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ZDNET's key takeaways
Aging help desk systems hinder remote support and IT fixes.
Cloud-based help desks cut costs, ease complexity, boost IT.
28% of businesses are automating IT and help desk services.
Along with aging help desk systems, businesses face a number of challenges when it comes to building more responsive support capabilities.
Data breaches remain a hurdle
According to Aberdeen research, 55% of organizations in our survey selected the risk of data breaches as a top hurdle. As cyber threats grow in sophistication and frequency, IT support plays a critical role in incident response, preventative measures, and maintaining data integrity, and poor help desk systems can slow IT's ability to make security fixes.
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Alongside security concerns, the increased use of cloud services, reported by 45% of businesses, is a top pressure in our research for businesses to modernize support and help desks. And there's a growing desire to automate IT and help desk services, with 28% of businesses actively pursuing this.
The goal is to offload repetitive tasks, free up IT personnel for more complex issues, and provide faster, more consistent support. These pressures highlight a clear need for IT support that is not only reactive but also proactive, secure, and scalable.
Unifying IT management and monitoring tops priorities
Aberdeen's research shows that, to meet these evolving demands, businesses are following several key strategies and working to meet specific goals. A top priority for 38% of organizations is to unify IT management and monitoring. This involves consolidating disparate tools and systems into a single platform that provides an end-to-end view of the IT ecosystem, a capability that is core to most cloud-based help desk systems. Such unification streamlines operations, improves visibility into potential issues, and enables faster problem identification and resolution.
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Equally crucial is the focus on improving remote support and help desk capabilities, a strategic action for 33% of businesses. The rise of remote and hybrid work models has made seamless, accessible support for employees working from diverse locations a core help desk capability. Traditional help desk models, often reliant on in-person interactions or limited remote tools, fall behind in these situations. Organizations need solutions that can effectively reach and assist employees regardless of their physical location, ensuring productivity and minimizing downtime.
Optimizing costs while boosting efficiency is difficult
While working toward modernization and greater efficiency, IT help desks face a set of significant challenges. Many experience pain points when working with a large amount of older software and systems, which affects 46% of help desks. Legacy systems often lack modern integration capabilities, can be difficult to maintain, and may pose security vulnerabilities. Supporting these outdated technologies alongside newer solutions creates a complex and time-consuming task for help desk staff.
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Another persistent challenge is controlling the cost of IT service and support, reported by 36% of businesses. Finding ways to optimize these costs while simultaneously improving service quality can be a difficult task for many organizations.
A potential solution
A potential solution for these support issues is the use of cloud-based help desk and IT support systems, which Aberdeen's research shows 49% of businesses use in some form. Among the advantages of cloud-based help desks is scalability, allowing organizations to easily adjust capacity to meet fluctuating demand without significant upfront hardware investments. They also offer enhanced accessibility, enabling support teams and end-users to connect from anywhere, directly addressing the need for improved remote support.
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Also, since they are essentially constantly updated and hardened, cloud platforms typically provide strong security features and compliance certifications, helping to mitigate the risk of data breaches and meet regulatory requirements. And the burden of maintenance and updates shifts from the in-house IT team to the help desk provider, freeing up valuable internal resources to focus on more strategic initiatives.
Aberdeen's research shows that organizations using these cloud-based systems are seeing some critical benefits and competitive advantages. We've found that businesses are reporting more efficient IT processes (42%) and improved IT productivity (35%), achieved by streamlining workflows, automating ticketing, and leveraging easier access to information.
Beyond operational gains, 29% of businesses have seen improved cybersecurity by leveraging the advanced security protocols and expertise of cloud providers. Crucially, 27% have reported improved support for remote workers, underscoring the cloud's ability to overcome geographical limitations and deliver consistent service to a distributed workforce.
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Planning to modernize and build efficiencies in IT support is one thing, but actually being able to do it in a timely and cost-effective manner is another. That is why nearly half of businesses are leveraging cloud-based solutions to improve help desk and support capabilities.
By taking advantage of cloud-based help desks, organizations can overcome cost and complexity hurdles while speeding adoption and moving their IT on the path to increased modernization. With these solutions in place, businesses can improve the quality of support, increase their security, and reduce costs.