IT Support vs. Managed Services: What’s the Difference?
Traditional IT support is a set of services that help employees or customers use technology effectively. It usually works like a help desk. You or your team can notify IT support when something isn’t working, then wait for an IT support specialist to fix it.
IT support is typically about reacting to everyday IT problems. When someone at the company has an IT problem, they’ll create a ticket that gets added to a queue. The IT support person or team will go through the ticket queue to solve problems one at a time. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to solve the problem immediately.
Some examples of IT support are:
- Help with installing software or computer equipment
- Diagnosing software problems
- Troubleshooting network problems
- Trying out requested new technologies
- Drafting instructions for users
- Looking into common customer issues
- Watching over computer system performance and maintenance during regular work hours
IT support usually isn’t proactive. Often, the IT support team will not upgrade software or patch security-related system weaknesses until someone requests those things. Unfortunately, not upgrading or patching software fast enough can leave your company at a higher risk of data breaches.
There’s nearly always a need for IT support, although many companies need more than that. Some companies have an in-house IT support team or person. Others outsource their IT support to a software provider, depending on their needs.
What Are Managed Services?
Managed services mean you have a team that works proactively to solve current and future IT-related problems. These services often come with a strategic mindset, which prevents downtime and helps protect your business.
A managed services provider will usually manage software upgrades and patch weaknesses. They won’t wait until someone else at your company thinks about it and asks — they’ll manage these problems straight away such that you and your employees won’t experience problems. They know when they need to make crucial upgrades that don’t interrupt daily operations.
If your company needs a more proactive, strategic IT solution that also offers ongoing, round-the-clock support that solves problems as soon as they arise (or before), you need managed services.
Get the IT Support Services Your Company Needs
Tech problems and inoperative systems can cause a chain of damaging effects for your culture, company, and customers. If you need to make sure people can always access your email and data, and ensure you’ll never have long periods of downtime, you need a managed support provider.
On the other hand, if your company doesn’t need regular maintenance and monitoring, you may be OK with simple IT support services. Smaller companies that don’t rely as much on 24/7 operational online systems often get by without managed services.
At Simple Helix, we offer managed services you can rely on. Our team can supplement your existing team or create a complete tech support system from scratch. You can choose from multiple IT support options to get the services you need while staying on budget.
We can help with all of the following and more:
- Office 365 administration
- Managed workstations
- Managed firewall
- Managed network
- Managed servers
- Managed multi-factor authentication
- Encrypted file sharing
- Online training
- Other services to help you keep unwanted visitors out of your infrastructure
We offer 24/7 IT support services for critical issues. Our goal is to help clients stay secure and fully supported so they can focus on their mission-specific activities. Talk to us today to start getting the managed services or IT support assistance you need.
