What Do IT Support Companies in London Do?
IT support companies in London are becoming critical partners for businesses all over the UK. Mission-critical operations rely heavily on a fully functioning and efficient IT infrastructure.
There’s little doubt that technology is integral to the successful running of a business. Yet IT has become a technical, financial and administrative burden for many companies.
Moreover, IT spending is on the rise. A report published by Gartner reveals that global spending on IT is projected to hit $4.2 trillion. John-David Lovelock, the vice president at Gartner said in a press release:
“Technology spending is entering a new build budget phase. CIOs are looking for partners who can think past the digital sprints of 2020 and be more intentional in their digital transformation efforts in 2021.”
The uplift in spending coincides with the array of hardware, software, storage and services businesses need to operate efficiently. All these moving parts require licenses, maintenance, updates, patches and accounting.
It’s understandable that some businesses can feel overwhelmed keeping up with the amount of IT management involves; not to mention keeping abreast of the latest IT solutions and risks.
Even if you have assembled an in-house team, IT professionals are often focused on complex problems and responsibilities they face every day.
Outsourcing some or all of your technology needs to IT support providers will relieve your staff from the technical, financial and administrative burdens.
Managed IT service providers save you time and money and help to reduce stressful situations.
What is an IT Support Company?
Outsourced IT services basically manage part or all of your IT network. The leading IT support companies in London will offer a range of services with a view to optimising the performance and efficiency of your IT system.
Managed IT services consist of a team of professional IT hotshots that are regarded as ‘top talent’ within the industry. With specialist knowledge, they are on-hand 24/7 to troubleshoot you out of any problem in the quickest time possible.
Timely and reliable services are a critical part of a businesses success – and that is reflected by the standards of outsourced IT teams. If an IT company in London can show a pattern of growth, you know they are on top of their game.
In addition, a top IT support company in London will boast experienced IT professionals with their fingers on the pulse. Experts are able to provide reliable advice about which computer systems, cloud platforms, electronic hardware, device networking, and software applications are the best fit for your business needs.
What benefits do IT Support Companies in London offer?
- Improve cost-efficiency on your overall IT spend
- Deliver results in a timely manner and minimise the amount of downtime
- Give you access to qualified specialists for a fraction of the cost of an in-house IT professional
- Provide 24/7 support globally so no matter where your team members are situated, they always have an IT expert to reach out to when they need assistance
- Enhance network performance, security and data protection
- Align your IT infrastructure and strategy with your business objectives
What does an IT Support Company do?
IT support companies partner with businesses to help you manage, maintain and administer your IT resources. Using advanced technologies, IT support teams in London essentially accomplish three critical objectives:
- Implement IT solutions, strategies and equipment to ensure your IT infrastructure is right for your business
- Install IT solutions that prevent problems occurring before they happen
- Identify immediate solutions that fix ‘in the moment’ IT issues
Whilst most managed IT services are performed from a remote location, most IT support companies in London will also visit your premises to install the system and deliver any staff training that may be required.
The primary contact you will have with an IT support company will be to quickly fix problems you encounter on your network, server, software or devices.
However, the leading IT companies in London go one step further and offer IT consultancy, staff training and disaster recovery strategy. IT professionals not only navigate the technical stuff, but they are also there to provide intelligent and effective solutions that enable you to meet your business objectives.
Provide Network Services
IT networks are the backbone of practically every modern business. It’s, therefore, that your network is maintained, kept up to date and meets legal compliance with regards to security and data protection.
Some IT support companies in London provide a 360 service which involves supplying, installing and managing your IT system including servers, switches and routers.
A well-designed network provides you with a holistic infrastructure that runs efficiently and helps your workforce to increase productivity. With 24/7 remote monitoring software, outsourced IT professionals ensure your IT infrastructure deliver optimum uptime and efficiency.
Security and data protection is also prioritised. IT specialists know how to correctly configure cloud solutions, and tighten security protocols using a variety of methods.
Create and Implement IT Strategies
Businesses have access to a wide range of IT products; all of which they claim are the best and provide solutions you need. In reality, they all perform specific functions but will only take you so far.
