5 tips for building an efficient NOC and help desk

Your network operations center (NOC) and help desk services are the foundation of your business. A NOC serves as the central nervous system to the help desk services, providing connectivity, security, redundancy, and remote administration tools to help you manage and monitor your clients’ IT systems.

In the age of cloud, do you still need a NOC?

With so many new technology opportunities—it can be easy for MSPs to overlook the importance of running an excellent NOC. But if anything, cloud computing only makes your NOC and help desk services more important. The cloud enables you to manage servers for clients anywhere, and performing work online can help make your business more competitive by reducing physical labor costs.

Why are NOCs and monitoring important?

A NOC monitors computer hardware, software, and networks. To avoid disruptions in service, NOC personnel use tools, processes, and procedures to monitor for conditions that require attention. Automation and monitoring tools can help you deliver more proactive service to clients. The NOC can also react when it detects a service disruption, carrying out steps to restore service or escalate issues to the right personnel.

A NOC is important because it:

• Helps your team provide more proactive service and monitoring
• Minimizes downtime to customer systems
• Results in increased service margins by reducing labor expenses through automation

Five tips for building an efficient NOC & help desk

1. Be proactive – Get in front of problems by proactively monitoring and knowing when something will happen before it does. Take action to prevent issues.

2. Everything is a ticket – All incidents must be a ticket to properly capture all work performed, regardless of length, nature, or severity of the request.

3. Don’t reinvent the wheel – Use your knowledge base to solve problems. Don’t waste time trying to solve a problem for which there’s already a solutions.

4. Document, document, document – You are only as good as your documentation. A successful NOC knows everything about the technology it monitors and manages.

5. Automation is your friend – Save time and reduce costs through automation. You’ll improve engineer satisfaction by automating tasks, alerts, and events through scripting, configuration, and ticketing engines.

The NOC separates a mature MSP from the rest. It provides greater levels of accountability and assurance because it is easier to track work performed. With an efficient, well-run NOC, you will have the ability to deliver exceptional customer service and meet service level agreements (SLAs).

Receive tips for operating an efficient, automated Help Desk in our eBook, Help Desk Management: 5 Tips to Increase the Efficiency of Your Service Team.