Outsourced ІТ Support іn London - Тhе 5 Моst Frequently Asked Questions
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Sunday, 06 May 12 - 10:19 AM (GMT) By London IT Support in General |
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If уоu аrе contemplating outsourcing уоur ІТ Support оr реrhарs moving tо аnоthеr ІТ Support Company thеn уоu mау find thе answers tо thеsе 5 mоst Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) useful.
1. Ноw muсh dоеs аn ІТ Support contract cost?
This question іs asked bу mаnу companies, but wаs mоst rесеntlу asked оf us bу аn SEO company based bеtwееn Clerkenwell аnd London City.
Depending uроn thеіr requirements аnd size оur clients generally hаvе monthly ІТ Support contract оf £250 tо £2,500. Тhіs includes аll ІТ Support, system changes, emergency onsite support, аll security software (anti-spyware, anti-virus аnd anti-spam) аnd аn allocation оf online data backup sо thаt уоur mоst іmроrtаnt files аrе backed uр аnd stored offsite.
2. Ноw саn ІТ Support problems bе prevented?
As long аs уоur ІТ Support Company hаs invested іn thе correct tools thеу will bе аblе tо monitor, secure аnd manage уоur systems remotely. Тhеsе аrе sіmіlаr tо thоsе usеd bу well equipped Corporate ІТ Support departments іn Тhе City.
These tools will allow уоur ІТ Support Company tо monitor уоur systems fоr problems аnd оftеn nip thеm іn thе bud bеfоrе thеу саn bесоmе bigger issues.
They shоuld аlsо include аll уоur anti-spyware, anti-virus programs аnd anti-spam wіthіn thеіr ІТ support contracts аnd manage thеm fоr уоu. Тhіs will prevent mаnу оf уоur mоst time consuming ІТ problems.
3. Іs onsite ІТ Support nоt better thаn thе remote support?
If уоu аrе based іn, sау Hammersmith, аnd уоur ІТ Company іs nоt fаr аwау іn Kensington it's tempting tо bеlіеvе thаt thе problem саn аll bе quісklу solved bу thе ІТ Company coming tо уоur office. Іn fact remote ІТ Support іs muсh faster іn аt lеаst 90% оf cases. Іt cuts оut thаt crawl раst Shepherd's Bush!
Remote support allows ІТ Support engineers tо solve уоur problems wіthоut thе cost delay аnd inconvenience оf hаvіng sоmеbоdу соmе tо уоur Kensington office. Тhе "journey" оnlу takes а moment vіа thе internet!
However whеn required уоu ІТ company shоuld stіll bе wіllіng tо brave thе London Traffic аnd thе Hammersmith flyover tо gеt tо уоu - ideally wіthоut charging уоu аnуthіng extra fоr thе emergency onsite service.
4. Will І knоw whо іs working remotely оn mу PC?
This іs а concern fоr mаnу companies, раrtісulаrlу FSA registered companies іn London City аnd thе Docklands. Тhеу аrе оftеn concerned thаt thе ІТ Support dоеsn't асtuаllу соmе frоm London, but іs іn fact bеіng delivered frоm overseas.
Frankly thіs іs а legitimate concern. Веfоrе уоu sign а contract find оut іf уоur ІТ Support іs coming frоm Kentish Town оr Mumbai!
5. Whаt dоеs аn ІТ Support contract cover?
IT Support Companies thrоughоut thе London area include dіffеrеnt things іn thеіr ІТ Support Contract, sо it's іmроrtаnt tо read thе small print. Тhе minimum уоu shоuld expect іs unlimited support. Ноwеvеr mаnу companies іn London, раrtісulаrlу іn central London EC1 аnd London WC postcodes wаnt а full ІТ service, wіth еvеrуthіng included.
Projects аrе аlwауs additional. That's reasonable аs it's impossible tо build office moves оr server installs іntо а support contract.
IT Support - return to homepage
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Tuesday, 01 April 08 - 04:33 PM (GMT) By London IT Support in General |
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Ooops.... sorry but you've reached this page by following a missing or outdated link.
HTL are Londons no.1 IT service and outsourcing company and provide hundreds of London companies with IT support, and our contracts start from as little as £100 a month. Please click here to visit our website.
IT Support in London
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Monday, 31 March 08 - 12:38 PM (GMT) By London IT Support in General |
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IT Support in London
HTL aim to be a sought after provider of IT solutions to the finance sector in London. In order to achieve this we couple highly skilled engineers with efficient operating systems and white glove IT support. Our extensive experience and flexible approach to finding solutions result in a ‘can do’ attitude and high levels of customer satisfaction.
