An IT Support department is a key piece in any business. Companies of all sizes require technology to carry out their daily operations, meet the demand of their customers, and streamline the collaboration of work teams, so having a technical support department is essential.
However, many managers wonder: Does my SME need an internal IT support department? What should I consider to make an informed decision about it? Is an external IT team equally efficient in solving my technology needs?
In this article we explain what the responsibilities of an IT Support department are and we help you discover if your company needs it.
What does an IT Support department do?
IT Support teams are best known for solving technical problems, such as repairing faulty equipment, carrying out software updates, and performing backups .
However, the responsibilities of an IT support department are much more complex than that. From setting up business computers and networks, to analyzing business data and making decisions about technology investments , IT support has a huge impact on the company and its customers.
The 5 main responsibilities of an IT Support department
1. Provide technical support
Common examples include: training employees on new software, answering technical questions, setting up user accounts, and resetting passwords.
However, IT support responsibilities are not just limited to reactive tasks. The technical teams also carry out proactive management such as analyzing recurring incidents, investigating root causes and providing solutions in the medium and long term.
2. Implement and manage the IT infrastructure
- Hardware Requirements: What hardware does the business need to run its operations? This includes computers, data centers , mobile devices, and routers.
- Cloud computing services : Cloud computing services allow you to take advantage of the computing services of third parties.
- Type of software the business needs: This area includes digital tools to streamline daily operations.
- IT infrastructure change management: Nobody wants a small configuration change to cause systems to crash, so these changes must be scheduled and supervised.
- Enterprise website administration: This involves initial setup as well as site maintenance and security .
3. Define technology investment strategies
Equipment can fail or become obsolete, licenses expire, and technology upgrades become increasingly critical to business growth.
The technological infrastructure of your company is a dynamic environment that requires periodic monitoring and progressive improvement. The IT support department is the one who fulfills this responsibility.
4. Maintain IT security
For this reason, one of the most important responsibilities of IT teams is to preserve the IT security of the company, using not only software solutions specially created for these functions, but also comprehensive security strategies.
In general terms, IT security includes aspects such as:
- How your organization detects and prevents network intrusions and attacks on your website or other critical systems.
- How your organization keeps your critical information secure and complies with all industry privacy standards and regulations imposed by governments.
- Planning and execution of security protocols, risk mitigation, and disaster recovery.
5. Execute specific IT projects
Examples might be launching a website, purchasing equipment, or creating reports to expand the technological capabilities of your business.
These types of initiatives are typically carried out with the goal of achieving a key business benefit. It is important to clarify that technology projects are complex initiatives, so it is necessary to have technical experts to execute them in the most efficient way to obtain the expected results.
How to determine if your company needs an internal IT Support department
It is a fact that today to offer products or services, keep their teams organized and in constant communication, store their critical information or run their daily operations, companies need an adequate technological infrastructure.
In recent years, the advancement of technology has transformed business operations, as well as the work culture of organizations and interactions between work teams.
In this context, most companies require an IT support service to help guarantee the continuity of their business activity . However, the type of support that a company needs depends on the scale of use, the nature of the business and the particular needs of each case.
In this sense, it is important to analyze the daily reality of the company and understand if having an internal team is essential to guarantee the operation of operations or, if perhaps an external IT service could be a more appropriate alternative for the company.
The most important thing here is that your business can identify its specific IT needs and analyze the different implementation options that make sense for your budget.
Once you manage to define and adapt an IT strategy to the needs of your company, you will be in a better condition to make the decision of which way to go.
Managed IT services, an attractive alternative for SMEs
Today, many companies turn to Managed IT Service Providers ( MSPs ) to take over technical support responsibilities.
Next, we will tell you what are the benefits of hiring external IT support teams and why small and medium-sized companies turn to this alternative.
Cost reduction and higher return on investment (ROI)
From reduced capital costs to lower operating expenses , managed services represent significant money savings for small and medium-sized businesses. As a customer, you only pay for the services you need with the ability to scale up or down whenever you want.
Enhanced security and compliance
A third-party IT service provider has solutions to protect companies from security breaches and advanced threats.
At the same time, they also have the knowledge to help companies comply with data privacy and security policies.
Maximize uptime
In this sense, an external IT Support team can help you avoid or mitigate risk by working proactively to monitor and identify potential problems before they occur.
At the same time, they can help your internal team maximize performance and make your systems more resilient to the threats of outages.
Greater independence
Having an external team allows IT responsibilities to be delegated and gives companies greater independence to focus on strategic planning, rather than spending time troubleshooting and managing teams.
Do you need advice to define what type of IT support is the most appropriate for your company?
At CUBE we have specialized advisory services and IT consulting for SMEs.
We can evaluate your technological facilities and carry out a detailed diagnosis of your technological infrastructure to identify the IT support solution that best suits your business needs.
Our team is made up of professionals with years of experience in the IT industry and a wide range of knowledge that allows them to plan technology projects, dimension solutions, and estimate costs, times and resources accurately.
