The Future of IT Support Services

IT Support Services in the post-pandemic era will have a central role to play in creating the “new normal.” Mass adoption of cloud technologies is only the first starting point in the next stage of the digital revolution.

As businesses move away from legacy systems, the next phase of IT solutions will start rolling out. In many ways, a new wave of technologies is required.

Cybersecurity measures need to improve, business networks need to be able to support high volumes of data, operational processes need streamlining and face-to-face customer support services need improving online.

With more businesses becoming reliant on outsourced IT professionals, IT support services must look to leverage the capabilities of “disruptive” technologies.

But we don’t like to think of them as “disruptive”. They are “constructive”. When installed properly, new technologies provide relevant solutions and take you on to the next level of the digital revolution.

So what is the next evolution of “constructive” technologies?

Like all forward-thinking IT service providers, we’ve gazed into our crystal ball to determine how the future of IT support services might look in the coming years.

AI Streamlining 

As we enter the next phase of ultra-connectivity, companies need to identify solutions that will improve digital channels with customers. The current technologies are clumsy, ineffective and frustrating.

Chatbots, automated attendants, email services and social media do not often deliver results with the immediacy consumers demand. The best option open to customers in the current paradigm is virtual assistants.

Essentially, customers want to speak to humans because more often than not they are better placed to provide a satisfactory answer. Despite the promises of machine learning, computers fall short in the customer service department.

Companies with a high volume of calls, however, face the problem of staff shortages. Customer support teams simply do not have enough people to handle a high volume of calls.

Computers still offer the most promise to handle an influx. Artificial intelligence has recently entered into a new phase of development. Apparently, AI bots are getting a better understanding of questions customer-facing teams typically repeat on a daily basis.

Some customers will still experience some wait time, but a higher degree of questions can be answered in the early stages if automated response bots are programmed to know your business.

Homomorphic Encryption

The exponential growth of data collection and processing requires companies to raise their games in the field of cybersecurity. Malicious actors use a number of tactics and sophisticated technologies to hack into computer networks.

Hacking technologies and strategies will continue to evolve. Cybersecurity has to stay one step ahead. The next-generation software for IT Support Services that offer cloud data storage is homomorphic encryption.

Whilst cloud storage has played a significant role in tightening up data security vulnerable endpoints can still put companies at risk of cyberattacks. Homomorphic encryption is a preemptive strategy that overcomes the current obstacles in relation to encryption.

The standard encryption protocols (AES, SHA, DH) still requires data to be unscrambled in order for end-users to access data. The unscrambling process leaves your data sitting in memory and can subsequently provide a gateway for hackers to exploit.

Homomorphic encryption does not require de-encrypting for end-users to work with it. If data is not unscrambled it can’t be accessed by unauthorised personnel.

This means that even if hackers gain access to your network, they would not be able to see any data stored on the network – at least not without the username and password of an authorised user.

IT security solutions to identify end-users and their locations are already in place; two-way authentication is becoming an established strategy of cybersecurity. This method does require a minor inconvenience on the part of the end-user but it is a step that is worth taking.

Homomorphic encryption also enables companies to share data with third-party service providers without any risk of sensitive data being stolen. Cloud service providers are a good example here.

It’s vitally important for companies to trust their cloud provider. Whilst we would like to think you can trust any cloud provider, realistically we suspect there are some bad actors out there.

One of the reasons companies have been slow to transfer all their data to the cloud is because of this fear factor. Homomorphic encryption eliminates the risk of data theft you share with a third party.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) is another innovative technology that companies have been slow to adopt. In recent years, advancements in AR and VR for business use has been steadily growing.

Companies are finding the most use for AR and VR in educational settings. The software can be used to create training simulations – which will work wonders for helping your staff to learn how to use IT and troubleshoot common problems.

In the current paradigm, remote IT specialists have to either guide end-users through a process or takeover their device and perform the correction themselves. Wait times can be time-consuming and impact the productivity of your team members.

With AR, your staff will be able to identify problems and follow the instructions by themselves. There is real potential for this solution to speed up the time it takes to resolve common issues with software configurations and common errors that occur following system updates (especially in cases where multiple users are affected).

Enhanced IT Support Services in London

Imagining a future where it is possible to support a remote workforce across multiple devices is not all that difficult. The technologies that are emerging may not provide the ideal solutions right now, but there is a clear pathway to developing solutions that raise the game for IT service providers.

Today’s IT support services rely on remote support, monitoring and identifying potential alarms. For the most part, outsourced IT delivers satisfactory solutions – but they could be better.

Our team of IT support specialists in London like to think we’re on the front foot. You can be assured MicroPro will continue to improve our IT support services when new technologies become available.

Watch this space. We are.