What are the different types of IT? / How to Choose Your Information Technology Services

Are you planning to hire an IT team for your business , but are not sure where to start? This is a common problem. Business owners are often more focused on products/ services and how to increase their customer base, but knowing today’s IT services and job categories helps you hire IT staff more intelligently for additional savings. The right teams even help you hit those financial goals while maintaining your IT budget.

In this article, we cover the basics of how IT teams work today. You will learn the types of services offered and common staffing categories within IT. As a bonus, you’ll also learn how to staff for a broader range of IT needs without breaking your IT budget.  

6 Types of Technology Services

Information Technology (IT) is all the technology you use in your business. It ranges from computers to internet and network servers. One job of an information technology department (IT department) is to keep it all running properly.

Their work spans a wide range of services: 

1. Hardware Services

Hardware systems are  technology items such as computers, laptops, mobile devices, printers, and servers. Software and network systems require reliable hardware to work. An IT company offering hardware services sets up hardware assets, ensures they are protected, and maintains hardware effectiveness to minimize hardware loss, saving you money.  

2. Software Services

Software services are the setup, configuration,and continued maintenance that allow your programs to operate your hardware systems. Examples of software include popular programs, such as Microsoft Word, accounting software, such as Quickbooks, internet browsers, and complex software programs offering data analysis,  photo, video, and graphics work capability.

Software Asset Management (SAM) involves researching relevant software, implementation of software into your hardware, and maintenance of software to ensure it stays up to date and compliant with any user agreements. In this role, an IT company regularly upgrades software for maximum performance and filters out older systems and licenses to reduce costs.

3. Network Infrastructure Services

A network is two or more computers that share resources. Network systems connect your employees to shared data and functionality and also to each other. The network can be an in-house network system or an offsite cloud-based network accessed online.  

Network infrastructure services are broken into internal and external network services. Internal network service is connecting internal devices, such as computer-to-computer connections and connecting computers to printers, scanners, and other hardware.  

External networks are networks that are accessible to users beyond your organization. A common example is the internet.

A large part of the job of any network infrastructure is ensuring the data, hardware, and software systems are protected against online and internal threats.

4. Mobile Device Management Services

Mobile devices are smartphones and tablets that aid employees in their business tasks. More workforces are improving their responsiveness by using remote employees with mobile devices. This often requires access to external business data systems and this service ensures employee devices access the needed data while also complying with company privacy rules and data protection requirements.

5. Cloud Services

The cloud is an internet-accessible storage location for data. It offers nearly endless data capability for internal and remote teams and offers the option of charging you only for the data you use. These benefits have boosted participation in cloud computing and made IT cloud services a popular tool for improved business performance.

Since confidential data is moved and analyzed on cloud servers, your data needs to be easily accessible and stay secure within a provider’s cloud software. IT comap set up and manage your cloud infrastructure, and their work with cloud providers helps minimize threats to your cloud assets. 

6. Cyber Security Services

Whether it’s your hardware, software, network, cloud, or mobile devices, a cyber security team ensures all technology follows company data safety protocols and has protections in place to prevent outside and inside threats. This work is often quite involved and integral for ensuring data stays in the right hands while safeguarding important customer and client data. 

Types of Jobs in Information Technology (IT)

Information technology jobs can be broken into different categories, each with unique technological skills requirements. The type of skills can be quite involved and require advanced education. IT professionals often focus on individual categories and utilize other team members in their organization that have experience in areas they don’t cover.  

Some of the most common IT categories include: 

1. Technical Support

This role in an organization troubleshoots issues on a user level, such as an employee’s hardware, software, and network connectivity. Examples include:  

• Help desk technicians: customer support over the phone or online
• Operations analysts: data management, client reporting, and problem resolution
• Problem Managers: IT managers focused on minimizing incident impacts

These team members have strong communication skills, providing assistance to technology customers and communicating with systems providers. They are the first point of contact for your employees regarding  user experience issues and regularly offer advice to users while relaying user feedback to relevant departments to improve processes. 

2. IT Security

This category protects your data from internal and external threats, keeping your internal systems or  cloud systems secure. These team members regularly monitor your network for threats and implement software and enforce company policies through technology  to further reduce threats. This can involve training your staff on security best practices to avoid accidental exposure. 

3. Programmers

Programming is a large category with many positions and unique skill requirements, but these individuals are generally experts in software development. They are the brains behind software functions, writing and testing the code that lies behind the scenes. Their work also helps create customized program software applications and specific software systems that meet your unique needs, such as custom content organization and more streamlined interfaces for improved business performance.

4. Web Developers

These individuals build websites. They can construct websites from scratch and manage the infrastructures that lie underneath to ensure they stay visible and functional online. 

This is as much a creative job as a technical one, requiring a blend of technical and design skills for an engaging and easy-to-use site that solves customers’ needs.

5. Computer Systems Analyst

 A computer systems analyst recommends the right internal and external systems to ensure all hardware, software, and networks work together smoothly and cost-effectively. This work involves complicated operating systems and database management systems. These individuals can even customize these systems using the industry’s best technology practices to achieve seamless coordination.

6. Network Engineers

These individuals do the setup, maintenance, and upgrades for network systems, whether they are  local networks, or on the cloud. Often this position entails strong data security knowledge and disaster recovery. This work often requires a computer science degree.

Partial or Full IT Assistance for Businesses

With the information listed above, you can pick and choose the IT team members you need most. You can hire full staff or supplement services using an outside IT support provider. Doing this can save you significant overhead.

Managed service providers offer IT support in each type and category of IT services and come with direct experience in a wide range of businesses. You gain superior service when you need it and not when you don’t, saving you a significant expense compared to hiring multiple  full time employees. You also have the option of a flat monthly fee without restriction. You have the comfort of knowing you can reach out for issues ranging from basic technology problems to full systems project planning and implementation without the need to staff your IT department fully.

As a managed service provider, Spot Migration offers expert managed services for the full range of IT tasks at a size and cost to fit your budget. Plus, our flat monthly fee means you won’t have to worry about hidden service costs. You can freely reach out for even the simplest questions or tasks, keeping you focused on company growth.

To learn more about our range of services, contact us here.