The Benefits of Remote Support

Remote access tools have brought a world of benefits to network administrators, managed service providers, and end-users. In this article, we take a look at benefits of remote support, and offer tips on how MSPs can get the most out of them.

Higher-Quality Support

Businesses need to be able to compete effectively and efficiently all day, every day. To enable this, decision-makers need to be able to choose the administrator or service provider that can best help their company succeed. End-users need maximized uptime and immediate access to their data.

Fast Response Times

Thanks to remote access tools, support personnel are able to respond faster to client requests. Furthermore, network administrators and managed service providers' level of service is directly related to how fast they are able to care for their clients. When your potential clients ask you why remote assistance is more effective than on-site support, you can tell them:

• No need to come on-site. In the past, if issues occurred, support professionals had to be on-site to resolve issues. Today, administrators can begin the troubleshooting process from the minute the call comes in. Oftentimes the issue can be entirely resolved via remote access. And in the event that you face complex issues that necessitate onsite support, you will be better prepared to deliver it when you arrive, since your remote access tools will have allowed you to gain an understanding of the situation before you go on-site.
• Powerful diagnostic tools. Some third-party remote access tools come with troubleshooting tools included. Quick access to device information, such as operating system, IP address, and software versions, helps to assess the gravity of the situation more quickly.
• Standing out in the MSP crowd. Some of the most important support metrics that businesses use to compare MSPs include response times and resolution times. By reducing these times, remote support tools help MSPs who take full advantage of remote support to stand apart from other MSPs.

When IT issues arise, no one is happy, including specialists paid to resolve these issues. Thanks to remote access tools, however, network administrators and managed service providers are able to respond right away and resolve issues faster, which pleases everyone involved.

Off-Hour Maintenance

In the past, support personnel needed to be onsite to perform upgrades or other maintenance. These updates often had to take place during business hours, due to the availability of access to the premises and the schedule of the network technician. Today, thanks to remote support tools, it's easier than ever to perform maintenance when it’s most convenient for your users.

Here are a few benefits of remote support that make this process easier.

• Offsite access. Performing PC and server maintenance during off-hours is much easier when you can do it remotely. This takes care of any building access issues (“no, sir, we don’t know you, we won’t call our management - it’s Sunday”) and saves staff from having to spend time traveling to the actual site.
• Automated scripting. Many updates and settings changes can be performed automatically during off-hours. You can schedule scripts and use tools to handle needed tasks.

Many companies can't afford downtime, even when it's scheduled. Thanks to remote access and scripting tools, maintenance is able to be performed when business isn't taking place. Most of the daily IT tasks or issues can be done without any real-time human interaction.

Cost

Businesses are always trying to cut costs and increase profits. There’s no room for wasted resources. Information technology is one of the biggest investments for business nowadays, and remote access is making this process easier and more cost-effective. Decision-makers are now able to choose the support strategy that is best for their business, whether it is a full-time network technician or an MSP. Furthermore, remote access delivers quicker issue resolution, reducing the costs incurred from downtime.

 

Hire an MSP

Remote access has given businesses the opportunity to reduce costs by hiring managed service providers. In many cases, using an MSP to handle your IT needs is much cheaper, in terms of monthly costs, than it would be to pay a full-time network administrator or an internal IT department. Managed service providers are also able to offer fast support and a vast, knowledgeable staff, whose capabilities are not limited by the skills of a single individual.

Reduction in Downtime

Downtime in production IT facilities means lost money. Thanks to remote access, the individuals or institutions that are supporting your network can start troubleshooting from wherever they are. For a retail business, this means getting back to selling your product quickly. For service-based businesses, this helps you spend less time worrying about your network and more time focusing on your clients.

Any Device, Any Location

Remote support can be done from virtually any device, for any device and from any location with an Internet connection.

Support from Any Device

Remote access administrative software can be deployed from any device. When you receive a mobile notification indicating that an issue needs to be addressed, problem resolution can immediately begin from that same device. It can migrate to another device if necessary (which may be the case if, for example, you require a larger screen than the one available on a mobile device); however, many issues can be resolved totally from a mobile device.

Support for Any Device

With modern remote support tools, support is not limited to desktops and laptops. Remote access tools can be used to connect to mobile devices and troubleshoot any issues in the same manner that they could on a traditional PC.

Inter-Operating System Compatibility

One benefit that many third-party tools deliver is inter-operating system compatibility. Remote access products installed on a Windows device can connect to and support any other device, including Apple and Linux operating systems. Support is no longer limited to the operating system that you are working on.

User Access On-the-Go

Remote access tools bring in obvious benefits of remote support for travelling employees, who don’t need to be in the office to access data when performing support operations.

Conclusion

The benefits of remote support continue to bring new life to companies that need it. They provide MSPs with new opportunities to be competitive, while also improving results and agility for the businesses that these MSPs support.

Denis G

Denis is a content manager at MSP360. He learned the product and cloud services the hard way - as a support team member. He finds the simplest descriptions to difficult concepts and makes comparisons between services, features, products and other comparisons.

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