Role of Big Data in enhancing Remote IT support

The DigitalListMag says, "Data Is King, Software Is Queen, Partnerships Are Gold" and in this quest to become the 'King', companies have significantly upped their data acquisition game in the last decade. From customer viewing habits to purchasing patterns or business performance, businesses are accumulating data from various sources to harness them into actionable insights, either through in-house machine learning applications or cloud-based tools. As a matter of fact, there are very few companies in the world that don't rely on business intelligence capabilities at any level. Almost every decision that is made is expected to be backed by data or at the very least, influenced by it.

However, at times it seems like this quest for data has crossed the bounds of morality, exploiting customer privacy at different levels. For example, the infamous Facebook-Cambridge Analytical scandal. Conspiracy theorists have gone out on a limb even to state that everything that we do online is being tracked, monitored and stored online via the devices we use or the apps we download. Taking these concerns into notice, the European Union has drafted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the US is also levying heavy sanctions on its data privacy policy violators.

The irony in all this is that the remote IT support that could benefit massively from big-data is heavily under-utilizing it. I state it as irony because data organization, security and compliance have always been at the core of IT functioning. Big data enhances remote IT support in ways more than one and only recently have companies actually started utilizing it.

Big data improves IT support in the following ways:

1. Minimizing unnecessary resource utilization: 

Advancement in technology has forced IT teams to stretch their resources to the point of exhaustion. With new operating systems, and software versions popping up every day, even the most well equipped IT teams are getting significant headaches. The problem is so severe that most enterprises look to outsource technical support services.

Power of big data comes to fore in solving this problem as it can help IT teams keep a track of these changes in a structured and pedagogical manner.

     2. Detecting security breaches.: 

   User errors, misconfigured systems and missing patches are the prime cause of security breaches. Big data comes in handy while verifying if endpoints are compliant with IT policies, which can help curb such vulnerabilities and keep their sprawling networks under control.

     3.Troubleshooting and reducing resolution time: 

   

    Data can be utilized to create a holistic schema of endpoints on a network, helping the helpdesk redressal processes to become more efficient and effective. Such a high level of insight into the network allows technicians to diagnose the root cause of a problem easily instead of pondering on recurring issues.

     4. Enhancing End-user Experience: 

    Perhaps the most prominent manner in which big data enhances remote IT support is by helping IT technicians improve the end-user experience. With an in-depth repository of information on devices and systems, technicians no longer need to take control of an end user's computer to assess a problem; instead, they could work behind-the-scenes without interrupting the work. Thus IT could redress system problems without the user ever knowing it existed. For example, a team collecting network data may notice that few devices need to be updated, which can be done remotely.

     5. Increasing personalization without relinquishing control: 

    

  IT teams have always been sceptic regarding new models of provisioning for employees, such as BYOD (bring your own device), CYOD (choose your own device) and COPE (corporate-owned, personally enabled). But with the help of big data, IT teams can bifurcate end users in accordance with their role or job function, and also sanction various provisioning models without compromising with control. Also, with constant feedback, they can keep a deal with any form of abuse, unwanted activities and any changes in the configuration of a system.

Conclusion: To sum it up, the entire organization and not only the IT department reaps rewards of data-driven remote support. It enables the IT department to provide enhanced end-user experience and effective modes of delivery. And on top of all this, it helps them offer more flexibility to users without hampering system security. Hence in today's day and age, data-driven remote support can provide a significant boost to a company's performance.