For most organizations with a sizable technology infrastructure, reliable IT support can mean the difference between being profitable or running at a loss. How exactly, you ask? The cost of downtime can range from $100,000 to $5 million an hour, according to IBM.
While downtime can happen for various reasons, technical issues like network outages, server failures, and configuration errors are also among the top causes. Comprehensive support services may avoid such a fate. Whether your infrastructure is primarily on-prem, cloud, or both, having a strong support service is essential for survival.
This article discusses comprehensive IT support services, what they cover, why they’re important and worth the cost, and how to get one for your enterprise.
IT support is traditionally a service that helps organizations and their employees address technical problems. Such services are used by small, medium, and large enterprises worldwide. However, for large enterprises with complex, multi-layer, and often multi-vendor infrastructure, more comprehensive support services are needed.
Here’s what you would typically find in an inclusive support services provider:
A key component of support services is proactive, real-time monitoring to detect, report, and resolve issues before they escalate. This could involve monitoring mission-critical systems, physical servers, virtual machines, and cloud applications.
Their job is to keep hardware and software updated as and when any updates or patches are released.
Depending on the infrastructure, support services may also need to step in for hardware maintenance, especially for legacy equipment not covered under OEM contracts. That means troubleshooting hardware errors and/or failures or replacing critical hardware if it’s unsalvageable, just in time to ensure operations run uninterrupted.
Comprehensive support services also take on the responsibility of ensuring data resilience for the organization. This involves setting up and testing data backups and continuously maintaining them. It also involves creating disaster recovery and business continuity plans to ensure things run smoothly, even if there are disruptions like hardware failure or data breaches.
Data is an indispensable asset for enterprises, and losing it could cause severe damage. For instance, a pharmaceutical company losing clinical trial data for a drug they’ve been working on could sink years of research and investment, not to mention investor confidence and reputation. It could potentially make the business go under.
While managed cybersecurity is often a stand-alone service, comprehensive support services may include this element. They implement and oversee cybersecurity measures and may also help with the digital security policy. The cybersecurity component aims to detect threats, mitigate risks, and prevent breaches.
It goes without saying that cybersecurity remains a big concern for businesses worldwide. Ransomware, in particular, is a big threat as it exploits data and causes severe monetary (and reputational) damage. In a recent survey of 5,000 organizations, 59% reported getting hit by a ransomware attack. Other threats, such as social engineering attacks, can wreak havoc on organizations, resulting in financial losses.
The cybersecurity service component is all the more relevant for businesses handling sensitive data, such as customers’ personal and financial details. That’s because such organizations are legally required to protect consumer data. Losing it in a breach may result in very expensive lawsuits and fines. For instance, the Irish Authorities fined Meta 251 million Euros in 2024 for losing private information in a data breach in 2018.
Cloud support services cover migrations and ongoing technical support for managing cloud for enterprises taking the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) route.
These services can significantly streamline migration, optimize cloud usage, and enhance operational efficiency. Key focus areas include strategic planning and assessment, where expert consultants help organizations determine the optimal cloud strategy, identify suitable workloads for migration, and conduct thorough risk assessments.
Beyond migration, cloud support services extend to ongoing management and optimization. This includes infrastructure management, where providers handle server provisioning, capacity planning, and performance monitoring, freeing internal IT resources.
Any comprehensive support service would be incomplete without a basic IT helpdesk service to support employees using digital assets in an enterprise. With the right technical expertise, IT support can help users resolve minor and sometimes major software/hardware issues. They might also provide training for new equipment if that’s something provided in the contract.
There’s usually a dedicated helpdesk/ticketing system that users can use to initiate and escalate issues. For large, global organizations, a helpdesk should be available 24/7.
Some support service providers may throw in extras to help organizations fill gaps in their own expertise:
Some support services may also provide support with the implementation of projects. Whether the organization has a talent shortage or needs extra hands, the technicians and engineers from the support provider can help stage and deploy projects for the organization.
Proper disposal of outdated IT equipment ensures compliance with environmental regulations and protects sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands.
Support for ad hoc IT projects—such as system upgrades or office relocations—provides businesses with flexibility and expertise when needed.
While many businesses have dedicated internal IT support departments, many choose to outsource this requirement to professionals. There’s some merit to this approach, as it offers the following benefits:
Here are the main things to look out for to ensure you’re getting the right partner:
Look at the extent of services and the expertise related to each.
Organizations and their support requirements vary significantly. Customizing the level and extent of support can be highly useful and cost-effective.
You should also consider how knowledgeable the support service provider is with the vendors you’re using.
Consider the value hiring support services will bring to your business.
If your business would benefit from expert, comprehensive support services, invest and let the professionals take care of the day-to-day issues.
Ensure your employees and customers get the most out of the technologies you invest in by making sure they run smoothly. Comprehensive support services do just that.
At PivIT, you can find an ever-growing portfolio of professional support services that help enterprises run their IT operations smoothly. From hardware maintenance to project implementation, our expertise is there to tackle hurdles and prevent downtime. And most importantly, we offer flexibility because we understand organizations have unique needs.
Learn more about what PivIT can do for your organization!
IT support is typically categorized into three tiers:
Costs for tech support services vary based on the range of services, provider expertise, and business requirements. Many providers offer flexible pricing plans tailored to different budgets.
Depending on the organization's size, the specifics of the services, and the terms, hiring support may cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
While comprehensive, IT support may exclude non-technical services like content creation, marketing, or business strategy consulting unless explicitly stated in the contract.