Technical Suuport: Better Safe Than Sorry

Although

managing a company's network can be difficult, finding reliable

technical support can be even more challenging. It is important

to distinguish between capable technical support providers

and those who have little practical experience in solving

the networking issues of a company.

A few

guidelines make finding reliable technical support for a company's

network more easy and productive. These also help in detecting

the potential sources replete with the necessary skills and

evaluate the type of technical support required.

Types

of technical support

Every

network-regardless of its size, its location, its hardware

and software-eventually requires some type of technical support.

To solve each problem, a company should have the requisite

resources and reliable outside help to tackle the problems

present. It is equally important to evaluate the type of technical

support needed. There are three types of technical support:

CRITICAL-CARE

TECHNICAL SUPPORT: Such technical support is provided during

emergencies on an as-needed basis. This kind of support is

similar to triage doctors working in a hospital's emergency

room.

ON-GOING

TECHNICAL SUPPORT: The support needed to complete complex

projects, like implementing new technologies, can be hired

on an on-going basis. This kind of support is similar to family

practitioners treating chronic conditions.

ON-SITE

TECHNICAL SUPPORT: When the technical support staff has to

be supplemented on a long-term basis and additional employees

cannot be hired, on-site technical support is sought. Such

technical support providers are similar to home-care nurses

alleviating your workload when you are recovering from an

illness. Determining the type of technical support needed

is of critical importance. In addition to considering the

specific problem or project on hand, other factors, like size

and experience of the technical support staff should also

be considered.

Further,

the cost of each type of technical support is also significant.

Depending on the exact services needed, one may have to compromise

to reduce costs. The right time to opt for support should

also be judiciously gauged to avert a crisis situation. There

could be experienced and versatile technical support providers

handling more than one type of problem. But they also need

to draw the line somewhere. A critical-care technical support

provider cannot help to add a new user to the company's network.

Likewise, an on-going technical support provider implementing

a database solution cannot restore a failed router.

There

are two types of technical support providers:

Independent

consultants



Consulting companies

Most independent

consultants provide reliable technical support in specific

areas of expertise, often at a lower cost than consulting

companies. On the other hand, consulting companies usually

provide a broader range of services that cost more. As a result,

these companies can often provide more experience and faster

assistance than independent consultants can do.

Averting

disasters

Several

critical questions should be addressed before choosing the

support provider:

How much

experience does the technical support provider have with the

particular company's network, including the hardware and software

used?

Does

the technical support provider guarantee availability?

Does

the technical support provider offer a single point of contact?

Does

the technical support provider offer a list of references,

enabling to you contact both past and current customers for

more information about the provider's quality of service?

Experience

matters

I have

provided technical support for many years. Many of my customers

approached me because their technical support provider could

not help them. Most of these customers neglected to ask the

appropriate questions before hiring their technical support

provider. The most important question to ask is the one about

experience. To determine whether or not potential technical

support providers have adequate experience, you should document

the company's network, making a complete list of the hardware

and software used. This list can then be presented to potential

technical support providers so they are aware of what they

are expected to maintain. This list can also help protect

one from unscrupulous technical support providers trying to

convince you to get unnecessary equipment or replacement parts,

assuming that you are not familiar with each component in

the company's network.

Guarantee

of availability

The speed

with which a technical support provider responds to a service

request may determine whether or not your company's network

survives a system failure. In addition, you should find out

whether or not potential providers maintain their own supply

of replacement parts. If a technical support provider does

not stock replacement parts for the hardware used, you may

find yourself at the mercy of manufacturers' warehouses and

shipping services in the event of a hardware failure.

Single

point of contact

Having

a single point of contact may not seem important when your

company's network is functioning properly. But when something

goes wrong, you cannot underestimate the value of being able

to contact a technical support professional who is familiar

with the company's network.

A single

point of contact is also useful if you are trying to juggle

multiple projects simultaneously. In this case, your contact

can act as a project manager, ensuring that each project is

on track. In addition, a single point of contact provides

you with a support professional who can evaluate all of the

services you are receiving and determine whether these services

are satisfactory. Otherwise, you may receive unsatisfactory

services because no one is co-ordinating these services.

References

are critical

Nothing

beats references when you are trying to find reliable technical

support. You should always request a list of references from

each potential technical support provider. This list should

include contact information for several customers who are

using or have used the same technical support provider and

have received services similar to the ones you require. You

should then contact these customers, ensuring that they have

had a good experience with the technical support provider.

A reputable

technical support provider should supply you with contact

information both for customers who praise the provider and

for those who have experienced problems. You can then determine

the technical support provider's strengths and weaknesses.

You can

also use references from other companies to track down potential

technical support providers. You may want to ask the company's

partners, suppliers, and customers whether or not they are

happy with their technical support provider. In addition,

you can ask other network administrators, such as members

of your local NetWare user group, if they have any recommendations.

Performing

your role

After

choosing a technical support provider, you should ask what

the provider expects from you. For example, I do not accept

a new customer without first performing a basic health check

on the company's network. This health check allows me to conduct

an inventory of the hardware, software, and services that

are running. I can also determine if all of the current patches

and updates are installed.

Based

on what I find during the health check, I know if I should

accept the job. If the network's overall health is relatively

good, I may accept the job because I do not have to spend

an inordinate amount of time reconfiguring hardware and software,

installing current patches and updates. If the network has

significant problems, however, I may decide to reject the

job because the extra work I am faced with may interfere with

the time required by my existing customers.

A reputable

technical support provider may have a similar selection process,

to ensure appropriate distribution of support to every customer.

Technical support providers who are willing to take on any

and every customer may eventually end up spending all of their

time and resources with the one customer whose network is

in the worst shape, leaving little time for the remaining

customers.

Conclusion

Managing

your company's network is only part of your job. You also

have the responsibility of finding reliable technical support-a

process requiring you to do your homework. You must evaluate

the company's technical support requirements and determine

the type of support needed. In addition you must interview

potential technical support providers, asking them a variety

of questions and checking their references. If you complete

these steps, you are far less likely to make the company an

unwitting victim in a technical support horror story. Instead,

you may develop a successful technical support relationship

that can serve the company well for many years.

By

MICKEY APPLEBAUM



Excerpted from NetWare Connection


Courtesy: Novell