If you have come stumbled across this article, you are likely trying to figure out what is Level 4 IT support? This top-level IT assistance comprises essential skills that every company needs to possess in 2023 and beyond to remain safe and competitive.
Whether you are looking for ways to increase the IT knowledge available to your company, or if you are one of the 94% of companies that experience a lack of technical talent in the UK, Level 4 IT support could be the solution that your business needs.
At Creative Networks, we are experts in all levels of IT support and offer a complete service that helps companies operate professionally and efficiently. If you want to know exactly what is meant by Level 4 support and if it is something your business needs, keep on reading.
What is Level 4 IT Support?
Level 4 IT support is given to any technical IT tasks that are outsourced to a third-party company, otherwise known as a Managed Service Provider.
Even though IT teams possess an expert level of knowledge, certain tasks fall outside of their skill set, which is where Level 4 providers come into play. This covers any needs spanning across both software and hardware. Hiring IT managers that possess every skill that is required to manage an entire IT infrastructure is costly and only sometimes possible. With Level 4 support, a company can have peace of mind that issues such as cyber security breaches and server maintenance are being managed at all times.
The elements that Level 4 support covers relate to items not supported by the existing IT network and could include tasks such as hardware maintenance, software support, outsourced website management, and wider aspects related to vulnerability management.
Whilst the scope of Level 4 IT support can differ between clients, the core function of providing support for problems that are not supported by an organisation remains.
What Services Do Managed Service Provdiders (Msp’s) Provide?
You have a couple of options for bringing in Level 4 IT support. You can either outsource to multiple specialists who cover the area that you lack skills in or bring in one top-level service provider who can provide all the skills under one contract.
The global managed service provider market is set to be worth more than $393.72 billion by 2028. This is largely down to the digital transformation many companies are undertaking and the resulting issues arising from said actions.
Managed service providers can take control of IT networks, including software applications, security, ISO compliance, and general IT support. The service can offer something unique for each business, with tailorable packages being available to support weaknesses within an existing IT network. As Level 4 issues are usually highlighted because of already having passed through other stages of IT support, by the time problems reach this level, the scope should have been established, which makes it quicker and easier to resolve.
The benefits of choosing an MSP to manage your Level 4 IT support needs are the following:
- IT agencies will already have access to the entire IT skill set that could be required because of a Level 4 issue. This means issues can be resolved quickly and that sensitive data does not need to be shared with additional agencies, elancing data security for the entire business.
- Having a professional Level 4 solution in place supports in-house IT teams. This provides support for experts, making their jobs easier and less stressful.
- MSPs are also often on hand 24/7, meaning delays never have to be considered in your risk management planning.
- Should any other tasks need to be outsourced by the MSP, they can manage for their client, meaning that time is not spent on place experts to resolve an issue. MSP’s often have their own network of associated experts which can be called upon when additional help is required.
- As well as risk planning, critical business aspects such as security compliance, cyber security, disaster recovery, and server securitycan all be managed by one agency. This means the companies don’t have to undertake the traditional route of bringing in multiple agencies. As well as improving security and efficiency, this contributes to the experience that the entire business has with an IT team. If all levels of support have a good working relationship and clean practices, everyone will stand to benefit.
What are the other tiers of IT support?
Level One: Level 1 IT support is the first level of support for companies. This covers troubleshooting issues such as software access, hardware usage, cyber security defences, customer support, collating data, setting up accounts, providing support for wider teams, and many other forms of operations that keep a business running on a daily basis.
Level 1 support will not commonly work with Level 3 as it is the role of the connecting professionals to pass information across of resolved the issues at play.
Find out more about Level 1 IT Support by clicking here.
Level Two: Level 2 IT support is the middle level of escalation for IT issues. The main tasks are often for Level 2 technicians to solve any major technical issues that could not be fixed by level 1 support. This could include anything from a software access requirement to cyber security risks that need specialist escalation measures.
Level 2 professionals often have some skills that lend them to working directly with the top-level of support, but still require to pass issues across when they are not able to resolve.
Find out more about Level 2 IT Support by clicking here.
Level Three: The most senior level of IT support an organisation can have is Level 3, which relates to the top-level activities needed to keep a company operating safely. This can cover anything from security compliance to whole company cloud performance, offering a unique form for every type of business.
This level, like the others, is largely automated but does rely on specialised support from the most senior or IT personnel to keep things operating successfully.
Find out more about Level 3 IT Support by clicking here.
What Are the Benefits of Having Level 4 IT Support?
- Faster response times to issues that in-house talent cannot resolve.
- High chance of success in terms of resolving problems.
- Improvements to spending on IT issues.
- Companies can bring in additional IT talent without having to commit to full time staff if they choose to outsource their Level 3 support.
- Efficiency is strengthened during each level of IT support as the professionals can focus on their own areas of expertise and not have to worry about being taken away to work through other issues.
- Smaller companies can benefit from a more professional IT network even if budgets are still small.
- Cyber security is strengthened and can be managed more closely to further mitigate associated business risks.
How Can Creative Networks Help with Level 4 IT Support?
As an IT agency with more than 15 years of experience, we can proudly offer Level 4 support to companies from all sectors. Our services span the entire plethora of software operations to ensure that our clients are never exposed to any risks or left with gaps in their IT infrastructures.
Cyber security is commonly a task that is outsourced at this level, with the other tiers of IT support working directly with the additional talent to create safe operations for everyone. Our services include security compliance support, security risk assessments, and user awareness training. Alongside this, we also have experts specialising in top-level security tasks such as disaster recovery and backup systems.
Many companies also outsource their Telecoms management as they don’t have the capacity to manage this in-house. Our services let you combine this task with your other levels of IT support, offering cost-saving benefits.
Our cloud and IT support services are also popular as many businesses don’t have the talent in-house to specialise in these. Instead of paying for costly experts that just focus on one of the various sub-components, we cover everything within your plan with us.
When working with an MSP, such as us, you don’t have to think about finding talent to expedite issues that could not be resolved by the other tiers of IT support. Instead, you can have one agency that acts as a partner to your teams. Whether you have a hardware or software issue, our service offering covers it all.
Check out our case studies to see the examples for yourself!
Do You Now Understood What Is Covered by Level 4 IT Support?
Keeping operations within a business is not always possible with it comes to IT management. Level 4 support reflects the very real need for companies to outsource tasks in order to keep operations running smoothly.
Whether you have a hardware issue or a complex software task, it is all managed underneath this umbrella term. Defined as a way to ensure risks are mitigated, Level 4 support keeps your business safe and teams efficient at all times.
