Check Out The Best IT Support Tools For Businesses In 2024

Helpful Summary

• Overview: This article focuses on IT support tools for businesses of all sizes. It covers the benefits of adopting the right IT support tool. It also offers valuable insights into the best IT support tools that IT and DevOps teams should consider.  
• Why you can trust us: At Instatus, we've helped companies like Vidyard, Deno, and Railway improve their IT infrastructure by giving them reliable and in-depth oversight of their data. Our incident management solutions have helped these companies reduce downtown and enhance their overall system performance. 
• Why it matters: IT support tools enhance productivity by automating tasks and managing technical issues. This leads to smoother operations, stronger protections against cyber threats, and improved customer trust. 
• Action points: When choosing the right IT support tool, consider features, pricing, and specific business needs. Instatus is recommended for performance monitoring, while other tools like Freshservice, iLert, Incident Tracker, and ManageEngine cater to various requirements.
• Further research: Explore detailed reviews and pricing plans for each recommended IT support tool to find the best fit for your business needs.  

Need Help Choosing the Right IT Support Tool?

Selecting the right IT support tool is a critical decision that shouldn’t be made lightly. The wrong tool could significantly impact your business's efficiency, productivity, profitability, and overall success. 

The tools you choose will form the backbone of your IT infrastructure, supporting everything from incident management and workflow automation to asset tracking and security. You don’t want to be the person who chooses an IT support tool that doesn’t match your needs. 

In this Instatus article, we review the IT tools we believe will help you. We provide insights into the features, pricing, pros, and cons of each tool. We are confident you have all you need to choose the right IT support solution for your business. 

Why Trust Us?

At Instatus, we've helped companies such as Vidyard, Deno, and Railway improve their IT infrastructure by offering tools that support their incident management efforts. 

These companies have integrated Instatus into their support tools to resolve common pain points like poor communication, the absence of real-time updates, and lack of integration, allowing them to enjoy improved operations.

This led to better allocation of resources, faster incident response, and significant cost savings. 

What is an IT Support Tool? 

All businesses require IT support to function optimally. IT support includes a wide range of services, such as resolving technical issues, maintaining system uptime, implementing security measures, and managing software updates. It is needed to ensure the smooth operation of an organization's technology infrastructure. 

Why is IT Support Important for Your Business?

A reliable IT support tool offers businesses: 

• Incident Management: IT support tools assist organizations in properly tracking and managing technical issues. 
• Automation and Workflow Management: Automating IT support tools and repetitive IT tasks simplest workflows and reduces manual errors. 
• On-Call Management: Many IT support tools specialize in on-call management, ensuring 24/7 coverage with automated escalations and easy rotation management. 
• Customizable Status Pages: Being able to customize status pages for customers shows them exactly what they want at any time. 
• Security and Compliance: IT support tools often have features that protect against cyber threats. This helps companies comply with data safety industry standards and maintain customer trust. 
• Improved Productivity: By automating routine tasks and streamlining workflows, IT support tools free up valuable time for IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives. This move improves overall efficiency and productivity.

Criteria To Consider When Choosing an IT Support Tool 

Consider the following pointers when choosing your IT support tool:

Scalability and Integration

The tool should be able to grow with your organization. Consider whether it can handle increasing users, tickets, and devices as your company expands. It should also integrate seamlessly with your existing systems and software for smooth data flow. 

User Interface and Ease of Use

The interface should be intuitive for both IT staff and end-users. A user-friendly tool increases adoption rates and efficiency. Pay attention to tools that offer customizable dashboards, drag-and-drop functionality, and clear navigation to enhance user experiences.

Reporting and Analytics

Strong reporting features help track performance and identify trends to inform decision-making. . Look for features like customizable reports, real-time dashboards, and the ability to export data for further analysis.

Security Features

Given the sensitive nature of IT issues, excellent security measures are important. To ensure data protection, look for data encryption and role-based access controls that comply with relevant industry standards and regulations.

Cost and ROI

Evaluate the total cost of ownership, including licensing, implementation, and maintenance. When considering the potential return on investment, investigate how automation can boost potential savings and improve problem resolution times. 

Best IT Support Tools For Your Business

Here are the best IT support tools for your business: 

1. Jira Service Management - For performance monitoring
2. Freshservice - For larger enterprises
3. ServiceNow - For extensive integrations
4. Incident Tracker - For asset tracking

Let's take a closer look at each. 

1. Jira Service Management 

Atlassian's Jira Service Management helps streamline IT service management, incident management, and help desk operations. It is particularly known for its user-friendly interface and powerful automation capabilities, which improve service delivery. While it offers some AI and machine learning features, these are not its primary focus. You’ll also appreciate that Jira Service Management also integrates seamlessly with other Atlassian products like Confluence and Bitbucket.

