How onsite IT services is evolving
"IT is ever-changing" is a term we're all familiar with, and one I'd argue we'd all agree with here in the year 2019. That spans the data center, network, and deskside (end user compute) spaces throughout an organization. If you're not digitizing and looking to take full advantage of the developments that can help take your company to a new level, then you aren't in the game. I can remember even just a few years ago when the conversations with IT leaders was simply about how much money we could help them save and in what areas. The focus was on taking legacy IT operations and figuring out to become more efficient with what you had, and that was it. As in, where could you save money? It wasn't about driving digital transformation and helping the overall operations of the company become leaner and more efficient, so you could capture more market share. Not at all.
In today's world, the topics you will see on notepads that sit on desks are about data security, GDPR, the "work from home" movement, machine learning, data accuracy, virtual desktop infrastructure, cloud computing, etc. While I know about these areas and see and read as much of it through my network of media outlets as I possibly can, they aren't the areas that I'm directly involved in day-to-day. They are extremely important and ones that need to be attacked, I know that. However, without folks continuing to keep some focus on "legacy IT operations" and how you can best manage those areas, the above is unobtainable.
For me, the weeds is anything involving onsite services, and that's where I can discuss ins and outs for days. While digital transformation covers those "cool" areas mentioned previously, onsite services has also evolved into something much more complex (and beautiful). And some would argue that it's still high up on the value chain, given the fact it impacts the user community directly, which is a group of people you ALWAYS want to keep happy. And within onsite services the way IT leaders have implemented support programs has changed greatly.
Gone are the days of full-time W2 IT help desk technicians who sit at every single company site, wherever they are in the world, and regardless of the headcount that occupy those areas. The cost is too high and the need is unnecessary. Executives have started to buy in to the contingent labor model, where dispatching "gig economy" technicians and engineers only when needed, is the norm now. Of course, there are still company sites where a full-time worker is very much needed (think VIP offices, corporate campuses, etc), but the majority of IT support is consumed through this on-demand dispatch model against varying SLAs. However, even this by itself is a thing of the past.
One of the current onsite IT support programs we're involved in right now includes three levels:
End Customer
|
ITO
|
CentricsIT
The relationships in this chain are uber important when it comes to delivering a quality service to the user community. If we're not all aligned, which includes integrated systems and processes, we all fail.
This program involves three support models:
- Dispatch
- Recurring site visits
- FTEs
Because of our global coverage in delivering in over 150 countries, the footprint of this real customer is no issue. They have 32 manufacturing facilities, offices, and campus headquartered in 32 different countries. In addition, each of these locations has varying volume of users, ranging from 50 person sites all the way up to 500 person sites. Obviously, the locations with minimal headcount don't warrant a full-time IT support person who works Mon-Fri 8a-5p. It warrants a one or two days per week visit from a solid EUC technician, who can stack user tickets and handle them all during his full-day Wednesday visit. If there is an emergency call out from one of the users at this site, and the ITO's help desk can not resolve it remotely, then that site can also request a dispatch. No problem.
In the bigger locations (100-500 people) we have one, if not two, FTEs that sit on client site each and every day. It's needed simply because of the volume of tickets that come in. The "types" of users come in to play as well. A site with 75 people may not warrant the workload of an FTE, however if that site has the CEO, CFO, and CIO sitting at it then it might just make sense. Again, no problem.
We are seeing more and more of these programs being worked in to the IT budget and consumed on grander scales. It's usually best suited for companies who have international locations and a high number of user tickets annually. Think of a $5B revenue legal services company, who is HQ'd in New York City, yet has 1,000+ law offices scattered across 100 countries, serving their global customer base. It might make sense to look at this model.
Lastly, although I mentioned onsite IT services not being as "cutting edge" as those digital transformation topics I mentioned earlier, it does enter the conversation in the boardroom. Ever heard of "genius bars," "IT lockers," and "IT vending machines?" Yes, they are real. It's more ways in which CIOs are catering to the user community and helping them be as efficient as possible in their daily company activities. The genius bars, lockers, and vending machines all require the support of not only the internal IT team, but whatever field suppliers that company works with to provide onsite services. We must comply with requests that require our technicians to leverage these new technologies at site. At the end of the day, we become an extension of an IT team, literally.
My curiosity is piqued though as to where onsite services is heading, specifically around end user computing. What other technologies will be introduced to the workplace that will lean on the help of a global provider to help support it and the users associated?
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