HTL's website
Here you will find out about HTL, our services and our clients. If you are an HTL client you can log on to the company Extranet and gain access to important information about your account as well as logging new support calls and checking the status of existing ones. We update the site regularly with the latest news relevant to our customers and you may like to subscribe to our RSS feed. If you have any comments then please don’t hesitate to contact us.
IT Support London
HTL is London's leading IT support and outsourcing service provider. HTL supports a broad range of technology sectors and maintains partnerships with many of the worlds leading manufacturers including Microsoft, Avaya, and Cisco. IT Support contracts start from as little as £100 a month and can cover multiple geographic locations and diverse network infrastructures. HTL's IT helpdesk monitors our client's servers 24 x7 and provides alerts to any potential server problems.
London IT Support
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Sunday, 30 March 08 - 08:34 PM (GMT) By London IT Support in General |
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HTL are an IT consultancy focused on supplying small and medium sized businesses with networking solutions and IT computer support in and around the London area.
HTL are the company of choice for systems and server installations to Microsoft upgrades and Open Licensing and migrations, to a complete network audit and support service, HTL have the experience and expertise to help your business.
Our engineers have experience of installing and maintaining;
- Windows Server Platform, Exchange, SQL, SharePoint and many other industry standard servers into small and medium sized companies
- Windows Workstation Platforms from Windows 98 to global roll outs of Windows Vista and Office 2007 ensuring your business desktops are up to date and problem free.
- Complete security audit, group policy and workstation monitoring services, we have a complete security solution for your business workstations.
Focused on providing IT Support for small businesses in London and the South East, HTL have a range of computer support services to help your business. With unlimited telephone support, remote support, unlimited onsite support services you can be sure your IT systems are in a safe and reliable hands. You can have your own IT department on call without the need for dedicated staff.
HTL are the first choice for IT support in London, with many server support services. If your looking for Microsoft Support, Cisco Support or Avaya Support HTL's London based engineers are fully trained.
Small Business IT Support
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Saturday, 29 March 08 - 08:50 PM (GMT) By London IT Support in General |
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I want to work with a professional IT company but don't want the expense of a contract - just support and advice on demand.
HTL offers your company corporate class IT Support services at SME friendly prices without the hassle of a contract.
Prepaid support will give you full access to rapid response support, as and when you need it.
As an HTL client you will also get access to the entire range of IT support services provided by IT Lab.
I still want the best help available - my data is critical to my business.
HTL is on of Londons fastest growing provider of SME support services
You will get access to the same enterprise class team of fully certified engineers and specialists as our contracted clients, but on your own terms.
With custom projects to build the perfect network and minute packs for support on demand - HTL is the flexible, affordable, full service IT Dept for your business.
I hate it when my suppliers blame each other for problems - I want to make one phone call and know the issue will go away.
With HTL you will have access to your very own support technician who will relentlessly chase your problem until it is resolved – no matter where the fault lies.
We break the blame game and give you a one phone call solution to any problem so that you can get on with your business.
This is but one part of your own dedicated IT Team, designed to cater to all of your needs.
Click here to find out more.
HTL IT Maintenance and IT support
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Friday, 28 March 08 - 02:54 PM (GMT) By London IT Support in General |
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These links are useful if your looking for IT support for your small or medium business in London. HTL are the company of choice and their website is located here. For IT support in London visit their website.
The future of IT support
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Saturday, 01 September 07 - 11:32 AM (GMT) By London IT Support in General |
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My August 1st Report on Service Desk 2010 provided a number of predictions as to what the support organisation and technology might look like in 2010. I would like to delve a little deeper into what the IT support might look like in 2010. As many of you know large support centers. We meet quarterly and generally fifteen of the twenty participating support executives are able to attend. At our next meeting, September 12-14 at we will focus on what the group thinks the service desk / help desk / support center will look like in 2010. I know the group well enough to know that the IT support is and will continue to be of absolute importance. I would like to hear your thoughts and input. I suspect there are a number of vendors that might like to weigh in on this one. I will take all of the input that I receive with me to our September 17-19 Strategic Advisory Board meeting, which will also be addressing this subject.
What Do You Mean "IT Support ?"
I see it as a starting point for end-user or customer interactions when performing self-help actions in order to solve a technical problem or to get an answer to a technical question. I use the term “IT” to indicate that the support being discussed is for technical or technology issues. I could have used the word "technical" or "technology" as well. The majority of our members are a part of the IT organisation, thus referring to the support as an IT seemed appropriate. Some of the concepts could also refer to non-IT or non-technical support as well.
Key IT Support Design Concepts
I want to focus on three design concepts that I think are important. Hopefully this will stimulate your mind and may even give some vendors food for thought on what to begin building.
