Doing the right thing, at the right time.
Frequently Asked Questions.
An IT support specialist takes charge of, and is accountable for, your IT infrastructure. Our clients see us as their VCIO (Virtual Chief Information Officer) and depend on us for the implementation, management, maintenance, and security of their IT environments. Our IT support specialists provide a wide array of services, including inventory, backup, security audits, and development of IT roadmaps.
We’ll be there when things fail, or when you want to plan initiatives like moving your business to the cloud or migrating to a new platform, such as Office 365, Microsoft Teams, or SharePoint. We’ll work with third-party vendors to make sure everything is taken care of, so you can focus on your business.
IT support typically falls into one of two categories: Break/Fix and Fully Managed Support. The Break/Fix providers usually wait for something to break, then they fix it. This is how most internal IT departments, as well as outsourced IT companies work. The Fully Managed Support model is the most common IT support model in the New York area, and usually includes 24 x 7 x 365 monitoring and support of systems and networks, depending on the contract.
There are advantages and downsides to both models. The Break/Fix model is cheaper because you’re only paying for services on an as-needed basis. However, this model only provides the reactive component of IT support, and doesn’t include preventative measures such as upgrades, patching, backup, and continuous monitoring. Also, this model usually lacks a Service Level Agreement (SLA), so when things break, you may not know when they’ll be fixed.
The Fully Managed Support model provides extensive 24/7 IT Support (monitoring and alerting), as well as maintenance and on-demand support. It also provides a guaranteed response time SLA (usually 1 – 4 hours), so you know when your issue will be addressed. However, this model type is more costly, as you pay a set monthly fee, and usually requires a 1- or 2-year contract.
It’s also important to consider whether your IT support company is a reseller of hardware. Many providers partner with hardware manufacturers, giving them incentive to sell you on specific devices. At Network Lab, we don’t partner with vendors, so if your IT support specialist recommends a hardware change, they’ll supply you with a shopping cart from Dell, HP, Lenovo, SonicWALL, or Amazon. That way, you can rest assured that they’re recommending the hardware because you need it, not because they’re going to make a commission on it.
