Benefits of Managed Voice Services

Your telephone services are profitable for your business. Orders are placed, sales are made, and contracts are entered into when using telephones and other telecommunication methods. If your phone system isn't updated and managed properly, your customers may be unhappy and take their business elsewhere.

Managing voice services for your business has many advantages. Managed voice services use the Internet, hardware and hosted PBX so that the entire system is monitored and controlled by the provider of your choice. Using this type of service can make your business more efficient and let you know where to go in case of problems.

Here are some of the major benefits of using managed voice service:

Make your phone system scalable - As your business grows, your voice services system too. Creating new phone lines can be difficult if the system is running on-site. However, when using a managed voice service, updating to add multiple lines or features is much simpler and more immediate. With most plans, you can make these changes immediately without waiting.

It's cheaper- on-site PBX and other hardware components cost money for both operation and maintenance. However, once this system is cloud-based, this equipment will not reside in the company, which will save you money that you would have spent on maintaining or operating the system alone. This money can be used to update the system when it becomes obsolete or it can be used to finance projects in other departments.

This reduces the burden on IT staff- IT normally takes care of all the technical aspects of your office, including the telephone systems you have installed. However, if you let a service provider take control of your system, not only will you have 24-hour support, but IT staff will have more time to focus on other important activities that may require immediate attention. In addition, they will be able to monitor the system for any problems, while providing updates without you having to remember.

Customer service is top notch- since a professional the service provider manages the system, it is able to detect or monitor any system failures, which means that you will benefit from continuous service. In the event of a serious problem, most professional companies will continue to operate by redirecting calls, so that your company is not affected.

Telephone systems are essential and require careful care to stay in shape. Using a managed voice service can help you get everything going smoothly while reducing the burden on you and your employees.

NOC Technician Jobs: Salary and Career Facts

Find out what it takes to become a NOC Technician. Find out about education and certification requirements, activities and salary information to find out if this is the career for you. Schools offering diplomas on the net can also be found in these popular choices.

What is a NOC Technician?

Network Operations Center (NOC) technicians help computer users to troubleshoot problems with the operation of a computer network. These technicians ensure that IT operators on a given network can do their job with the least amount of problems and can be very practical in customer service and technical support. Their work may also involve training new users in case of software installation or system updates.

What will I do as a NOC Technician?

Your job as a NOC technician is to provide assistance to computer users within a specific network. You can solve problems, provide solutions, and help users understand the system. By working with engineers and other network professionals, you also solve network problems and make sure the network is working properly.

Additional tasks may include answering support calls or email and helping computer users identify their problems. You can also test and collect data to identify the problem. As you work to find a solution, record what you do and document problems.

Your work may also include assisting users when a new system is installed. In this situation, you help users learn how to use the new system, answer user questions and monitor the system for problems. You can also do routine checks to make sure everything is working properly.

How do I prepare for this job?

Formal education is not always required by employers, but you may want to consider completing a computer science curriculum or related computer field to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. Experience and knowledge may be more important than training for employers, according to several Monster.com job openings in March 2015.

Employers may wish that you have a few years of experience working with computers, networks, and troubleshooting. You can also demonstrate your knowledge through certification. Certification is available from various software vendors and can usually be obtained by passing a knowledge or skill test.

For example, Cisco offers a joint certification for NOC Jobs. Cisco offers several levels of certification, including associated level certification options for those who are just entering the field (www.cisco.com). Cisco options include Cisco Certified Networking Technician (CCENT) and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). These certifications allow you to show your skills in network security, troubleshooting, installation, and network operations.

What can I earn?

The 10th to 90th percentiles of NOC technicians made between $ 36,000 and $ 70,000 in November 2019. Hourly rates reported by PayScale.com ranged from $ 14 to $ 29.

NOC Technician

Network Operations Center (NOC) technicians supervise complex network components and are responsible for managing the network. They perform troubleshooting on a daily basis. The work of a NOC technician involves maintaining the network, servers, and telecommunication equipment within an organization.

