement. If you are currently using landline phones, do you anticipate that your use of landline phones will continue to work for you as your business grows? Will you be able to scale properly?

Business telephone systems will sometimes have a set number of lines. What does this mean? If you have reached the number of lines, you may not be able to support the influx of calls you receive from current customers and potential customers. When you use VoIP, there will not be any limitations.

Sign #2: Some Calls Are Missed

In 2020, we have seen a variety of changes in the way people communicate. In 2020, many people found themselves working from home and not in the office they were accustomed to. Previously, employees could only answer a phone call if he or she was at the desk at the time.

However, VoIP allows employees to work remotely and have the mobility they need. It is not complex to add VoIP extensions to different locations. The addition of VoIP extensions will allow employees to answer calls without being seated at a desk.

Sign #3: You Are Ready For A Reliable System

Whatever your tech infrastructure consists of, you want it to be dependable and reliable at all times. You also want your infrastructure to be professionally managed by those who possess the necessary skill sets. There are numerous VoIP providers available, but not every VoIP provider will be able to provide you with the level of support you need.

You need VoIP services that will be managed and supported by the provider, and not a third party. VoIP providers that have a team of IT experts available to solve your problems will ensure that you have the reliable system you need for your growing business.

If you have considered VoIP in the past, but chose not to take the leap, what was the driving force behind your decision? What has changed since then?  Now is a great time to make the switch to VoIP. If you are still considering making the switch to VoIP, contact us today for information on how we can help you make the switch to VoIP.