What most IT managers find is that you have to invest in multiple software solutions before you can perform everything you need for your operations to run smoothly. It’s easy for the cost to rack up.
IT support companies in London typically have knowledgeable IT professionals that have worked with multiple companies. This experience comes in extra valuable when deciding which tools you need and, just as importantly, which you don’t.
In addition, preventative planning helps to avoid potential issues from arising. And even if they do, there is a quick fix solution. Pre-emptive strategies include cloud backup, 24/7 monitoring and antivirus.
A key IT strategy for today’s businesses heavily involves cloud services. What most companies find is that in-house IT professionals don’t have sufficient experience with the cloud so have to send them on a course.
Cloud expertise is crucial. According to Fugues Cloud Security report, misconfigured cloud-based databases are responsible for a high percentage of data breaches. Moreover, 47% of enterprises say IT professionals spend around 50 hours a week addressing problems caused by misconfigurations.
In addition, IT professionals need to be aware of various IT solutions that protect your network and help to improve the efficiency and productivity of operations.
For example, companies that are pivoting to a hybrid model would benefit from installing a virtual desktop. But which virtual desktop is the best fit for your company?
Microsoft Virtual Desktop could be a solution for some companies, whereas the tech giant’s new Microsoft Windows 365 Cloud PC service is a better solution for other companies.
IT support companies in London that are on the ball can answer these questions and more. You may not feel you need advice about an IT strategy but if you are working with IT specialists, it could be more than advantageous to draw on their knowledge and experience.
Infrastructure Management
Experts that work for outsourced IT support teams typically have superior working knowledge of IT infrastructures. That’s not to discredit in-house IT professionals, but knowledge and experience come from working with multiple clients and thus encountering multiple issues.
Consequently, IT support companies in London are adept at managing all kinds of IT infrastructures. They are well-placed to advise you about the service and tools you require and which you can do without.
For example, 24/7 monitoring is highly recommended, but you may already have anti-virus software that is no better or worse than what they have to offer.
Preventing network failure is clearly a priority, but how about disaster recovery? Have you considered how you will resolve issues that enable you to minimise downtime, prioritise mission-critical data, and remain with the boundaries of compliance?
Software and Hardware Updates
The rise in cybercrime, together with the potential for a financial penalty under GDPR, makes software and updates a priority. Software and hardware provide gateways for hackers to infect your network with malware or take over it completely.
Software typically develops vulnerabilities that can be exploited by sophisticated hackers. Consequently, tech companies have to consistently improve the security of their products. They do this by creating security patches – small pieces of code that close vulnerable gateways.
Any company that relies on IT will use a variety of software and hardware. This includes mobile devices, apps, and if you have a website, the variety of plugins you’ve installed for your online store to function effectively,
Needless to say, most companies have a lot of updates and upgrades to perform. The number of updates can become an annoyance to your staff. You’re then relying on disgruntled employees to perform the update when they’re already under pressure.
Can you trust all your staff to perform updates? You will need to because private enterprises are responsible for a data breach once a tech company has issued a patch.
IT support companies in London provide a solution via a patch management service. This includes updating software on all the devices across your entire network, either through automation or, for large updates that will force downtime, manually.
Enhance Cyber Security
We’ve briefly touched on the importance of cyber security already. We cannot express how important it is for businesses of all sizes to implement IT security measures – including cybercrime awareness training to your staff members.
Hackers have a bevvy of sophisticated tools and techniques these days. Employees are considered the gravest threat to security on the grounds that hackers mostly approach targets through email.
Malicious emails typically include a link or a document embedded with malware. This is a technique known as phishing and spear phishing, the latter being campaigns targeting executive or team members that work in accounts.
Depending on the nature of the malicious code, hackers can get access to your financial accounts, sensitive business data such as trade secrets and customer data they will sell to third party buyers.
Ransomware is grabbing the media headlines at the moment. This type of cybercrime basically takes over your IT network and puts the hacker in control. They can access the network as any other user would access it.
Leading IT companies in London implement a cybersecurity strategy together with managing and maintaining software and devices and across your IT infrastructure.
