Many IT organizations simply (or sometimes not so simply) feel like they are in the business of putting out fires. Every day it’s something new, something urgent, something unexpected – but “it’s always something.” The thought of actually having enough time, energy and budget to prevent these fires from happening in the first place is a concept that these organizations only dream about – like one of those “perfect world” scenarios.

As you can imagine, this reactive approach can be costly and exhausting. Aside from the financial loss and expense of unexpected downtime, the damage done to a company’s reputation and customer relationships can be even more devastating.

So what’s the best way to get away from being “reactive” and to implement a more “proactive” approach in your IT department? We recommend you enlist the help of a dependable service provider – one with a proven track record and the ability to support a multi-vendor environment.

A truly effective strategy will come from professionals that have “seen it all” and can recommend industry best practices. With a world-class service provider, your strategy can be comprehensive and broadly integrated to include hardware, software, and other advanced technologies, such as virtualization and cloud. The right plan with the right vendor, will offer a new way to quickly save time and money, and improve your IT systems availability.

Real-world Fire-Prevention

Here are some customers who were in similar situations and examples of how they transformed IT to better proactively support their businesses.

Distribution

A distribution company needed global support to keep its technical operations 100 percent available, 24×7. They were looking for a support provider that could react quickly to any disruptions, manage the company’s equipment base and make recommendations for improvements going forward. They got the help they needed from an integrated software support services provider that now covers their 200 laptops, 500 PCs and 300 printers, as well as their servers. Also included is rapid response, ongoing system monitoring, firmware and operating system upgrades, monthly performance reports and ongoing recommendations—all with a single point of contact and accountability.

Financial

In order to facilitate 24×7 customer access to data and applications, this banking and insurance services provider needed a preemptive monitoring and support solution. They sought help from a vendor who offered a team of technical support specialists who could be available to respond to the client’s individual requirements within 30 minutes of a Severity 1 incident. They chose a provider who offered access to a pool of expertise for improved decision making regarding future support needs. The solution included customized software installation and upgrades to optimize the client’s mainframe equipment.

Wholesale

With an IT infrastructure requiring 98 percent availability and limited resources for upgrade rollouts, this wholesaler needed a support solution that could enhance system resiliency, increase service levels and boost availability—all through a single point of contact. They chose a service provider that was able to give them a dedicated resource whom could mediate all of their support needs. This simplified support structure helps to keep costs low while assisting the company in meeting its service-level requirements.

Finding the Right Vendor

Deciding on which service provider to work with is definitely critical to your success. Look for a provider who can offer the following:

• Designated technical team for your organization
  • Responsible for getting to know the unique environment
  • Proactive and reactive support activities
• Automated analytical tools and processes
• Regular review calls to discuss reports and provide advice
• Committed response time
  • 30 minutes or less for critical issues
• Critical situation management
• Centralized leadership using staff with relevant expertise globally in the event of an operational disruption
• Integrated, cross-brand and cross-platform support
  • Servers, storage, hardware and software, from any most any vendor

Top 4 Benefits:

1. Improved availability and reduced downtime
2. Reduced operating costs and increased efficiency and service levels
3. Keep your business running smoothly in the event of a critical situation
4. Ease resource and skills constraints

Schedule a consultation to learn more about how technical support services can make a difference for your business.

If you liked this blog, you might also like: Infographic: How to Find the Right Vendor for Technical Support Services

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