Managed IT Support vs Help Desk: What’s the Difference?

Managed IT Support vs Help Desk is a common question business owners ask when technology problems begin impacting their teams. A help desk service responds to technology issues as they arise. Managed IT support, on the other hand, includes technology maintenance and monitoring to prevent problems from occurring. This guide outlines IT support services versus help desk support, their respective functions and differences, and how to choose the best managed IT support services in the USA for your business.

SystechCorp is an IT company based in New Jersey that provides both managed IT support and a help desk service available 24/7. Their experts can evaluate your business’s technology setup to recommend the best solution for you.

What Are IT Support Services?

IT support services are the technical work that is performed to keep a company’s IT infrastructure and systems running properly. Managed IT support is a service that provides IT support to a company, with that support being performed on an ongoing basis and by an external IT service provider that actively monitors and repairs the IT systems to prevent any issues from being noticed by the employees or stopping their work.

IT support includes the following functions:

• Network and server monitoring around the clock.
• Installation of software updates and security patches automatically.
• Detection and protection against security threats.
• Management of the company’s IT infrastructure.
• Support for the employees of the company in their IT needs.

All of these IT support functions work together to provide a company with managed IT support. Instead of waiting until the company’s IT systems break down and have to be repaired, the IT service provider performs each of these functions as part of a structured program to maintain the IT infrastructure of the company. 

This minimizes the amount of IT downtime that the company experiences over the time that they work with an IT provider and also reduces the Core Functions of IT Support services that they receive from that provider. 

SystechCorp provides these managed IT services to companies, and their services cover network and software management, security, and IT infrastructure management for those companies.

What Is Help Desk Support?

Help desk support is a service provided to assist employees with issues that arise after they have been reported. These issues may be reported through different communication channels such as telephone, email, chat, or a ticketing system.

The Core Functions of Help Desk support staff are varied.

• Ticket logging: Employees are assisted in logging tickets to record all of the issues that they experience.
• Troubleshooting: Staff also help to troubleshoot the issues that are reported after they are logged into the ticketing system.
• Password resets: Employees can be assisted in resetting their passwords after they have been logged into the ticketing system.
• Escalation: Complex issues reported by employees are escalated to the specialists in the help desk staff who are most skilled in handling those types of problems.
• Status updates: Employees are provided with regular status updates regarding the issues that they have reported to the ticketing system until those issues have been resolved.

Help desk support allows employees to have a place where they can request assistance with the issues that they experience. In addition, employees require the help desk staff to be friendly and responsive to their issues. However, the help desk staff are unable to resolve issues such as networking problems, software updates, or growth in the networks.

IT Support vs Help Desk: What’s the Difference?

The main difference between IT Support and Help Desk is approach: managed IT support is proactive and covers your whole technology environment, while a help desk is reactive and focuses on user requests. The table below compares them.

In short, a help desk focuses on answering questions, while managed IT support is responsible for the outcomes. Imagine a help desk as the front door to an office, and managed IT support as the building’s maintenance team. One group is focused on the people, and the other on the building and its infrastructure.

A help desk is not a competitor to managed IT support. Many managed IT support plans include help desk support, so you get rapid assistance for users, as well as the planning, security, and infrastructure monitoring that you need.

Understanding the differences between the two forms of IT support can help you ensure that you are not paying for additional IT support coverage that you do not require, or that you do not have any gaps in your IT coverage due to a lack of understanding of the differences between the two.

Managed IT Support or Help Desk Services: Which Does Your US Business Need?

When it comes to selecting the right Managed IT Support Services USA to support your business in the USA, the choice depends on several critical factors, including the size of your business, the level of risk that you are willing to accept, and the skills of your internal staff. 

Use the following guidelines to assist you in making that choice.

• A helpdesk service is the right choice if you already have an IT team that is responsible for managing the company’s IT systems.
• Managed IT support is the right choice if your company does not have an IT team to manage your IT systems, or if you want to outsource the management of your IT systems to an experienced third-party provider.
• Some companies choose both helpdesk and managed IT services to meet all of their IT needs. This approach provides day-to-day support for their employees, while simultaneously managing the management of their IT systems.
• Managed IT services are especially beneficial for both growing companies as well as those in regulated industries, as these types of businesses have the most to lose due to IT system gaps. 

Regardless of the type of IT services that you decide to implement for your company, be sure to ask each potential provider a series of questions before making your choice. Some of the important questions to consider asking include the response time of the provider and the security coverage of their IT support. SystechCorp offers managed IT services to companies in the USA. Among the services that SystechCorp provides for businesses are managed IT services, remote IT monitoring, monthly IT maintenance, and on-demand IT support. 

Ready to choose? Contact SystechCorp today for a free consultation on managed IT support and 24/7 help desk services built around your business and budget.

FAQs

1. Is a help desk the same as IT support?

No. A help desk handles user requests, while IT support also covers monitoring, security, updates, and infrastructure. Many providers bundle both.

2. What is the difference between a help desk and a managed service provider?

A help desk responds to reported issues. A managed service provider takes responsibility for your IT environment, including monitoring, security, and support.

3. Do small businesses need managed IT support or just a help desk?

Small businesses without in-house IT usually benefit from managed IT support, which covers security, updates, and monitoring. A help desk alone suits teams with existing IT staff.

4. How much does managed IT support cost compared to a help desk?

Costs vary by users, devices, and coverage. Help desks charge per ticket or user, while managed IT support typically uses a monthly fee. Request itemized quotes.

5. Can a company use both a help desk and managed IT support?

Yes. Many companies pair a help desk for user requests with managed IT support for monitoring, security, and planning. Using one provider for both keeps accountability simple.