There are a lot of challenges when managing properties across a large geography. Managing IT support for those locations is one of them. As your company continues to grow and acquire more properties under management, your needs for IT support across multiple locations nationwide will likely grow as well. If you don’t have a plan this can lead to some growing pains. Here are some tips on how to better manage IT support for multifamily residential with locations nationwide.
Economics of IT Support
When we talk about IT strategy for supporting multiple sites a few things are top of mind. One is that it helps a lot if those locations are set up in a similar fashion. Its an important enough point we wrote a whole post just about that. Check it out here.
The ultra condensed version is that standardizing how your technology is set up across your offices will save you time and money. It will also make it easier to support those networks remotely.
Remote support is the biggest need for these sites once they have been set up to standards. 98% of all issues can be resolved remotely in 2024. Sending someone onsite takes longer and costs more money than remote support, so the goal for all offices is to set them up so they can be supported remotely as often as possible.
Remote Support
Since remote support is the most efficient way to deliver quick fixes in IT, that will probably be what your IT team tries first. Most issues can be solved quickly and easily via remote session. If you have internet, you can get support.
One step further. Your IT team can monitor the network at those remote locations. If any critical equipment goes offline or has an issue they can get alerted immediately if they have the right monitoring solutions in place. This allows them to have a pulse on all your locations and know if any experience problems. Good monitoring software also allows them to be proactive about solving issues before they become a big problem.
Regular network maintenance can also be performed remotely without issue. Your IT team should be seeking to automate routine patches and updates whenever possible to save on manhours spent on repetitive maintenance tasks.
Bottom line is that advances in technology have made it simpler than ever to spin up a network at a new location. This allows you to grow quickly when needed, knowing that you’ll be able to get the support that you need.
Onsite Support
There are times when you may need somebody to come onsite to fix an issue. This can occur when you have a failure of network equipment, or a wiring issue. Typically, the need for onsite support would be driven by the need to physically lay hands on equipment to fix something.
So, when that’s the case, what do you do?
Your IT team is likely in a single location. For many simple network issues, the cost of travel and time can make the repair quite expensive. It can also mean extended downtime. You can’t have your network down for days while waiting for the IT team to travel there.
The very best IT teams will have a solution in place for this. They have a way to tap into a nationwide network of technicians that could be onsite in a short amount of time in case of emergency. When the need arises, they simply tap the local resource that goes out to resolve the issue.
This saves you from downtime and it can also offer significant cost savings when onsite support is needed.
Conclusion
Supporting numerous locations nationwide presents some significant challenges for IT teams. Those who have worked in the industry for a while have gotten good at standardizing solutions across locations and delivering quality remote support. They will also have access to a network of technicians nationwide that allows them to get boots on the ground in any of your locations quickly.
If you find yourself struggling to support your properties across the country, give us a call. i.t.NOW has years of experience supporting the multifamily industry with best-in-class solutions. We deliver fast remote support and have access to technicians anywhere in the world.
Photo by Expect Best: https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-view-of-office-building-against-sky-323705/