To be precise, an NOC is a central location from which IT support technicians administer, monitor, repair and maintain customer networks. NOCs use software to facilitate network management.

Also known as network management centers, NOCs are set up by organizations to evaluate problems, solve problems and interact with technicians in the field and carefully observe problems until they are resolved.

The network and servers form the basic building block of an IT infrastructure. Companies hire NOC technicians to create a centralized location with both servers and network elements, which they host in one place to simplify security and maintenance.

NOC technicians also check processor performance and network performance. NOC technicians may have to schedule flexible schedules in case of need.

Technicians distribute, manage and resolve IP switching, remote access protocols, routing, and firewalls. It is the job of specialists to maintain reports on bandwidth usage, server usage, availability, and other crucial elements.

Specialists must possess exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills. They must have excellent communication skills (verbal and written).

NOC technician Job Description

NOC technicians are responsible for carrying out surveillance operations, server maintenance, network and telecommunication equipment in data centers and other organizations. They monitor the data center infrastructure, servers and computer networks to detect problems from a central location.

When a system encounters a problem, NOC technicians must resolve the problems by ordering them and making them work properly. Depending on the level of complexity, organizations hire them at different levels so that technicians complete their respective tasks on time. NOC operations should be able to provide excellent customer service by solving problems quickly.

Specialists continue to learn and continuously update the internal knowledge base with new support solutions. They comply with an organization's guidelines, policies and conventional processes.

Technicians should monitor violations of the Service Level Agreements (SLA). They update customers, suppliers or third party suppliers on the progress of events.

Specialists should regularly inspect support systems, including air conditioning and UPS systems. They use the command-line interface (CLI) and TCP / IP protocols to confirm, discover and evaluate problems.

NOC technicians assist team members and customers by applying their technical knowledge of operations and systems via servers, PCs, telephones, and email.

In addition to the above responsibilities, they also, perform the following functions:

Diagnose problems

In the event of a system malfunction, they identify the problem and resolve it. This could force them to coordinate with IT teams and customers.

Disclose incidents

After an accident, the way to fix it is in the hands of a NOC technician. If the problem can be solved, escalation of the problem to senior officials or managers is not necessary. It is only when the problem is complex that they intensify it to their superiors.

Solve all the problems

They should document all recognized problems in a structured format, as this will be useful in the future in the face of a similar situation.

Monitoring systems: continuously monitor systems using various tools. They are very careful and can therefore quickly recognize warning signs.

perspective

Job opportunities for network and IT system administrators are expected to increase by 6% over the 2016-2026 period, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Demand is expected to continue to grow as organizations acquire emerging mobile technologies and networks.

Academic qualifications and other requirements

Applicants must have at least a degree, if not a degree, in computer science, computer science or any other related discipline.

If they have certifications, such as CompTIA's Network + or Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), will help them advance their career.

NOC Analyst must be able to work calmly in difficult situations. This will be useful if they know about computer security.

Network monitoring technicians must be familiar with network protocols, have experience with scripts in Python, Bash, and Perl and must have worked in a cloud infrastructure.

They should be familiar with the operation of network equipment, such as switches, routers, and firewalls, among others.

Applicants may have to undergo a basic investigation and pass a security clearance in some cases.

Why Do Business Opt for Managed Services?

 Outsourced? Outsourcing is one of the most important methods for success in a company of any size. Knowing when to delegate your work to someone who is a real expert could put you ahead of the competition.

The size of the global market for outsourced services has grown considerably in recent years. More and more business owners are realizing the benefits of using Managed NOC Services rather than hiring an internal team.

If you're still wondering if you should outsource, the answer is probably "yes". This article can help you make the right decision while answering some of your questions about managed services.

1. Profitability

Profitability is the main reason for outsourcing cited by 57% of the entrepreneurs surveyed. By opting for expert-managed services, you can save money by hiring a variety of specialists. An internal team may seem like an excellent choice for some projects, but the costs are high.

