Friday 16 March 2012

Employees in an IT Support Role

IT Support Services for IT Employees
IT Support Services
for IT Employees
We wrote recently about Changes in the IT Maintenance and Computer Support Market. There is another trend we’re starting to see, but this time linked to organisations that have an employee providing in-house support.

Having someone knowledgeable within the organisation that can perform basic IT tasks is a great idea and something we discussed in Reducing your Maintenance Costs. The trouble happens when this role is extended and the employer gets the employee to take on more IT responsibility because they want to reduce the IT support costs.

The employee then has two roles, both of which are on a part-time basis, even though the individual may be employed full-time. Unfortunately the employer thinks they have decent IT support in place but the employee doesn’t really have the expertise and knowledge to do a thorough and professional job.

So as with pay-as-you-go arrangements, the quality of the system may start to deteriorate over time.

In addition, with a single employee doing two jobs, they’re not always in the position to provide the ‘quick fix’ help that an IT helpdesk often can. They can’t be in two places at once, whereas a professional IT support company can.

It all seems to be part of a general trend towards commoditisation.

When IT was new and novel, IT individuals were considered to be experts and were paid accordingly. Now salaries are starting to fall and companies are taking the support in-house or using sole-traders on a pay-as-you-go arrangement. We don’t have a problem with this, but unless you want your IT to continue to support your business, you have to ensure that your arrangements provide the time and attention your IT needs.

If in doubt, speak to a reputable IT support provider or read our guide to Types of Support Available or watch this video.