For an industry that relies heavily on precision, our use of technical terminology can be surprisingly vague. Terms such as IT Consulting, IT Services, and IT Support, although they appear to be self-explanatory, can be rather difficult to define clearly without any ambiguity.
However, in a business contract, there is no room for ambiguity and uncertainty. Cutting through the vagueness and clearly defining the services and capabilities will help bring clarity and set realistic expectations, both of which are important for establishing sustainable and long-lasting business relationships.
In the following sections of this blog post, we try to cut through the ambiguity and bring clarity to these commonly used IT industry terms. So, let’s begin…
In this post, we will cover the following topics:
1. What Is IT Consulting?
IT consulting is the process of advising businesses on how to effectively use technology to meet their goals and objectives. An IT consulting service helps companies adopt new technologies and strategies as well as helps align technology with their business goals.
An IT consultant has expertise in the use of information technology in a business environment and can effectively guide clients on everything from overall IT strategy, industry best practices, and security within the context of the client’s IT systems, business goals, and industry standards. IT consulting can equally benefit companies that are not familiar with tech solutions as well as those that are tech-savvy but need a third-party perspective.
However, IT consulting is more than simply giving advice. It consists of preparing the client to successfully navigate the real-world issues encountered during the implementation and system operations, thus assisting them to reach their technology and business goals. Therefore, IT consulting can be seen as helping customers build and execute an effective IT strategy, identifying inefficiencies related to their IT systems, and helping provide solutions to improve efficiency and productivity.
You can hire IT consultants for a variety of reasons including small projects such as conducting IT security risk assessments to digital transformation to evaluating migration to the cloud. Whatever may be the size or complexity of your project, an IT consultant will be able to help pave the path toward the successful completion of that project.
An IT consultant is a domain expert who knows the solutions, features, and systems that a business needs. But they don’t usually know how to implement them. So, how do you implement those solutions? Let’s find out...
2. What Is IT Services?
IT services is defined as the application of technical expertise in a business environment to enable organizations to create, manage, and optimize information systems and business processes.
IT services can therefore be seen as a business function that implements, monitors, and manages the technologies necessary to accomplish the organization’s business goals and objectives. IT services can be offered in-house or outsourced.
When outsourced, they are often referred to as Managed IT Services. Outsourcing IT services is a cost-effective strategy that helps businesses stay lean and agile. Because of this and many other benefits of hiring a Managed IT Services, it is popular among small and medium-sized businesses.
So how is IT service different from IT consulting?
3. Difference Between IT Services And IT Consulting
The best way to differentiate IT Services from IT Consulting is by looking at their deliverables. In most cases, the end product delivered by an IT consulting firm is intangible, such as a strategy. However, the deliverable of an IT service is tangible, such as an actual product or service.
For example, an IT consultant will assess your business model, ascertain the technology solutions required to meet your business needs, and make appropriate recommendations such as digital transformation, migration to the cloud, or something simple such as the adoption of a software application.
The IT services, on the other hand, will realize the recommendations of the IT consultant. They are responsible for procurement, installation, configuration, customization, and maintenance of the recommended technology or business process. The IT consultants require the help of IT services to turn their ideas into actions. Therefore, the role of the IT consultant is that of a strategic guide while that of the IT service is that of an implementer.
So, what is IT Support? Let’s find out…
4. What Is IT Support?
IT support is defined as technical help or knowledge sharing provided when you face any issue with your information systems or devices. It is commonly viewed as a “break-fix” model of technology support; when something doesn’t work, you notify your IT support staff and they fix the problem. Therefore, it has become synonymous with “help desk”. IT support is a reactive service as opposed to proactive IT services.
Nevertheless, it is still very much relevant, especially for businesses that don’t rely heavily on technology and their support requirements are limited or less technical. No business can function without IT support because technology is rather fallible. Any piece of technology or software that you use will require some level of support. In fact, apart from the occasional consulting and services required for projects such as network equipment upgrades, VOIP rollout, email server migration, etc. most small and medium-sized businesses only require IT support on a day-to-day basis.
In spite of that, IT support is often a neglected area for most businesses. The task of troubleshooting and helping others with IT needs often falls on the most tech-savvy individuals within the organization. Solving other people’s IT issues leaves these high-caliber individuals exhausted and often unable to do the job that they were hired to do in the first place. This can have far-reaching effects on employee well-being, productivity, and the overall profitability of the business.
Lack of proper IT support can cost your business $6,876 per employee per year. This is a large enough figure to be a major concern for any organization let alone a small business. IT support is instrumental in keeping your technology and consequently your business running smoothly by enabling your employees to function with little to no downtime.
Conclusion
In common usage, the terms IT Consulting, IT Services, and IT Support are rather loosely defined and used interchangeably. As such, there are no definite boundaries that separate them. It is often the case that IT firms offer each of the above services.
However, the services and more importantly the consulting capabilities of an IT company are often limited by their toolkit. For example, an IT consulting firm that only has expertise in Microsoft 365 will recommend it even though Google Workspace may be more suitable for you. Therefore, before hiring an IT Services or Support provider, it is prudent to learn about their capabilities.
Are you looking for a one-stop-shop IT solutions provider? Click the button below to reach out to us to know how we can fulfill your IT Consulting, IT Services, and IT Support needs.
If you liked the blog, please share it with your friends
About The Author
Hari SubediMarketing Manager at Jones IT
Hari is an online marketing professional with a focus on content marketing. He writes on topics related to IT, Security, Small Business, and Mindfulness. He is also the founder and managing director of Girivar Kft., a business services company located in Budapest, Hungary.