If you need experts for a single project or on an "on-demand" basis, the payment of monthly salaries is ineffective. In the meantime, a contract with managed services is much less expensive. You can choose different payment plans according to your needs.

2. Ability to focus on important points

Very often, small business employees have many responsibilities. This is often the case with IT problems. Since many people have at least some knowledge of computers, antivirus and software updates, business owners are looking to save money by hiring IT professionals.

As a result, workers whose primary responsibilities have nothing to do with the IT business end up focusing on something they know little about. Therefore, they fail to meet essential responsibilities in a timely manner.

Experts from precise, a Toronto-based IT company, say they often have to solve many problems caused by non-experts trying to replace an IT team.

Outsourcing services can help your employees focus on what they do best.

3. Capacity problems

Small business owners often try to save on rent by choosing to work in small offices. These facilities cannot accommodate large teams. Sometimes it is cheaper to outsource some of your responsibilities to other companies than to rent an office that can accommodate additional specialists.

Outsourcing can keep a small business afloat by reducing rental costs.

4. Better quality of service

Many companies need high-quality advice, advice, and support for some of their projects. If you feel that your internal team does not have the skills to do the above, the quality of your services may be affected.

By opting for managed NOC Services, you can get the necessary advice and improve the quality of your products. Since customer satisfaction is the key to the company's success, it is essential to do everything possible to achieve this goal, even if it means admitting that your employees lack certain skills and choosing to delegate some of their responsibilities.

Even if you have leading experts on your staff, they may not always have enough time to carry out important projects. Some of their responsibilities can be delegated to a managed service provider.

5. Business growth

When your business grows, you need new experts and more employees. Finding the right professionals to join your team can be difficult and time-consuming. Meanwhile, waiting for the person to appear can mean delaying development efforts and damaging the quality of the service.

By opting for managed services, you can benefit from enough experts to run your business while looking for new team members.

6. 24-hour service

Companies that offer managed services, such as IT, often have 24-hour support options. Although it is necessary to pay high employee rates during off-peak hours, the rate is much lower if you choose managed services.

You can rest easy knowing that real experts are monitoring the work process 24/7. In the meantime, your budget is not affected.

Managed service providers help save considerable time

Building The Case For SOC/NOC Integration

SOC / NOC integration improves efficiency and effectiveness

What is SOC? (Security Operations Center) and What is a NOC? (Network Operations Center) both perform essential functions in the network. And while each performs a different function, there are significant overlaps that can be leveraged to create more efficiency and effectiveness in one's organization.

SOC staff must assess and respond quickly to security events to resolve cybersecurity problems before they can adversely impact the business, while NOC staff are responsible for ensuring that the network maximizes availability and ensuring that bandwidth and demand can be handled correctly.

Your SOC and your NOC have a demanding job that they have to manage constantly, but their goals are different. When your network has both types of operations centers, can they operate together? Are there layoffs that can be eliminated?

Maximize concentration: identify and eliminate SOC / NOC layoffs

Redundancy is excellent when it comes to the number of network devices, servers and data storage devices available. Additional infrastructure is required to continue responding to network requests in the event of a component failure or to adequately manage periods of high network demand.

But when it comes to SOC and NOC repetitive tasks and functions, redundancy can be ineffective and expensive for your organization. What if you integrate your SOC and your NOC? Are there any benefits?

Suppose a network anomaly is detected. A device stops working, for example. Someone who thinks like a SOC analyst will wonder if the device has been hacked. A person who thinks like a NOC analyst will wonder if the device has failed for a reason unrelated to cybersecurity. If SOC finds no evidence of a cyberattack, continue. If the device is not working properly due to a cyberattack, the NOC may not be equipped to recognize it.

In this case - and a multitude of others that occur daily in SOCs and NOCs around the world - it would be much more effective for SOC and NOC to join forces rather than duplicate their efforts. Separately, security operations and network operations can be plagued by problems with one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing. Together, a company can significantly save on labor costs by combining centers and improving its overall efficiency.

