The Virtual Support Network

Virtual Support Networks allow managed service providers and IT organizations to support unattended, on-premise hardware and software as though they were there in person, even if they’re ten thousand miles away and managing a computer connected to the internet through a low-speed dial-up line.

Virtual Support Networks (VSNs) are a second-generation of internet-based remote access technology. Like those solutions, VSNs are:
• Web-based. This means they communicate over standard secure web ports that are already open in the firewall.
• High-performance. They are not only faster over any kind of network but also more resilient to packet loss, temporary loss of connections, and the other realities of today’s Internet.
• Secure. Using the same secure web protocols that drive billions of dollars of financial transactions VSNs are secure, permissions-based, and give granular control over the level of access the supported system provides.

These additional characteristics distinguish VSN technology further:
• Bulletproof security contracts. Without an on-site user to grant or deny each individual action, VSNs must allow customers to set, manage, and monitor specific policies about who can do what to their machines.
• Full control. When supported by the security contract, the remote user must be able to install software, reboot the system and immediately reconnect, log on as both a user and an administrator, and generally have the same access to the system as if he or she were in the same room.
• Total auditability. While auditing actions is important in any remote access scenario, it becomes especially important in an unattended scenario. This is even more true in the light of today’s IT compliance and regulatory environment created by Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, EU privacy regulations, and more.

The Business Case for Virtual Support Networks
The business case for the Virtual Support Network is simple: for organizations providing support to a stringent service level, VSNs reduce the number of costly field visits. The result is higher per-agent productivity, lower cost and higher margins, and (because of shorter resolution times) higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Reduced Support Costs
Support industry research shows that the cost of a single field visit costs a minimum of $100 to $150 dollars, even for the simplest issues. Not only that, but it takes time: time to dispatch busy technicians, time for them to become available, time for them to badge in, and time for them to get to and from the customer location. A field service technician who can resolve four issues in a day is considered productive, where their remote counterpart may be expected to resolve three or four issues in an hour.

The math is clear: managed support organizations must do as much work remotely as possible. With Virtual Support Network technology, a much greater percentage of incidents can be resolved remotely with no loss of close rates or customer success. The bottom line is lower support costs and higher margin for managed services. Remote support can even create the opportunity to package additional high-margin value-added services that are priced attractively to the customer.

Reduced Time to Resolution
In addition to being more cost effective, remote support (empowered by next-best-thing-to-being-there VSN technology) resolves issues much faster for customers—especially if the issues are complex. The field technician might not have the expertise to debug the issue without a great deal of back-and-forth with escalation engineers in the support center or the sustaining engineering organization. In contrast, with a VSN, all the experts can collaborate at first contact—even if they’re in different locations.

The result is faster time to relief for the customer, faster time to close and lower backlog for the service provider.

Increased Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty
Managed service customers pay a premium for not having to think about support—for making downtime “somebody else’s problem.” And the services they’re buying are often business-critical. So it’s no surprise that they’re impatient when having to wait for a technician.
Similarly, system maintenance is a necessary evil. While customers understand the role of maintenance in delivering the uptime they need, they’d prefer not to be involved in it.
By enabling effective remote support, VSNs provide more of what the customer is paying for: rapid resolutions and transparent maintenance. In many cases, problems are detected and resolved long before the customer knows there’s a problem. Upgrades and maintenance are invisible. The whole messy reality of the technology is hidden from the customer, and they just reap the business benefits.

This model can have major impacts on satisfaction. But more importantly, from a business standpoint, it can be great for loyalty. Customers now see the managed service provider not a vendor who is always trying to justify their support contract on a cost-per-incident basis but as a trustworthy business partner who deserves to share in the benefits they enable.