Do you own a small or medium-sized business and rely on IT systems? Technology systems are the cornerstone of smooth operations for your company. If something goes wrong with the IT infrastructure, and you experience downtime, this can significantly impact productivity and the functioning of your SMB. That is why IT support is a foundational service for your company.
Businesses are increasingly seeking flexibility in the IT services they require. Unlike business hours support, 24/7 IT support models offer this flexibility. But how else is 24/7 IT support different from business hours support? Discover all you need to know about these differences in this article.
What is 24/7 IT Support?
24/7 IT support entails a continuous service in which Managed Service Providers (MSP) are available with technical assistance and troubleshooting services during the day or night, all days of the week.
Services include uninterrupted remote IT support and monitoring of your IT systems and a global help desk that may be outsourced. The global help desk makes 24/7 technical assistance possible – it receives issue reports and provides support for IT-related problems.
With this type of service, some types of businesses can benefit significantly. E-commerce companies and remote teams, for instance, can benefit from 24/7 IT support, with e-commerce gaining rapid issue resolution at any time and remote teams gaining the advantage of minimized downtime. This is all thanks to continuous support, no matter where the team is located geographically.
What is Business Hours IT Support?
On the other hand, business hours IT support is a traditional model. It involves technical support that is limited to weekday hours. For instance, a business hours IT support model may make their services available from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm from Monday to Friday.
This type of model aligns with small and medium-sized businesses that have predictable schedules. A local business with office-based employees or that interacts with customers during the daytime can benefit from business hours IT support models since they typically do not operate on weekends or after hours.
Pros of 24/7 IT Support
When looking at 24/7 IT support models, there are many benefits. Below, we have listed the main advantages and long-term services that this model of IT support can offer your business for your peace of mind:
Immediate Responses – No matter the time or the day, MSPs with technical service offerings and 24/7 IT support models can respond to issues and work to resolve them. For instance, even if a server goes down on a Sunday, the MSP can still respond and resolve the issue.
Improved Uptime – With immediate responses, MSPs that provide 24/7 IT support models improve the uptime of computer systems and minimize the chances of prolonged downtime. They do this with proactive monitoring, rapid responses, and effective disaster recovery methods.
Enhanced Cybersecurity Monitoring – Experts available through 24/7 IT support can offer enhanced cybersecurity monitoring with proactive measures. This involves continuous, 24/7 surveillance and proactive threat hunting. The latter requires actively searching for likely cyber threats, working to eradicate them, and protecting computer systems.
Cons of 24/7 IT Support
But there are a few factors to consider before choosing 24/7 IT support, which we have listed below:
Higher Cost – Full and constant coverage will likely cost more than business-hour IT service models. This tends to be because infrastructure, logistical, and increased staffing costs need to be met. In terms of increased staffing, more personnel will be needed to cover round-the-clock services, while infrastructure costs include hardware and network infrastructure to handle continuous operations.
Less Need when Running 9-to-5 Hours – If you run a standard 9-to-5 business or stick to a standard hour work schedules, you may find that 24/7 IT support is not worth your budget costs. Additionally, if your business is low risk and less likely to be vulnerable to cyber threats, constant support might not be required.
Vendor Overpromising – It’s important to vet the 24/7 IT support MSP you are considering to ensure there is no risk of vendor overpromising. Vendor overpromising may mean that the MSP might promise after-hours help, but is not as responsive as it first claimed.
Pros of Business Hours Support
It’s worth noting that business hours IT support has a few advantages that your company can gain. This IT support model is beneficial in the following ways:
Cost-Effective for Small Teams – Business hours IT support can be a cost-effective choice if your company has small teams. This is because a large team of dedicated in-house IT professionals will not be required, and you will not need to cover their training or salary costs.
Personalized Service – Local technicians will be able to tailor their communication, resources, interactions, and support to your business, offering a personalized service that aligns with the industry in which you work.
Simpler Service Level Agreements (SLAs) – Since the business hours are fixed and the response times are confined to those specific business hours, it’s easier to arrange an SLA with your business hours IT support team. It’s also the case that resolution time is calculated in line with the business hours, and this is easier to outline in the SLA compared with 24/7 resolution times.
Cons of Business Hours Support
Yet business hours IT support can come with a few issues that can affect your company’s productivity. These issues include the following:
Business Disruption with Issues Outside of Regular Hours – Your business will not receive IT support outside of the business hours IT company’s regular hours. So if a server or an element in your network goes down or an software update is required, this will not get resolved until the set scheduled 9-to-5 business hours and your business goals could be affected.
Support Only During Fixed Hours – You can only access the help desk during scheduled, regular business hours. This means that if you need advice during the night, at weekends, or during holidays, this will not be accessible with this service.
Slower Business Growth – If your business is expanding, business hours IT support services might not align with this growth. This is because the services might not support the global or remote operations you aim to achieve with your growing business.
How to Choose Between Business Hours and 24/7 IT Support
If you’re wondering how to choose between business hours and 24/7 IT support, a few factors will help you decide. First, you’ll need to consider the size of your business.
As a company with a global presence, or with employees located all around the world, you might prefer 24/7 IT support to back your global company. 24/7 IT support can cover all time zones and employee locations, meaning you will be supported when needed.
If you’re concerned about regulation compliance and data security, 24/7 IT support comes with experts who can handle cybersecurity issues at all hours of the day. They can minimize ransomware risks and automate data backups to ensure your business complies with PIPEDA and data regulations.
Alternatively, if your company has lower budgets and low risks in terms of cyber threats or downtime, you may consider business hours IT support, which is a more cost-effective choice. If you are looking for a personalized service for a small-sized business, business hours IT support could be the ideal choice.
Find the IT Support Model that Matches Your Business
24/7 IT support is ideal for continuous monitoring yet might be costly. Business hours IT support is ideal for smaller budgets yet might not align with an expanding business. Each has pros and cons. So, it is important to reflect on the needs of your business when choosing between them.
At Tech Masters Inc., we advise assessing your current support and future needs when choosing between these models. If you are looking for 24/7 IT support and want to gain the advantages it brings, we can help you. Arrange a consultation with Tech Masters today. Receive the right IT support for your medium or small business in real time from expert MSPs with us.