The lifecycle of a business information system does not end with the completion of the system implementation project. The system has been working and in use for many years. This term is applicable to almost all classes of business systems, including accounting systems, transactional systems, analytical systems, and document management systems. Operational information systems require both solving a number of current problems, as well as updating, developing and integrating with other software products. Thus, the support of the system includes both the solution of all technical tasks and the solution of development tasks to ensure the daily use of the information system.

As part of the support, not only routine maintenance, regular routine tasks and bug fixes are possible and necessary, but also improvements, optimization tasks or small projects such as upgrading to a new version of the platform or launching a new module. Of course, support functions can be performed both by internal resources of the organization and transferred to third-party companies.

Outsourcing information technology support is becoming an increasingly popular choice for companies. This service includes support for information systems, software and IT infrastructure. Information systems support ensures the smooth operation of mission-critical applications and programs. IT specialists monitor the system status, regularly update the software and solve problems that arise. IT systems support includes the management and maintenance of the entire organizational IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, workstations and equipment. As part of this service, monitoring, repair and updating of equipment, as well as ensuring its safety, is carried out. IT services support includes helping the organization's employees use IT tools and software. IT support for users ensures the effective use of technology in daily work, which leads to increased productivity as a result.

IT systems support includes the management and maintenance of the entire organizational IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, workstations and equipment. As part of this service, monitoring, repair and updating of equipment, as well as ensuring its safety, is carried out.

IT services support includes helping the organization's employees use IT tools and software. IT support for users ensures the effective use of technology in everyday work, which leads to increased productivity as a result.

The existing advantages of external IT support for businesses include several key aspects:

• The first advantage is that it allows companies to focus on their core business, transferring operational IT tasks to professionals. This helps to reduce the time and resources required to manage the IT infrastructure.
• The second advantage is that outsourcing of IT services can be more economically justified, since companies do not need to invest in their own IT department, technical equipment and staff training.
• The third advantage is due to the fact that external IT specialists often have broader experience and expertise, which they apply to maintain and improve the company's IT infrastructure. It also provides access to the latest technologies and best practices in the industry.
• The fourth advantage is that external IT support ensures smooth operation. When failures or problems with the IT infrastructure occur, specialists respond quickly and fix problems, reducing downtime and increasing the overall productivity of the organization. This is especially important in the context of the high cost of inoperable information systems in industries such as e-commerce and financial services.

In some companies, there is a problem of inefficiency of their own IT departments. They cannot always cope with the tasks set, as they are usually engaged in servicing existing processes, rather than participating in their creation. This often leads to an inability to cope with the increasing workload and versatility of the activity. Therefore, comprehensive IT services provided by third-party companies are becoming increasingly popular. These services include service support for information and computing systems, telecommunications and engineering equipment, as well as the introduction of new IT and telecommunications solutions based on cloud platforms.

External support in the field of information technology (IT) is an integral part of the work of almost any company, regardless of its size or field of activity. For small and medium-sized enterprises, external IT support means the opportunity to receive qualified assistance in maintaining IT systems without creating your own IT department. Large companies can also use external support to manage various aspects of their IT infrastructure or conduct IT projects. There are several categories of organizations for which external IT support can be especially valuable:

1. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): These companies can use external IT support services to provide reliable support to their IT systems without having to create their own IT department.
2. Large companies: For corporations, external IT support can be useful for managing certain aspects of the IT infrastructure or conducting specific projects.
3. Startups: New companies that lack sufficient resources to form their own IT department can use external support as an ideal solution.
4. Organizations with seasonal peaks of activity: External IT support can scale depending on business needs, providing additional support during periods of increased workload.
5. Companies implementing new technologies: When switching to new technologies, external IT support can provide the necessary expert assistance and support. We offer a wide range of services, including support for information systems, IT infrastructure, users and IT projects. If it is important for you to focus on the development of your business without being distracted by technical problems, entrust the maintenance of the IT infrastructure to professionals.

There are the following advantages of transferring IT service functions to a third-party organization:

1. A qualified approach. Turning to a company that solves a wide range of tasks for its customers, you will use the services of professionals in various fields with vendor certificates and up-to-date knowledge about the latest equipment models. This guarantees a stable high quality of service.
2. Minimizing downtime risks. Contractors perform work according to a strict schedule and undertake to be responsible for any downtime, including possible fines. In case of serious problems, a team of experienced engineers participates to promptly solve complex issues.
3. Flexibility. The customer does not need to worry about how to configure the IT service to meet the current requirements of his company. This allows you to save time and resources, as well as focus on strategically important tasks.
4. Compliance with standards. We work in accordance with international standards such as ISO, GOST, and follow the recommendations of ITIL and other methodologies. They are guided by the ITIL library, which describes the best practices of organizing IT services, which ensures a high level of professionalism and reliability in providing services.

Complex or optional IT outsourcing involves a variety of types of work, some of which are needed only by large companies, while others are necessary for everyone.

One of the types of services used by almost every modern company seeking to change its business processes is consulting support.

IT specialists competently and quickly understand software versions and the interaction between them, as well as the interconnection of infrastructure components, conducting an inventory of information systems.

Diagnostics and repair of malfunctions of systems and equipment are most effective with regular prevention, which is handled by an outside organization.

