We live in a world built on technology in our personal lives and in our businesses. Just about every company is completely reliant on its computer network and infrastructure. These days, there is almost nothing that done without a computer.

Consider this: you closely monitor your cash flow and inventory to keep your company on track to meets its goals. You use various computer software and solutions to do these calculations.

You service your clients through computers using software. These computers may be servers, desktop workstations, or mobile devices. What if these devices and the networks that link them together go down? What would your clients do if you cannot do business with them because your computers are down?

Mot clients would go to one of your competitors that can respond quickly to their needs.  They will not care or be understanding that your company was offline. Any interruption in your computer systems will cost your business sales and customers.

This is why your business needs information technology support.

Your IT staff must handle things such as administering multiple technologies, keeping applications up to date and available, managing crises when service interruptions occur and managing hardware systems and software components. Your IT team must also design and initiate your key IT initiatives to move your company forward while responding to initiatives requested by your corporate managers and CEOs.

Fortunately, your company does not need to handle these tasks in house. You can elicit the aid of an IT support provider.

The method of IT support is irrelevant if the service provider successfully provides your needs, but your company still needs some kind of IT support. For some companies, that means going with some offshore outlet. Others will need someone a bit closer. Your IT support technician does not have to be on site to service your IT network, and can do a lot of the work remotely. However, offshore providers come with steep language restrictions. While they may speak and understand the same language of your customers and employees, many will find the accents frustrating among other problems. Offshore is cheaper, but it may not be worth the risks. In many cases, onshore IT support will be the preferable option.

Most large corporations have their own internal IT teams. While this is a viable option, it is quite expensive. But, if it works for you, there is nothing wrong with it either.

Effective IT support needs to be on call on a 24/7 basis. IT disasters can occur at any time anywhere. You can call for an on-site or remote solution, but you need a fast response time. Your IT support provider needs to be ready to repair any problems as soon as possible. In fact, you should have some sort of IT support solution on call long before you need service.

Without great IT support, your company’s advanced tools and technologies become useless. While hiring an outside IT support provider will reduce some of your control over your IT processes, your company may benefit from the expertise. This will be especially true for small companies who may only one IT person in house if any. However, if the loss of control does not interfere with your business operations, the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages it may cause.