Bring your NOC and SOC together

The NOCs and SOCs have intervention and intervention teams, call centers and surveillance. Both centers work hard to ensure the integrity and availability of IT resources and can work well together, but few companies really integrate these functions.

Of course, the way you bring the two teams together determines your level of success.

A properly integrated SOC / NOC, otherwise known as the Integrated Operations Center (IOC), converges at three different levels:

• Organizational level: includes cross-correlation, identification of models from shared NOC / SOC monitoring tools, ordering, and collaboration.
• System-level: includes standard operating procedures, process integration and service level agreements (SLA).
• Activity level: implies the shared use of a common information an aggregator that collects all relevant network monitoring data and logs and distributes them through integrated tools and dashboards.

The potential to improve incident response and overall network efficiency should already be evident. Let's see what this means for the different levels of NOC and SOC.

Maximum integration can be done on the first level. This level has similar functions in SOCs and NOCs: alert monitoring, ordering of alerts and monitoring of the integrity of the network and safety sensors.

Understanding The Different Levels of Help Desk Support

Is there anything strange in your neighborhood? What if there is something strange and it doesn't seem right? What is Help Desk Support? Do you see things that go through your mind? An invisible man sleeping in your bed? Who will you call? ... And if you need to reset your password, the printer won't work, you can't update Adobe Reader, you can't access the network or your computer freezes? Who will you call? Ghost hunters?! No! Thanks, Ray Parker, but no, you're going to call the help desk.

As you may already know and hope you know, the Help Desk Part Time is an essential part of customer service. These are the superheroes who solve your customers' problems who are probably extremely frustrated. Resolving customer problems as quickly as possible significantly increases customer satisfaction, which in turn has a positive impact on future sales. In other words, having an excellent help desk has an impact on your company's life. Generally accessible through a free phone number, technical support now uses the web to support customers via chat tools and social networks.

Usually, companies start using a single-level customer support system: a single point of contact to manage questions or solve problems. However, when a company grows, it tends to need more than a single-level model. This means that they are moving to a multi-level support system.

For example, if you sell project management software to companies, you can receive questions such as: I forgot my username and password, what should I do? Or, how can I handle a bug that prevents me from keeping track of time on an iPad? In the latter case, you need experts to solve this problem. In the first case, a less complex query on user names and passwords would not require a programmer. If the appropriate levels are configured in technical support, this allows you to allocate support resources to meet customer needs.

Level-1 Support

This is the basic level of customer support. The customer representative is a generalist with extensive product knowledge and may not understand the inner workings. In this case, they will identify a customer's needs and provide advice on how to handle a problem.

Typically, these solutions are available in a FAQ or knowledge base. Employees at this level use a knowledge base in most customer calls. Level 1 support generally provides 24-hour service and is outsourced. When a level 1 support employee is unable to resolve the problem, he classifies it and forwards it to the appropriate level 2 employee. At this point, the customer is issued with a problem tracking ticket.

Level-II Support

Level II assistance includes technical knowledge and is composed of technicians with problem solving skills beyond level 1 employees. Level II help desk employees are employed by the company concerned or subcontracted to a third party. Technicians usually have a specialization and will determine which specialization best suits the customer's needs before assisting him. If their technical specialization can help the customer, technology determines whether this problem is a new problem or an existing problem. At this stage it is possible to perform advanced diagnostic tools and data analysis.

If the problem persists, the level II specialist then looks for an alternative solution or solution in the database. The customer is then informed on how to solve his problem. However, in some cases there may not be a solution as it is an open bug. In this case, the level II desktop adds an entry to the list of bugs. So, depending on the number of cases where customers experience the same problem, the help desk can ask developers to fix the bug.

If a customer encounters a new problem, further analysis is needed to see if it can be treated. The help desk employee would then explain to the customer how to solve the problem. However, if technology cannot solve the problem at this level, the problem goes to level III. At this level, the problem is attributed to a developer of the company responsible for the product.