Round-the-clock technical support with guaranteed system recovery time in case of failures helps companies maintain the operability of all IT systems and services, while reducing personnel and equipment costs. Such technical support can be remote or located on the territory of the customer's company. It ensures the processing of applications around the clock and the maintenance of the system software up to date, as well as provides unique advantages, for example, carrying out work at night and on weekends without paying extra hours.

Support of operating systems and databases requires constant attention of specialists, especially in banks, insurance and telecommunications companies, online stores and government agencies.

Auditing and monitoring of systems and equipment allow managers to optimize the use of IT assets. To do this, it is best to invite independent specialists.

Outstaffing offers the possibility of partial or complete withdrawal of IT personnel from the customer's staff, registering it in the staff of a third-party company. This is especially true for large holdings.

Modern IT allows for remote office administration via encrypted VPN channels. Remote work capabilities allow a team of administrators to quickly solve problems, even if the company has an extensive network of branches.

Laboratory testing and development of solutions by leading IT companies can reduce the risks of customer decision-making. Such companies have solution centers equipped with advanced equipment.

Equipment rental may be required by any company moving, expanding, organizing field events or needing to store large amounts of data. Modern reliable data centers offer rental of servers and 3D systems, as well as installation, configuration and uninterrupted operation of leased equipment.

Staff training is an integral part of working with information systems. Regular and competent training of employees to work with new equipment prevents possible failures in the business process and allows you to quickly get the required results from updating IT assets.

Assistance in the organization of local Service centers (Service Desk) allows you to prevent possible incidents at an early stage. In this case, it is recommended to contact third-party analysts with basic training and practical skills in predicting and preventing incidents. An alternative option is to rent a Service Center from the cloud. In this case, the deployment of the service will take only a week, including a pre-configured, ready-to-work solution that allows the company to regulate costs and not overpay for idle engineers.

Moving information systems. Specialists can help with the dismantling, transportation and installation of equipment during company relocations, minimizing downtime in the operation of the IT system.

Professional analysis of proactive monitoring helps to avoid emergencies by monitoring the state of the infrastructure, pre-determining the need to replace parts, reducing the human factor when using equipment, analyzing the operation of systems and making forecasts of their load. The implementation of such a system can be expensive, so many companies again prefer the option of using the services of contractors in the field of information technology. The advantages of remote monitoring include rapid deployment and the ability to pay according to usage, while maintaining all the functions of a traditional solution - full control over the state of the information technology infrastructure 24/7, in accordance with individually configured parameters and thresholds. All information is transmitted via encrypted channels, which saves the client from worries about information security.

The choice between comprehensive service and optional services arises when faced with the fact that its own IT department cannot cope with the increasing volume of work. Business leaders, as a rule, prefer to transfer the IT service to third-party organizations to offer optional services as problems arise. At first glance, this option may seem cheaper, but it does not provide a holistic understanding of the problems and prospects for the development of the company's IT assets. If you perform a preliminary audit of information technology resources, it becomes obvious that comprehensive maintenance is a more reliable solution. The main thing is to choose a qualified service provider who can become your strategic partner for many years to come. Properly planned outsourcing should have a positive impact on the development of the entire business and optimize the costs of the company as a whole, not just by reducing the staff of information technology specialists or saving money in the short term.

The cost of comprehensive support depends on the size of the enterprise and the required work, but is always comparable to the cost of its own IT staff. For example, for an enterprise with up to 10 employees, the average price is several tens of thousands of rubles per month. For the same money, a small organization can afford only one IT specialist, whose skills may not be sufficient to solve the entire range of tasks, no matter how modest they may be. The situation is the same for a large enterprise, where the volume of tasks increases faster than the number of employees in the IT department, which cannot be indefinitely increased.

Express maintenance services can cost the owner of an enterprise with up to 50 servers up to 1 million rubles, take a month of time and significantly increase the efficiency of using IT assets. These services include:

• IT integration and management;
• Construction and maintenance of ICT infrastructure, computing infrastructure, telecommunications infrastructure;
• Implementation of applied business solutions, including the introduction of motivational programs for key departments, optimization of applications, logistics, information retrieval, reduction of energy costs, etc.;
• HR consulting, including strategic planning of HR departments, improvement of recruitment and motivation systems, development and holding of corporate events, etc.

When ordering a comprehensive service, you have the opportunity to receive some of the services for free - for example, transferring the IT infrastructure to the contractor's cloud storage.

Turning to an IT service with the involvement of third-party specialists in the modern world has become the norm, allowing companies to use internal resources, both human and financial, more effectively. Organizations of various scales, including the largest firms with branches throughout Russia, use IT services from external contractors to get rid of non-core functions, to ensure clear control over costs and quality of services. To do this, they use various methods and approaches, including IT outsourcing and outstaffing, remote administration, equipment rental and comprehensive IT solutions.

According to Computer Press magazine, all IT assets need constant maintenance, not just acquisition, implementation or development. The life cycle of IT solutions requires significant time and financial costs, and up to 80% of the total costs can be spent on operation. Due to the growing business needs for IT solutions, reducing the cost of technical support and simultaneously improving its quality is becoming an important task.

A study conducted by in4media/forrester among the 99 largest Russian companies revealed that more than 70 enterprises actively resort to using service support from external companies. Moreover, 90% of them confirmed that this approach makes a significant contribution to achieving their business goals.