Sunday, September 30, 2018

Three ways to improve IT support By Leveraging Data

Introduction

An excellent way to improve IT remote support is through the intelligent use of data. Here are some techniques to help make this happen, and why it is important.

Information Technology departments are increasingly turning to data to help them manage the increasing complexity of their IT infrastructure. For both system administrators and support engineers, to maintain an extensive endpoint panorama composed of different operating systems, software versions and configurations on each computer, the server throughout the organization has become a major challenge.
Until recently, it was not uncommon for a company to spend up to 75% of its IT budget just to maintain existing IT operations.

However, companies that direct their IT support through digital transformation obtain benefits by being able to manage their infrastructure more strategically and at the same time improve the quality of the provision of IT services.
As a result, they are not only experiencing a reduction in resolution time but also in the cost of servicing their infrastructure.

Forget the traditional KPIs of the help desk

Today, most companies know the importance of tracking their IT support performance with the KPIs of the right help desk. It is true that the first response, the rate of resolution, the use of the agent, customer satisfaction and the cost of the ticket matter because they give an idea of how the resources are used and the quality of the services rendered. But, by themselves, they do not address the real problem.

The main challenge for IT support is dealing with the frustration of humans interacting with technology. In other words, IT departments can not reduce their resolution time if they still depend on their end users for triage and access to critical system information.
In fact, an interaction between a technician and an end user that begins with "what is the name of your computer?" Or "what is your IP address?" It usually starts with the left foot.

1. Implementation of the single version of the truth for IT remote support

The only version of truth (SVOT) is a concept of business intelligence defined as the only view of the data that everyone agrees on is real and reliable information. In general, it is compiled from different data sources on various systems. Its purpose is to facilitate decision making.

With regard to business operations and change management, the single version of the truth is often credited with improving communication, reducing the potential for conflict, and a better end-to-end user experience.

When it comes to IT support, you do not need to be an expert to know that it is very necessary. So, except in theory, how does this apply?

It starts with the use of the correct remote access tool, which provides the following three key features:

• Real-time detection of computers connected to the user based on a user name or identification search.

• A 360-view of the end-user IT profile covering systems, devices, Active Directory and software

• Easy access to real-time statistics such as CPU and memory usage, disk activity.
Getting rid of fragmented tools has its obvious benefits. Moving technicians and engineers of all levels on the same platform not only encourages collaboration but also helps provide a seamless experience. On the one hand, technicians no longer need to remotely control a workstation to see what is wrong. Instead, they can work in the background without interrupting the end user.

2. Collecting data to generate actionable information

In short, you can not endorse or guarantee what you do not know you have. Companies should be in the habit of collecting data on their terminals to generate actionable reports as a way to get out of the fire and start planning strategically.

It is good practice to start with a simple resource inventory report that includes:

• Asset Name

• Function description

• IP address

• MAC address

• Model / Manufacturer

•Serial number

• Network connectivity
Ports and protocol (s) used

• Firmware version and operating system

However, there are many other ways in which aggregate data can help IT departments.
For example, before applying patches to a series of Windows machines, it is useful to check the operating system version, the latest patch installed, and the power state of each terminal. When reviewing the consolidated report on discovery ideas, engineers can design the appropriate remediation plan and measure the success of their campaign with respect to the initial data set.

For root cause analysis purposes, IT departments can also store a daily snapshot of the end-user IT profile or final scenario. After a security incident, such as a ransomware attack, they can analyze the data to understand when the problem first came up, and perhaps infer why they were not included.

3. Optimize IT support with IT process automation

Automating IT processes is another way to leverage data to improve delivery of IT services.

With ITPA, engineers can create a workflow to automate a series of actions and dispatch their execution to multiple computers at the same time. This is useful for implementing software or patches, as well as for automating repetitive system management tasks.

In addition, a workflow can be activated as soon as the system detects when a computer or server changes its configuration or status. As a result, IT departments can increase their agility by solving a situation before it becomes a problem.

"Check, detect, and fix workflows" is great for applying IT compliance. They can be used for various purposes to automatically remedy a missing patch to remove blacklisted applications.

Process Automation IT benefits companies by increasing the accuracy and speed of delivery of their IT support services. More importantly, it helps mitigate the risk.

Digital Transformation of IT Services: Choose the Right Remote IT Support Solution


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