How external IT Support make it easier for SMEs to manage change

External IT Support

When an SME chooses to hire external IT Support , how they make change easier for the business, might not be top of their list.  They may just expect that they will troubleshoot computer crashes and deal with emergencies.  The potential of an external IT company is often underestimated.  How they make managing change easier for SME’s is one area that is often overlooked.  As well as keeping on top of current issues, IT firms can also help SMEs to move forward.   Whether that is by installing brand-new software or keeping existing software drivers and firmware updated .

Once your computers are set up by your IT firm, that is not the end of their input.  If things are not running smoothly, you can go back to them to get updates and investigate new options.

The issue with software updates

Microsoft released a Windows 10 update that bricked numerous PCs (and caused more minor problems with others).  In some cases, the only way to get the PCs working again was to reinstall Windows 10 from scratch.

While this was an extreme example of an update going wrong, there is no shortage of examples of lower-level problems being caused by software updates.  Microsoft is far from the only culprit here.

Similar comments apply to installing new software of any description. It may be an effective necessity, but the fact still remains that you only really know how it’s going to interact with your existing systems once you install it.

In short, upgrades and installs can be a real drain on your IT team.  This is why it can be best to hand them over to external IT support.  If not, at least have external IT support provide assistance to your in-house IT team.  This makes managing change easier for SME’s. There are 2 key areas in which this assistance could be particularly valuable:

1. Understanding How External IT Support Make Change Easier

Unlike many in-house staff, external IT Support companies are likely to manage upgrades and new installs as part of their “bread and butter” work.  At the very least they will probably have a much greater level of familiarity with what they entail.  They will also be able to justify a greater level of resource to support them.

Their reputation is on the line with each contract they take, so they are very motivated (and well-prepared) to learn the relevant details of each upgrade or new install before they get anywhere near your live systems.

2. Making a plan

As the old saying goes, those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Even minor upgrades need to be supported by a roadmap that sets out who is expected to do what, where, when and, if necessary, how.

More complex upgrades and installations typically require more comprehensive roadmaps.

While creating such roadmaps may not, in itself, seem particularly difficult, the challenge often comes when you need to manage the people involved in the process.  Especially if it is in any way visible to end users, external IT support companies often have solid experience here and can be very helpful.

Getting better deals

When your external IT support regularly works with particular items of software, they often have access to special offers.  They may only be available to partners of the software manufacturers.  Similarly, their expertise and familiarity with these systems frequently make fixes quick and easy, saving plenty of time and therefore money.

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