Cybersecurity services should include:
- Anti-virus software if you don’t already have one
- Reliable firewalls
- Advanced data encryption strategies
- Two-way authentication
- Data backups
- Safe file-sharing environments
- Strong keywords
- Patch management
- Properly configured software
Implement and Manage VoIP Telecoms
Traditional landlines, Public Switch Telephone Networks (PSTN) will be obsolete in 2025. By and large, that will mean that businesses must seek an alternative solution.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) will be the most common option. Wireless methods will be available on desktop computers, laptops and mobile devices, meaning your employees will be able to connect with each other, clients, customers and suppliers from anywhere – provided they are connected to the internet.
High-speed, and reliable interconnections, therefore, will have a greater role to play in future communications. The benefit will be improved telephone systems that enhance team collaboration in a hybrid workplace, increased flexibility and powerful tools that enable your team members to deliver stellar customer service.
IT support services in London that offer VoIP services will largely have an important role in the implementation, setup and management of VoIP technologies.
24/7 IT Help Desk Services
Helps desks add an important piece of the IT support jigsaw. Regardless of how reliable your software is, there is every chance there will be a conflict between complementary software which cause users to run into problems at some point.
It, therefore, becomes important that they can access skilled IT professionals at any given moment – no matter where they are in the world. Leading IT companies in London provide you with access to knowledgeable and experienced IT professionals 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.
Not only that, but remote IT support teams generally have a high success rate of resolving issues quickly. Thanks to advanced technologies, most issues these days can be fixed pretty quickly by the user granting IT engineers access to explore their computer, identify the problem and fix it without having to talk people through potential solutions – which can be time-consuming and frustrating, especially if the caller is not familiar with the backend of a computer.
Help You Cut Costs of Software License Management
Virtually all software requires a license. For businesses, this often requires multiple subscriptions to cover all your team members. Subsequently, business software becomes a financial burden.
For example, Microsoft 365 plans offer three types of service level agreements (Business Basic, Business Standard and Business Premium), but there are other licenses for add-on services.
You may also have licenses for other software, networks, CPUs and a database. If you have multiple users, several types of licenses and additional services, managing the fulcrum of licenses can cause an administrative headache. Mismanagement can lead to anything from over-billing to service cancellation, causing business interruptions.
Software license management help you to monitor and maintain the licenses for your entire IT network. This significantly cuts costs, saves time and ensures you remain compliant with security regulations.
IT Consultancy
As you can appreciate from the points we have addressed above, there is a lot to consider when it comes to your IT needs. IT support is not simply managing the infrastructure and repairing system failures, but implementing tools and strategies that best suit your business needs.
Unless you have a knowledgeable IT team, it will be difficult to determine which software fulfils your operational needs. Without any experience of the available options, how do you know whether to invest in Office 365, Google G-Suite or A N other?
IT solutions stem from knowing what your business needs to be more efficient and productive, knowing which tools fulfil your needs and understanding which software is more superior.
Professional IT consultants that work for IT support companies in London review your current setup, work with you to understand what you need and identify the best solutions that satisfy your business objectives.
The advantage of IT support teams is they have worked with numerous clients so have experience and knowledge of the software that performs the function you need, but more importantly, know which applications are not compatible and thus more likely to cause issues.
IT Support Services in London
MicroPro is a full service IT support company in London, who provide essential IT Support to business in London and across the UK. We have four offices around the country; London, Kent, Surrey and Glasgow.
Outsourcing your IT to MicroPro not only provides you access to experts in their field but tailor IT solutions and strategies that satisfy your business needs for a price you can afford.
Our itemised billing gives you the advantage of selecting which products and services you need. That means you only pay for what you use and have fixed costs so you always know the extent of your IT costs over any given period.
We are confident that our end-to-end IT support and IT consultancy will enable you to optimise your IT network, avoid lost productivity due to downtime, improve your virtual working environment, and ensure your cyber security protocols meet compliance.
Businesses not only need their tech to work. You also need an IT support partner that is completely aligned with your business operations. Our IT strategies and solutions empower your employees and help your business thrive.