Level III Support

Level III requires a person with specialized skills in addition to the work done by level II technicians. This support is generally provided by specialists involved in product development. They deal with complex problems. To solve the problem, they will collect as much data as possible from level 1 and level 2 employees.

In my previous job as a Microsoft developer on the Windows OS team, I used to report the toughest operating system bugs to support staff around the world and crash dumps reported when an application stops working. Sometimes solving the problem involves a deeper analysis of the operating system. Resolving the problem may require a Windows update.

Level IV Support

This level exists only in the case of multiple suppliers. For example, if you are an application developer and the problem is in resolving the problem with the mobile operating system provided by another company, you are simply asking the other company for assistance.

What is the Difference Between an IT Service Desk and a Helpdesk or Call Center?

Companies often use the terms "call center", "Service Desk Help Desk" interchangeably, which can be confusing. ITIL treats call centers and helpdesks as limited types of services, offering only part of what a helpdesk offers. With ITIL taking a service-focused perspective and focusing on IT, it makes sense. For many companies, the ITIL definition does not correspond to operational practices, which makes the distinction much more complicated. Here are explanations of the helpdesk and contact center features to help you contrast with an IT service center.

Help Desk

A help desk is a resource intended to provide the customer or internal user with information and assistance relating to a company's processes, products, and services. The purpose of a help desk is to provide a centralized resource for answering questions, solving problems and facilitating solutions to known problems. Common examples of Small Business Help Desk services include: technical support centers, product/warranty support functions, charity offices and facility service centers. Helpdesk support can be provided through a variety of channels, including physical locations, toll-free numbers, websites, instant messaging and email.

Call center

A call center or contact center is a central point for managing contacts and customer interactions. office responsible for handling a large number of requests, usually over the phone (but may also include letters, faxes, social media, instant messages or email). Incoming call centers are often used for activities such as product support, customer service, order processing, and 24/7 telephone service. Outgoing call centers are used for activities such as telemarketing, debt collection, and market research. A company can have multiple call centers that support different parts of business operations (including IT) and can be managed internally or through a third-party agency.

As you can see, there are many overlaps between the definitions of helpdesks, call centers and IT departments. The distinction between them really focuses on the scope of what the function covers and how they are structured:

A helpdesk focuses on providing "help" and "fix" assistance. Helpdesks do not necessarily have to focus on IT and can be used to manage exceptions to normal operations that take place within the company. These can be physical locations that interact directly with in-person applicants or remote/virtual locations that use technologies such as telephone, email, chat and other technologies to facilitate virtual engagement.

Call centers are the largest in the area of ​​issues addressed, including technical and non-technical topics. Call centers do not interact personally with applicants and always involve a sort of intermediate technology to facilitate involvement.

IT support centers focus only on the care of IT services, but manage both responsive "help" services and routine tasks such as resource provisioning, access management, etc. IT service desks can be physical locations that users can visit in person or remote operations such as a call center. Those familiar with ITIL can say that the help desk is tactical while the help desk is strategic: this can vary from one organization to another.

What does IT help desk do?

The main role of an IT the service center is to act as the main contact point for monitoring / owning incidents, answering user requests/questions and providing communication the channel between other service management functions and the service community. users. In addition to these essential functions, the service center often plays an active role in acquiring change requests, managing third party support contracts, managing software licenses, and managing problems.

In some organizations, the service desk is integrated with other business processes such as:

• Employee integration
• Integration of the acquisition
• Management of data access
• Integration and disconnection of suppliers/partners
• Management of reports and metrics
• Business continuity management
• Infrastructure / services monitoring

Managed Service Provider

Managed services the provider (MSP) is a company that remotely manages a customer's IT infrastructure and/or systems for end-users, usually proactively and as part of a subscription model. Today, the terms "cloud service provider" and "Managed Service Provider Chicago" are sometimes used interchangeably when the provider's service is supported by a service level agreement (SLA) and is provided on the Internet.