Key Features

• Request Management: Centralized platform for managing and tracking service requests, allowing users to submit and monitor the status of their requests easily.
• Incident Management: Provides tools for rapid incident response, including automated notifications and detailed logging to ensure quick resolution.
• Problem Management: Facilitates root cause analysis and incident grouping to identify and address underlying issues effectively.
• Change Management: Offers contextual information and approval workflows to manage changes efficiently, reducing risk and improving coordination.

Pricing

Jira Service Management offers various pricing plans to accommodate different organizational needs: 

• Free Plan: Basic service management features for up to 3 agents
• Standard Plan: $17.65 per agent per month
• Premium Plan: $44.27 per agent per month
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for large organizations

Pros

• Works well with other Atlassian products like Confluence and Bitbucket
• Highly customizable workflows and processes
• User-friendly interface and self-service capabilities

Cons

• Some users find initial setup and configuration complex
• Can be expensive for smaller organizations

2. Freshservice 

Freshservice by Freshworks is an IT Service Management (ITSM) solution that helps organizations manage their IT operations with a user-friendly interface and powerful automation capabilities.

Key Features

• Incident Management: Efficiently track and manage incidents to ensure quick resolutions.
• Service Request Management: Handle service requests with automated workflows and approval processes.
• Asset Management: Maintain an up-to-date inventory of IT assets, track their lifecycle, and manage contracts.

Pricing

Freshservice plans start at $19 per user per month for the starter plan and reach up to $119 per user per month for the Enterprise plan.

Pros

• Intuitive interface and easy setup.
• Powerful automation features that save time and reduce manual actions.
• Highly customizable to fit specific organizational needs.

Cons

• Smaller businesses might find the prices to be on the higher side. 
• Some advanced features are available only in higher-tier plans.

3. ServiceNow 

Next is ServiceNow, a cloud-based platform designed to automate and manage IT service management and other business processes. Its tools help organizations improve their IT operations' efficiency and effectiveness. 

Key Features

• Centralized Platform: Delivers comprehensive IT service management via a single system of engagement in the cloud. 
• Configuration Management: Helps to track the dependencies and relationships of supported IT services, ensuring continuity. 
• Incident Management: Adopts advanced smart routing and built-in collaboration that resolves incidents and restores services faster.  
• Asset Management: Tracks and manages IT assets throughout their lifecycle, from procurement to disposal, ensuring compliance and cost efficiency. 

Pricing

ServiceNow does not publicly disclose its pricing, Its Standard, Pro, and Enterprise plans are flexible to suit specific business needs, industry requirements, company size, and selected modules. Pricing quotes are provided upon request.  

Pros

• Delivers diverse service management solutions to teams on a single platform
• Offers instant resolutions to repetitive IT service tasks
• Adopts a people-first approach, making it easier to adopt and use

Cons

• Pricing is not transparent and may discourage some users
• The wide range of modules and features can be overwhelming

4. ManageEngine

ManageEngine offers a complete suite of IT management tools so organizations can efficiently manage and secure their IT infrastructure.

Key Features

• Identity and Access Management: Manage digital identities, enforce MFA and SSO, and adopt a Zero-Trust model.
• Unified Service Management: Automate and manage IT and business services, such as IT asset management.
• Unified Endpoint Management and Security: Secure and manage desktops, servers, laptops, mobile devices, and browsers.

Pricing

The standard edition of ManageEngine is free for up to 5 technicians. It costs $120 annually for every additional technician. The Professional edition costs $495 per year for two technicians, increasing to $1195 per year for two technicians using the Enterprise edition. 

Pros

• Intuitive interface and easy setup
• Powerful automation features that save time and reduce manual efforts
• Multiple customization features to suit the needs of different teams 

Cons

• Some businesses may find the Professional and Enterprise plans too expensive
• Some advanced features are available only in higher-tier plans

Integrating Instatus With IT Support Tools

Even if you’re using IT support tools, it’s still important to get your message across to your customers. Integrating a status page service like Instatus into your IT support stack offers several benefits:

• Reduced Support Tickets: Embedding status widgets on support portals provides customers with instant access to service updates, lowering the volume of support inquiries.
• Automated Communication: Monitoring tools trigger real-time updates on the status page, reducing manual updates during incidents.
• Enhanced Efficiency: Automates incident reporting, allowing IT teams to focus on resolving issues rather than managing communications.
• Improved Notifications: Notifications through email, Slack, and other channels keep IT teams and customers informed about service status.
• Increased Transparency: Provides a clear, real-time view of service health, building customer trust and confidence.

Conclusion

Every business needs a properly functioning IT department. Picking the right IT support tool directly impacts operational efficiency, incident management, and customer communication at your company. 

In this article, we explored several top IT support tools. Each offers unique features and benefits tailored to different business needs. Choosing the right one for your team should be easy if you consider the criteria we’ve provided. 

IT teams can also integrate Instatus into their IT support tools to improve efficiency and incident management. Instatus’ highly customizable status pages offer real-time updates, helping teams maintain transparency with customers and users. 

Get started with your own Instatus status page now.