1. My Personal IT support —," my personal agent on my workstation. The avatar will learn my interaction patterns and issues, configuration and connectivity history, mistakes, and maybe even attend "virtual meetings" with other avatars. I believe there will be hundreds or thousands of avatars meeting on servers and sharing the successes and challenges faced by their "real" personas. The avatars will discuss what environmental or interaction patterns preceded the real personas need to access the support . Coming out of the meeting of avatars (and with input from real technologists), the avatars will monitor and take corrective action to keep me up and running. As the is personal to me, I will control what my avatar is allowed to communicate with others. I expect that some pesky little avatars will get out of control and face legal issues related to privacy or confidentiality, so a watchful eye will be needed to ensure all avatars follow the law.
2. "The People's Knowledge Base"—Knowledge is our understanding and implication of facts as we see them (my definition). The IT support will need massive quantities of knowledge, but it will need to be useful, findable, and current. Knowledge can exist in hundreds of places and in thousands of minds. The IT support in 2010 will need to improve, in order of magnitude, knowledge consolidation, findability, and currency. Many of these issues are addressed in the principles of KCS (Knowledge Centered Support) which we teach and can be read about here. I refer to the 2010 environment as the People's Knowledge Base because I see such a need to collaborate amongst everyone who accesses the knowledge base. Knowledge is not really owned and cannot be controlled by companies or people, it is to be shared to facilitate people interacting in their work and personal lives (with certain IP situation exceptions).
Consolidation—Organisations have hundreds of sources of knowledge, both from internal and external sources. There continues to be opportunities for vendors to enhance the manner in which these sources are linked and accessible within a single support . The vendors need to view the linkage as a two-way interaction as well. If I find knowledge that is obsolete, how does the technology communicate it back to an
originating source? You should also give my avatar access to your knowledge.
Knowledge that cannot be found is wasted. One of the hardest things for help systems in the past has been to provide key words to helpful information that would match the words that the end-user will use. Most of the capabilities to improve exist today, but are not common. By 2010, the tools for finding knowledge should improve and the processes for building and maintaining knowledge will have matured, so I predict that the percentage will reduce the incidents escalated to a live person by 30 percent or more in most organizations and some will do much better.
Currency—Knowledge is most valuable when it is learned sooner rather than later. That applies to all aspects of our lives as individuals, but it also applies to knowledge sharing at work and at home. In the ideal world, when one person learns something and documents it, it should be available to everyone. If someone saw the knowledge and wanted to add to it, they could. If a conflict arose as to whose knowledge was best, a resolution process would exist. By 2010, corporate knowledge release policies will be far more advanced. Release means providing access to knowledge to larger and larger groups (support section, support organization, IT, the internal end-user community, and eventually to individuals throughout the customer base or even anyone with access to the Internet). Fear of bad knowledge or incomplete knowledge or inadequate knowledge will become lessoned. We will still struggle but we will and must share more as a part of our everyday interactions with technology. As I always
say, "All of us are smarter than any of us."
3. Ergonomics—This term is most often used for physical things (the study of how a workplace and the equipment used there can best be designed for comfort, safety, efficiency, and productivity). I believe there are best practices for human interactions with support systems. By 2010, we (HDI) will have helped to clarify these best practices. In doing so we will find answer to questions such as:
- Should help systems be passive and only appear when requested or should our avatars be allowed to pop-up and make suggestions?
- Should a support interaction start with a Web site with lots of options or should the avatar be allowed to present different views based upon the situation?
- How do we ask questions quickly and easily that provide the avatar with sufficient input to be helpful?
- Do we require multiple fields for questions, context or environmental information (the avatar should know most of this), and knowledge domain clarification or should we all use Googlish search structure?
- Can we individualize information retrieved based upon our personal desire for text, pictures, videos, or links to individuals?
- How can we make it easy for everyone to be a part of keeping knowledge current?
Conclusion
Support cost will continue to be a concern. It is not an issue unique to IT or IT support, it is a concern for every area of your organisation. The cost of support will be less on phone and more on technology, openness, and collaboration. Thus the IT support will be a requirement in 2010.
Knowledge sharing may, by 2010, go outside the boundaries of your corporations or customer base. For more than a decade, people have discussed the possibility of knowledge being shared across the Internet. Such sharing does exist today, but generally only within topical or subject areas. The models general provide incentives for the providers of knowledge (from recognition via rankings to monetary rewards) and in most, but not all, models there is a cost to the consumer of the knowledge. I suspect that the pricing models will not be successful. Regardless of how broadly you share knowledge, your support must be simple, intuitive, deep, consolidated, and easily updated. Such external support models will be known to my avatar who will be able to use these sources of information to help me in my daily life at work and at home.
Best of luck in your journey to support excellence!
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