The evolution of MSPs began in the 1990s with the emergence of application service providers (ASPs), which offered remote application hosting services. ASPs paved the way for cloud computing and businesses that would provide remote assistance for customers' IT infrastructure. Most MSPs initially focused on remote management and monitoring (RMM) of servers and networks. Over time, MSPs have expanded the scope of their services to differentiate themselves from other suppliers.

While some MSPs may specialize in specific segments of information technology such as data storage, others may focus on specific vertical markets, such as legal, financial, healthcare and manufacturing. Managed security service providers (MSSPs), for example, offer specialized services such as remote administration of the firewall and other security solutions such as offering services. Managed Print Service Providers (MPS) to take care of printer maintenance and supply of consumables.

Pricing model for managed service providers

In the price per device, MSP invoices the customer's fixed costs for each managed device. As part of the user price, MSP charges fixed fees for each user, adapting to users who use multiple devices. As part of an all-inclusive price, also called an unlimited model, MSP charges fixed fees for all the support and management of the IT infrastructure it intends to offer.

In each of these pricing approaches, the customer pays the flat rate on a regular, often monthly basis. These pricing methods allow MSPs to sell services as part of a subscription model. This approach provides MSP with a recurring revenue stream (MRR), unlike IT projects tend to be one-off transactions.

MRR is an aspect of the Managed Services Chicago job that differs from other business models in the space IT solution providers and channel partners. For example, solution providers that adopt the break/fix model typically evaluate their services based on time and materials (T&M), charging an hourly rate to repair a customer's IT equipment and charge for parts or replacement equipment.

Companies that implement IT projects, such as installing and integrating IT systems, can charge a fixed price for products and services. Either way, these solution providers generate one-off revenue from each project. An exception would be large projects with multiple stages and associated payments. However, in general, the business of a conventional solution provider is primarily transactional. By contrast, an MSP's recurring revenue streams potentially offer a more stable and predictable business base.

Service level agreements

An MSP often provides its service offering as part of a service level agreement, a contractual agreement between MSP and its client that defines the performance and quality measures that will govern the relationship.

An SLA can be linked to the pricing formula of an MSP. For example, an MSP may offer a range of SLAs to customers, with the customer paying higher fees for higher service levels in a multi-tiered pricing structure.

Challenges of managed service providers

Whatever the pricing model, one of the biggest challenges for MSP's business management is to set prices low enough to entice customers to purchase their services but high enough to maintain an adequate profit margin.

In addition to prices, MSPs pay particular attention to the operating costs and maintenance costs of skilled employees. Work is usually the biggest expense of an MSP. To control labor costs and improve efficiency, most MSPs use remote monitoring and management (RMM) software to keep an eye on customers' IT functions. RMM software allows MSPs to troubleshoot problems with servers and terminals remotely. With RMM, MSPs can simultaneously manage the IT systems of many customers. MSPs can also use automated scripts to manage normal system administration functions, such as troubleshooting hard disk problems, without human intervention.

Another challenge for MSPs are the widespread adoption of cloud computing. As more and more components of their customers' IT infrastructure migrate to the cloud, MSPs have had to find ways to manage hybrid cloud environments. MSPs are also looking to provide their own cloud services or resell the capabilities of other cloud providers, with backup and disaster recovery (DR) being a common access point.

Also, simply becoming an MSP can be difficult. The MRR perspective has drawn many companies from traditional solution providers, such as VARs, to the MSP business model. However, potential MSPs have struggled to establish themselves on the market. The MSP business line invites companies to adopt various performance measures, technology infrastructure components and sales compensation programs, to name a few challenges. As a result, many MSPs earn from sectors other than Managed IT Services Chicago, such as work on IT projects, business interruption / repair and on-site support. Pure Play MSPs are relatively rare in the IT services industry.

What are MSPs for?

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are typical clients of the PSM. Many small businesses have limited internal IT capabilities, so they can consider providing MSP services as a means of gaining IT skills. However, large companies can also sign contracts with MSP. For example, government agencies, faced with budgetary pressures and hiring restrictions, can enter into a contract with an MSP to integrate internal IT staff.