The Advantages of a Cloud Help Desk
Your information technology department is a vital component to the success of your business. The growth of new technologies and the increased use of new devices have put even more pressure on the IT department, with many help desks receiving more tickets, leading to decreased response and resolution times. This can negatively impact your customer service and your bottom line. So, what tools are available to help your help desk cope with these new pressures and maintain the levels of service your customers expect?
The answer lies in the Cloud. A cloud help desk may provide all the tools you need to keep both your IT staff and your customers happy. Unlike an on-premise help desk application, a cloud help desk is hosted on third-party servers, eliminating the costs of installation and maintenance that come with traditional help desk solutions. With a cloud help desk, applications can be accessed from anywhere at any time with an Internet connection.
Other advantages of a cloud help desk include faster deployment and low upfront costs, allowing you to leverage the capabilities of the solution right away without large capital expenditures.
There are more advantages other than lower costs that a cloud help desk can bring. For example, upgrades are instantly available, ensuring that your IT help desk has the latest technological innovations at its disposal. A cloud help desk also delivers flexibility and scalability, with most solutions built with the ability to scale up or down depending on the needs of the client.
A concern among businesses against moving to the Cloud usually revolves around the issue of security. Some companies are uncomfortable with the idea that mission-critical applications do not reside within their own firewall. However, cloud providers, including those that provide cloud help desks, offer robust security, backup, and disaster recovery, without the hefty price tag associated with these services if a business were to undertake them on their own. Systems can crash and cloud providers anticipate this by moving applications to another server automatically should a system failure occur.
If you are considering a cloud help desk, many vendors offer solutions that can meet the requirements of your business. For example, leading help desk software providers BMC Software and Salesforce.com have teamed up to offer RemedyForce, a cloud help desk with ITIL compliant processes. Keep in mind how a cloud help desk can help better manage your IT service processes, but let your business needs be the driving force behind your purchasing decision.